HomeArticles Earth First * Please note that the piece you are currently reading may not meet our updated editorial guidelines. This might be because of the types or number of sources used or because of our stricter impartiality guidelines. We have kept it online in case the information is useful to you all the same.As adults, we probably all do at least some of the food shopping, whether for the household or just for ourselves, but children rely on their parents, as the gatekeepers of food coming into the home, to purchase food for them. In today's more health-conscious world, some parents are strict regulators of what their children can and can't have to eat. We all know that sugar, salt and saturated fats are bad, but these nutrients tend to be high in just the sorts of foods that children (and, let's be honest, adults) want most. Luckily parents are on hand to say "no" when it gets too much!How do parents choose what their kids can or cannot eat?Our research has shown that mums most often do the food shopping for their family and so we invited some mums to take part in a focus group. Interestingly, the volunteers explained that they don’t necessarily impose all their own buying or eating habits on their children and when it comes to choosing foods for them, they will make some "sacrifices" if it means that their children will get a benefit along the way. For example:Orange juice can be high in sugar, but it also contains vitamin CBreakfast cereals can also be high in sugar, but children tend to eat cereal with milk, which provides calciumCanned baked beans contain added salt, but they are also high in protein, a source of fibre and count towards your 5 A DAY (not to mention the fact that they’re convenient!)What about adults choosing food for themselves?It can be tempting to forbid ourselves from our favourite foods in order to be healthy, but perhaps we should sometimes give ourselves a break if they're giving us benefits too. After all, we're always told that the most important thing is to get a balanced diet! This article has been adapted by the author for FoodUnfolded.