So all we are hearing lately is how to stop the children's obesity problem that is rising so quickly. And let's be completely honest. This is a very big, very difficult problem to solve. With all the trends of the last 20 years from fast food to packaged food, from Atari to Wii, from small outdoor playtime to huge inside screen time, we have obstacles to health in abundance. But I want to focus on food for a minute. There are easy and small changes that we can make to our children's diets that will lead to great results. Unfortunately as a society we are all to blame for the growing dependency on packaged and sugar-based foods that provide little to no nutritional value. And because of this, we have not been able to give our kids the tools to choose their nutritional needs correctly. So it is time we give them that knowledge so they can make the correct choices and help be an active part of returning to healthy, strong little humans. They need to understand that if we don't fuel our bodies correctly that, like a vehicle, we don't run correctly.
The very first small change is getting rid of all sweet, sugary drinks. Soda is out. So are all energy drinks and kool-aid. Many juices would fall into this category as well. If our children cut back on 200 calories a week of sweet, sugary drinks, that is 10,400 calories a year! Not to mention all the monetary savings at the grocery store and at the dentist!
Next, let's try decreasing the boxed, bottled, and canned food and increasing the consumption of free-standing foods. You know what I mean....foods that you purchase that have no packaging, don't need any added ingredients, and are found on the outer edges of the grocery store. Things like bananas, apples, cucumbers, nuts, onions, rice, and the list goes on.
Finally, let's return to a time when dessert was not an everyday thing. When I was young I remember getting homemade pudding in special little pudding cups maybe once a week. And you know what? It was so special! Let's continually remind our children that every meal should not be followed by a sweet treat. They will be so much more appreciative of them when they don't come around as often. This in no way means that we should deprive kids of having sweets here and there, but the goal is to get back to a place where kids understand that if you eat treats every day, your body will pay the price.
So I know that although these changes are small, they may seem huge when you are trying to convince a child that he doesn't need another cookie today. We may also have to face a little sugar withdrawal and some really cranky kids. But, I think the reminder we have to keep giving ourselves is that we created this lack of knowledge in our kids, and we have to be the ones who fix it. We are responsible for their health. We wouldn't send a child off to college who didn't graduate the 6th grade, so why would we send a child out into adulthood with no knowledge of how to keep their health? If we continue to allow them to eat the sugary, chemically-filled, fattening foods that are out there, we are only preparing them for a lifetime of health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, weight-management issues, joint disorders, and chronic pain. We have the power to change this, it's time to turn it around! Let's start with these 3 simple ideas and let's see what happens.
In Good Health,
Jenn
Gwen and I are teaching a healthy eating/cooking workshop for our next Sporty Sprout Saturdays event on Saturday, March 26th. Boys and Girls are welcome, just message us on facebook for the details!
The very first small change is getting rid of all sweet, sugary drinks. Soda is out. So are all energy drinks and kool-aid. Many juices would fall into this category as well. If our children cut back on 200 calories a week of sweet, sugary drinks, that is 10,400 calories a year! Not to mention all the monetary savings at the grocery store and at the dentist!
Next, let's try decreasing the boxed, bottled, and canned food and increasing the consumption of free-standing foods. You know what I mean....foods that you purchase that have no packaging, don't need any added ingredients, and are found on the outer edges of the grocery store. Things like bananas, apples, cucumbers, nuts, onions, rice, and the list goes on.
Finally, let's return to a time when dessert was not an everyday thing. When I was young I remember getting homemade pudding in special little pudding cups maybe once a week. And you know what? It was so special! Let's continually remind our children that every meal should not be followed by a sweet treat. They will be so much more appreciative of them when they don't come around as often. This in no way means that we should deprive kids of having sweets here and there, but the goal is to get back to a place where kids understand that if you eat treats every day, your body will pay the price.
So I know that although these changes are small, they may seem huge when you are trying to convince a child that he doesn't need another cookie today. We may also have to face a little sugar withdrawal and some really cranky kids. But, I think the reminder we have to keep giving ourselves is that we created this lack of knowledge in our kids, and we have to be the ones who fix it. We are responsible for their health. We wouldn't send a child off to college who didn't graduate the 6th grade, so why would we send a child out into adulthood with no knowledge of how to keep their health? If we continue to allow them to eat the sugary, chemically-filled, fattening foods that are out there, we are only preparing them for a lifetime of health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, weight-management issues, joint disorders, and chronic pain. We have the power to change this, it's time to turn it around! Let's start with these 3 simple ideas and let's see what happens.
In Good Health,
Jenn
Gwen and I are teaching a healthy eating/cooking workshop for our next Sporty Sprout Saturdays event on Saturday, March 26th. Boys and Girls are welcome, just message us on facebook for the details!
