You are going to realize that I’m very random, and I may say things people may not like to hear but this topic today is one that makes me sad to see. The other day I was reading an article online about how children and young adults in society are more likely to have health issues and become over weight based on all the unhealthy options in today’s world. For one, it saddens me that I see kids that are very overweight and the parents driving their carts with a ton of processed foods in it or making it a habit to hit up the drive threw on a consistent basis. We are living in an alarming time where obesity in children are on the rise and we as parents are in the driver’s seat to change the outcome if we don’t like it. I know as a parent myself that sometimes it is easy to just go and grab food on the run. One of the better things about eating healthy is the way I feel and what I can get done in the day. So why wouldn’t I want my little girl to feel that same way too? I’m not trying to say if you feed your kid a cookie or some chips that you are a bad parent, it’s when the only thing that kids put in their body is unhealthy food and the days and months consist of the same type of food. This is when we need to take a good look at what we are doing and make the right changes….So this is my topic I really want to cover, and challenge people to make some small changes that could really make a big difference in our lives and in our children.
Kids don’t know what is healthy for them; they just go off of what we teach them, so make it a teachable moment and make healthy foods together. When you go grocery shopping make it fun for them by doing a scavenger hunt with the grocery list with the kids. The bottom line is that your kids don’t know what is good for them. Step up and show them what’s good.
Kids will eat what is available. Put a kid in a world where there is only meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables and that’s all they will crave and that’s all they will eat. You don’t think so? What do think kids feasted on before junk food and fast food joints were invented? What do you think hunter-gatherers fed their little ones? Wholesome awesome real food!
Throw the junk out of the house. Period. Stop buying cookies, chips, soda and other non-nutritious food for the house. Your pantry should be filled with vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, whole grains, organic dairy and nuts. Anything and everything you make at home should be using these ingredients. This will take care of the nutritious 75% of their diet. When they are out at a friends place or a party, let them have what the other kids have. It’s all about balance.
When it comes to children, if you start by feeding your children healthy food, than they will want healthy food. For the love of God, please don’t put your kids on a diet and increase their risk of being obese. Feed them real food and they will grow up to be freakin awesome!
If this is not an important topic to talk about, I don’t know what is! Please give your children respect. Feed them well and remember that the parent is in total control of what they eat at home. Kids don’t buy the food…the parent does.