My daughter will be 5 in the end of January <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> She's never set foot in a McDonald's either, but a lot of children at school have and she's begun to wonder what she's missing out on. We've spoken about that and she understands that it is bad food which would make her sick.

She eats cake, choccies, etc occasionally when it seems to be unavoidable, for example at school when they cook, or at parties. Unfortunately she's got a sweet tooth -- I think she was born insulin resistant thanks to my own poor condition at the time -- and I don't want to make her feel like a pariah by not being allowed to have a little of what the others are having (I did try that when she was little and it was very difficult, lots of tantrums). I just wish other people would eat more healthily. We just got back from spending a week at my parents' house in Denver and my mother got her to cook cookies and cake from boxed mixes which were full of things like hydrogenated soy. I was so upset that I was in tears but people were angry at me for making a big deal out of it. Next time we go there I'm going to have to set some ground rules because I don't want anyone feeding that crap to my little girl.

I have Holford's website bookmarked but I haven't been there much to be honest. We eat the Paleolithic diet and I think I found him a little too mainstream -- I'll have to look there again. I've come across Blaylock via the Mercola site and have liked what he's said, particularly about vaccines. He wrote a piece there about how he lost his brother to disease and the "care" of modern medicine. Unfortunately while I was debating with some skeptics they dished the dirty on him and I discovered that he is also a right-wing nut with some distasteful ideas about politics and the welfare state. But I don't think that negates the professional work he's done or the knowledge he has about health.

You do often feel engaged in a battle where food and health are concerned, especially when you have children, aren't you. It's very hard. My own husband supports through words (sometimes) but not actions and I've had to figure out how to explain why he eats the way he does.

Be glad you don't live in the US -- the toxic food is even worse there. My parents' house is full of cans and boxes laced with trans fats, soy, msg, you name it. Americans are killing themselves with food. I managed to avoid it for myself and my daughter for the most part but it was hard.

Ironically, I had a shipment of krill oil come for me from Dr. Mercola, and it included a complimentary copy of his new book, "Take Control of Your Heath." I could sit there and read about all the crap the people around me were eating LOL. It has a whole chapter on msg, as well as other anti-foods.

Why not teach your son the "M" song from my daughter's school? "Mum and dad make many meals, mmmm, mmmm, for their hungry children." No McDonald's in sight!