Open Your Fridge

Last night my son came home from practice with fast food. But here's the win — he skipped the free pop and drank water. His friends think he's nuts. He says once he stopped drinking pop, he stopped craving it. That's how the body works — and how food scientists work against it.

Here's the hard truth for parents: young kids don't have jobs, money, or a ride to the store. They eat what's in the house. If the fridge is full of cut-up fruit, pre-cooked chicken, ready-made rice and pasta, yogurt, and cheese — the fastest option becomes the healthy option. That's the whole game.

Ultra-processed food will find your kids eventually. It's engineered to be delicious — I love Cool Ranch Doritos. But when real food is the daily default, those treats become minor deviations, not the diet.

In Death Resistant, we call it the Health Savings Account. Every food choice is a deposit or a withdrawal — just keep the ledger positive. And one maxim above all: don't drink your sugar. Liquid sugar spikes and crashes. Sugar in real food digests slower, thanks to the fat and fiber that come with it.

Stock the fridge. Model the water. I'm Coach Mike from Mighty Oak Athletic in Westmont. Be strong to be useful.

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