Many people … have spent a lifetime eating themselves into their current state of ill-health….In the end you are the one responsible for your own condition.
Dr. Dan Falor (recent guest on Parents Rule! radio show)
Don’t think I am pointing a finger at any of you because from my glass house, I am not the person to be throwing stones. I have done a lot of things, food wise, which are unhealthy. Actually, this struck a cord with me because I am trying to get back into a better nutritional state myself. To my disappointment, I have found that woman does not live on Cokes, hamburgers and pizza alone. This is sad because they certainly taste better than broccoli and brussel sprouts.
It is important that we examine our eating habits and what we are feeding our kids. It may take a little longer to cook a meal than to heat up a hot dog, but our kids are worth it. We all want them to lead full and happy lives, they can only do that if they are healthy. Take the extra time to steam some green beans to go along with that dog if that is what you want that night. Make a salad. Add some fresh fruit.
It's hard when kids have busy schedules and you are rushing home from work to make dinner and/or transport kids here and there. But you can cook ahead. I remember spending a lot of Sundays making meals ahead of a busy week. Then I just heated them up and we had a balanced meal instead of running through a drive-through.
Dr. Dan is right. We are responsible. It is up to us what we put in our bodies and what we have available for our kids to put in theirs. Take responsibility. Do the extra work. Isn’t it worth it for our health and the health of our kids?
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
"Cop Farts" for breakfast
Ok. Here I am at my daughter's house while she is in Hawaii. If that is not bad enough, I have her two toddlers. OMG! I forgot so many things...not the least of which is "what can I get these kids to eat?" The older one said this morning that he wanted "cop farts" for breakfast. Somehow, I am sure that is not really want he wants. Besides, my daughter did not tell me anything about those in the notes she left for me.
Obviously my brain is fried from lack of sleep. Looking back to dinner last night, I remembered that you have to make some hard choices nutrition-wise. So I gave the meat eater his brother's meat loat (which really disappointed the dog waiting for the next bite to be thrown from the high chair.) And I gave the vegetable eater his brother's acorn squash.
Sometimes it just boils down to quiet... and getting them to eat something without a big battle. Luckily I did get them both to eat some corn and peas--of course there was some bribery involved with the meat-eater. But it all worked out okay.
It is important to encourage children to eat a balanced meal. But sometimes it just isn't going to happen. They are little individuals and have their own likes and dislikes. So I will keep trying to offer nutritious meals.
But, as a grandmom, my main goal is that they do not starve until their parents some home.
Obviously my brain is fried from lack of sleep. Looking back to dinner last night, I remembered that you have to make some hard choices nutrition-wise. So I gave the meat eater his brother's meat loat (which really disappointed the dog waiting for the next bite to be thrown from the high chair.) And I gave the vegetable eater his brother's acorn squash.
Sometimes it just boils down to quiet... and getting them to eat something without a big battle. Luckily I did get them both to eat some corn and peas--of course there was some bribery involved with the meat-eater. But it all worked out okay.
It is important to encourage children to eat a balanced meal. But sometimes it just isn't going to happen. They are little individuals and have their own likes and dislikes. So I will keep trying to offer nutritious meals.
But, as a grandmom, my main goal is that they do not starve until their parents some home.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Are fast food restaurants making our kids fat?
Baloney...or maybe I should say Tofu! That is just silly.
In the Atlanta Journal & Constitution recently they ran a pro-con editorial about whether the feds should step in and regulate advertising aimed at children. I was honored to have my letter to the editor published and thought I would talk about it a little here.
There is a growing obesity problem in our children. That is leading to a huge increase in children with conditions and diseases that once were only found in adults, such as Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol. This is a terrible problem and it is cautiously being said that this may be the first generation who will have a shorter life span than their parents. Makes you gasp, dosen't it?
Having said that, do I blame fast food restaurants and soft drink companies for targeting children? No, not in the least. We have a free market society and they have a right to target whomever they please. (Consumers have the right to refuse to buy the product.) This has always been part of their marketing strategy. Nothing new to see here--move on.
So what is the difference? Parents. My parents did not care how many times I wanted fast food or candy. I got it as a special treat and that was rarely. My kids got it a little more often because I was a working mom and sometimes that was all I could do on the way to a ballgame. However, I tried to limit it and to provide healthy meals for my kids nearly every day.
Many parents today want the government to make their kids not want this stuff--right! Like that is going to work. The genie is out of the bottle, baby. Those kids know about this stuff now and they are going to want it. Parents, you are going to have to put on your big girl panties and big boy boxers and say...let me think...what was that word...oh, I remember. Say NO!
Parents are ones who need to be the example by eating healthy and exercising themselves. They need to plan meals and healthy snacks that fit into busy lifestyles. I used to cook more that one meal at a time. That way when the week was going to be busy, I could pull out an already prepared meal, nuke it, and the kids ate healthy. You can also fill a cooler with healthy snacks to eat on the way to practice or whereever--fruits and cheese are perfect for this.
There needs to be a return to personal responsibility. Parents, if you look at your kids and they are overweight, there is only one person to blame. (hint...look in the mirror.) The last time I looked, 8 and 10 year olds did not drive themselves to the closest burger joint and buy themselves fries.
Get that child out from in front of the TV or computer. Yank that cell phone out of her hand. Get him involved in some physical activity. Start planning healthy meals. Make a change right now for the life of your child.
Our government was never meant to do everything for us. If it was, our founding fathers would have set it up as a dictatorship. Remember, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "A government that is big enough to meet all your needs is big enough to take all you have."
In the Atlanta Journal & Constitution recently they ran a pro-con editorial about whether the feds should step in and regulate advertising aimed at children. I was honored to have my letter to the editor published and thought I would talk about it a little here.
There is a growing obesity problem in our children. That is leading to a huge increase in children with conditions and diseases that once were only found in adults, such as Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol. This is a terrible problem and it is cautiously being said that this may be the first generation who will have a shorter life span than their parents. Makes you gasp, dosen't it?
Having said that, do I blame fast food restaurants and soft drink companies for targeting children? No, not in the least. We have a free market society and they have a right to target whomever they please. (Consumers have the right to refuse to buy the product.) This has always been part of their marketing strategy. Nothing new to see here--move on.
So what is the difference? Parents. My parents did not care how many times I wanted fast food or candy. I got it as a special treat and that was rarely. My kids got it a little more often because I was a working mom and sometimes that was all I could do on the way to a ballgame. However, I tried to limit it and to provide healthy meals for my kids nearly every day.
Many parents today want the government to make their kids not want this stuff--right! Like that is going to work. The genie is out of the bottle, baby. Those kids know about this stuff now and they are going to want it. Parents, you are going to have to put on your big girl panties and big boy boxers and say...let me think...what was that word...oh, I remember. Say NO!
Parents are ones who need to be the example by eating healthy and exercising themselves. They need to plan meals and healthy snacks that fit into busy lifestyles. I used to cook more that one meal at a time. That way when the week was going to be busy, I could pull out an already prepared meal, nuke it, and the kids ate healthy. You can also fill a cooler with healthy snacks to eat on the way to practice or whereever--fruits and cheese are perfect for this.
There needs to be a return to personal responsibility. Parents, if you look at your kids and they are overweight, there is only one person to blame. (hint...look in the mirror.) The last time I looked, 8 and 10 year olds did not drive themselves to the closest burger joint and buy themselves fries.
Get that child out from in front of the TV or computer. Yank that cell phone out of her hand. Get him involved in some physical activity. Start planning healthy meals. Make a change right now for the life of your child.
Our government was never meant to do everything for us. If it was, our founding fathers would have set it up as a dictatorship. Remember, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "A government that is big enough to meet all your needs is big enough to take all you have."
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