Soda and Sugar over Spinach and ‘Sparagus?
17 01 2008A slice of pizza, a snack pack of double stuff Oreos, a can of Pepsi and a side of fries — the aisle of a grocery store, or the typical lunch of American high schoolers these days? This has been a concern for nutritionists, parents and educators for the past decade. As obesity is on the rise, children are much more likely to be overweight than they were just five years ago.
Nanci Hellmich has explored this topic in an article titled, “For Kids, Fun Foods are Staples”. She realizes that kids are more attracted to bright packaging, sugar and grease, and reveals surprising results of one study –
“Kids get a whopping one-third of their calories from pizza, snacks and desserts, says a new analysis from a landmark study on children’s eating habits.” (Full Article)
Instead of a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, it seems as though Ramen noodles and chocolate chip cookies have taken over as their very own unhealthy food group. I see evidence of this in the high school I work at. After visiting my kids at lunch, the aftermath of the lunchroom is terrifying. There are uneaten apples and carrot sticks strewn about the room, accompanying the empty wrappers of candies, chocolates and even Taco Bell. It seems like there has been a huge shift in the staple lunch bag items from when I was younger, which included water, a sandwich, fruit and a vegetable.
In order to help families instill good eating habits for their children, Hellmich has provided a chart that parents can post on the refrigerator. To make it easy to follow for children, this visual aid contains three different sections. “Go Foods” are healthy foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, that kids can eat almost any time. that “Slow Foods” are foods that should be eaten sparingly (once or twice a week), including white bread and fruit juice. Finally, “Whoa Foods” are foods that should be eaten on special occasions, like pastries and fried foods.
I believe that ultimately it is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children good eating habits. However, schools can (and should) be making more of an effort to provide consistency for the students. I think it’s a good idea to eliminate vending machines altogether, and offer more organic and local foods for kids to purchase. Also, health and nutrition classes should be a requirement for all freshmen, because they are old enough to make their own choices with the foods they put in their mouths.
Hellmich, Nanci. “For Kids, ‘Fun Foods’ are Staples.” USA Today 31 May 2005.
15 Jan. 2008. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-05-31-kids-food_x.htm>
Anthony Bourdain (THE NASTY BITS) once asked the head CEO of McDonalds if he would feed his family the food served in one of the dine and dash establishments he saw fit to place practically every thirty miles across this great country of ours. The CEO quickly answered he would never let his family eat such foods. It wasn’t a question of a muti-millionaire slumming it with blue-collar Americans, he simply replied: “I know what’s in that food”.
Every once in a while, when I travel with my family, we may stop for a bite to eat at said establishment. Each bite of the gray meat flavored patty is a reminder of all the fresh alternatives I will have to imbibe in over the coming days, just to flush my system. I have always been someone who loves to eat good food. By good food, I mean I like to make almost everything from scratch. I can fruits and vegetables like my grandmother taught me all those summers ago. I bake homemade breads every weekend. These are the skills I try to work on everyday in the hopes that my son will carry on. He has learned to eat fresh foods and be very selective about what he eats, but that doesn’t mean as I steer the car into the parking lot of the clown mascoted eatery, he doesn’t get excited. (Just as a side bar here I think the clown serves a two-fold purpose. 1. To attract children 2. To make them aware of baggy funny looking clothes, because all that food will have them wearing similar things.)
Before I get too far off topic my point is simple. Nutrition starts with adults: Parents, teachers, siblings, and so on. Parents who make bad choices in the supermarket leave children with no choice. This can work conversely. Parents who make good choices will also leave children with no choice, but will have room to allow the occassional trip to the “Golden Arches” and not the Golden Gate (not the bridge). Nutrition is a matter of well informed choices. Education plays a huge role in this area. Not just education of the mind (choices), but also of the body (the ability to carry out those choices).
“Anything good you’ve ever been given is yours forever” -Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
I personally am behind this 100%. It is the parents responsibility to teach nutrition, be a school environment shouldn’t be an enabler for bad habits. When I was in high school I lived off the vending machine. My metabolism was high, so I stayed thin as a rail. I wish that were still true.
I think school need to provide a safe healthy environment and to me that includes not offering bad food choices to people that are at an age that they aren’t always capable of making the right decisions for themselves.
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