A few days ago, my family and I took a long plane trip. The flight was delayed by almost 5 hours, and the airline upgraded us to first class as an incentive to ease the discomfort of the delay.
My children, who are lucky enough to travel several times a year, had never been in first class before. Apart from the fact that they slept comfortably for almost half the flight, I think they couldn't even imagine that after the meal service, the flight attendants walked down the aisle offering vanilla ice cream in cups, and a whole bunch of toppings to choose from: chocolate and caramel sauces, nuts, chocolate ants...
At home, we eat a very healthy diet. Although we're not vegetarians, most of our meals are, and I prepare them with whole grains, seasonal vegetables, and plenty of legumes. When we eat meat, it's organic and grass-fed; the fish is always wild-caught. And when we travel, we never eat airplane food; we always bring our own.
Ultra-processed foods are not allowed in our house, and of course, there are no commercially baked goods. My children—aged 7 and 5—not only don't drink soda, but they don't even know the names of the most popular sodas, and they've never tried sweets, because when their classmates give them candy, they bring it home and we exchange it for healthier sweets.
I am not in favor of birthday celebrations that make sugar the main focus, especially because in the end it's not just one day, but a birthday for each classmate, plus siblings, cousins, etc.
However, there are times when I feel that food is more than just sustenance, and that the experience of enjoying ice cream in the first-class section of an airplane, for example (something I don't think will happen again for a long time), is more important than worrying about whether that ice cream is made with organic milk and without preservatives.
My children and I enjoyed the ice cream, and the next day at home, we ate sprouted bread for breakfast, salad for lunch, and lentils for dinner.
Every day I worry about my family's diet, but there are times when it's worth breaking the rules and preferences and enjoying an unforgettable experience.