Convenience has become the top priority in busy households. Unfortunately this is to the detriment of children and teens, as we have allowed them to consume a diet high in sugar and low in nutrients. Fast food is often deficient in its composition but it caters to the hectic lifestyle many are caught up in. As a result of poor eating habits and lack of exercise, one in three children in the United States will be a diabetic adult. And, for the first time in history, our children’s life expectancy is lower than the generation before them.
When we take the time to research the food that is processed and packaged to attract children, the discovery can be jarring. Things such as chicken nuggets, pre-made burger patties, cold cuts for sandwiches, powders to mix with water for beverages, cookies, chips, gelatins, cereal and so on, are all full of fillers, artificial food coloring, chemicals, preservatives, added salt and sugar. To add insult to injury, these processed foods are generally high in calories and low in nutrients.
There really is no reason a child who can chew needs to eat from what the food industry calls “the children’s menu” when the same healthy eating rules apply to everyone. The basic rule of thumb is to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, lean cuts of seafood, poultry and meat, whole grains and to drink lots of water. Fruit and vegetables are as easy to eat as convenience foods that we pay extra for, because so many can be eaten raw with hardly any preparation time. Simply wash and they’re ready to eat.
Children copy their parents, so when we role model good eating habits, we not only are creating healthier little people, but we are also doing ourselves a nutritional favor. Granted, active children can get away with consuming more of everything, as they are burning calories at a considerably higher rate than adults with sedentary jobs. Nonetheless, it’s easier to develop good eating habits at a young age than it is to try and overcome a lifetime of poor choices that may well cause health issues.
Toddlers and preschoolers instinctively tend to make healthy food choices, because they are not yet exposed to the subliminal marketing and advertising created by the packaged food industry. Once they are exposed to the media—especially TV commercials—those sodas, so-called sport drinks and convenience foods create a mental craving that overtakes what their bodies are telling them to eat.
A bad habit is easy to develop and hard to break, so as parents, our job simply is to help our children by making healthy fresh foods available and not buying “the other stuff.” That is not to say the occasional bag of chips or ice cream can’t be had. We just don’t need to present the other stuff as “treats.” Instead, the other stuff should be presented as food to eat only when there is nothing better around.
The challenge is in how to present healthy eating to a child. If we deprive our growing children of sweets, the likelihood is that they will crave sugar. So, as parents we need to make choices available but define boundaries and limits, just as we would with any other behavior. Moderation is key, so we personally need to role model that as well.