As a mom of three kids, now grown, I’ve been through just about all there is to experience at McDonald’s. In light of McDonald’s July 26, 2011 announcement stating their commitment to offer improved nutrition choices in their Happy Meal, I wanted to share my story.
As summer winds down and the school bells are starting to ring, no parent wants to send their kids back to the books with a lunchbox full of food they won’t eat. These comforting muffin and quickbread recipes have some important nutrition built in and they’ll give your kids a soothing taste of home.
Kids are exposed to almost 8,000 food advertisements each year. That means that they are seeing about 21 ads for food every day. Most of these ads are for junk foods or those that are high in sugar, salt and fat and low in the nutrients that promote healthy growth and development. Studies show that the more time a child spends in front of the TV, the more likely that they will be overweight or obese. With 1 out of every 3 children in the U.S. being overweight or obese, reducing TV and screen time can help to improve the health of our children. What can be done to help our children with screen time?
There are few topics that paralyze me the way childhood obesity does. I know…I’m not supposed to “take it home.” As a clinician, it is my job to be just that…clinical. But how can I, when I am facing a 70-pound second grader and a parent that doesn’t know where to begin?
It’s a tough job for a caterer like me to design meals that satisfy clients and (hopefully) the majority of their guests. It’s even harder to accommodate picky kids–and adults, frankly–and the stakes are even higher with ever-increasing food intolerances and allergies. There are obvious benefits to keeping our menus healthy and kid-friendly. All of us moms feel the pressure to provide healthful options because it’s the right thing to do, and none of us want our kids jacked up on junk food or starving because they didn’t find anything they liked. We all embrace the importance of showing love for each other through tasty food that everyone likes.
I wonder every day if I am giving my daughter the basic fundamentals to be a happy and healthy child who will grow into a happy and healthy adult. I can’t tell you what it was like for my mother when I was a child, but I feel there is more pressure today to raise the “perfect” child—the “perfect” child, who eats only nutritional foods. If you want credit for being some sort of super-mom, the food has to be not only nutritional, but organic as well. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, but it can also cause stress, confusion and low self esteem because suddenly it puts everything under the microscope. What’s good? What isn’t? Technology opens us up to the opinion of anyone and everyone. I say, “Enough!” We Moms, we need to stand up and let the world know we are doing the best we can!
Recently I was invited to present to the parents and administrators of two local NY school districts. I genuinely enjoy the opportunity to speak to parents and caregivers about their child’s nutrition. As a sidebar, to be able to speak directly with a group like this is unique, noteworthy and a clear illustration of a… Read more »
