Recently, the Chicago Tribune published this article about how adults who live with children eat 5 more grams of fat each day than do adults who don't live with children. Presumably, this happens because the adults eat the same fatty, bland food that they feed their kids, such as hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese, as confirmed by this quote from the article: "Adults pick up foods that the kids want, so the kids end up driving the nutrition habits of the household instead of parents. Parents then eat what they eat, and everyone gets a fatty diet." This is yet another example of how our culture has become increasingly child-centric in all the wrong ways. We aren't willing to ensure that our kids have access to health care and a decent education, but by golly they can eat whatever crap they want.
I find this mindset of a child-driven diet baffling because it should be the other way around. Parents should be the ones in charge. They're the ones who have the money, buy the groceries, and control what food is brought into the house. That's how it was in my family when I was growing up. My parents cooked what they wanted to eat, and my siblings and I were free to eat it or go hungry. They did not buy special food for us. In fact, we didn't even eat commercial baby food. My mom took whatever she had cooked for herself and dad and ran it through the blender for us. When we got older, we were allowed to cook our own food if we wanted (and we had to clean up after ourselves), but my mom made it clear that she was not a short-order cook who would make a different meal for each member of the family.
This all begs the question of why parents are feeding their kids junk food in the first place. They can't possibly think that such food is good for their kids. Sometimes I wonder if people assume that kids just can't or won't eat "real food." The truth is that, as long as it isn't too spicy (because children's taste buds are more sensitive than those of adults), kids can eat anything adults do. Our prehistoric ancestors didn't have special kiddie food. Their kids had to eat whatever the adults had on hand, and the human race survived and thrived. If you start your kids out eating real food and not kiddie food, then that's what they'll eat. I know, they may be exposed to fatty junk food at someone else's house, and you may not be able to control that, but you can tell them that such food is for special occasions and isn't nutritious enough to eat every day. You may have to endure some whining, but if you stand your ground, it'll end soon enough.
Finally, how do parents expect their kids to learn good eating habits if they aren't taught them from day one? You can't feed kids junk their whole lives and then expect them to adopt good eating habits when they turn 21. Parents have to set the agenda and the example from the beginning to ensure a lifetime of healthy eating.
I find this mindset of a child-driven diet baffling because it should be the other way around. Parents should be the ones in charge. They're the ones who have the money, buy the groceries, and control what food is brought into the house. That's how it was in my family when I was growing up. My parents cooked what they wanted to eat, and my siblings and I were free to eat it or go hungry. They did not buy special food for us. In fact, we didn't even eat commercial baby food. My mom took whatever she had cooked for herself and dad and ran it through the blender for us. When we got older, we were allowed to cook our own food if we wanted (and we had to clean up after ourselves), but my mom made it clear that she was not a short-order cook who would make a different meal for each member of the family.
This all begs the question of why parents are feeding their kids junk food in the first place. They can't possibly think that such food is good for their kids. Sometimes I wonder if people assume that kids just can't or won't eat "real food." The truth is that, as long as it isn't too spicy (because children's taste buds are more sensitive than those of adults), kids can eat anything adults do. Our prehistoric ancestors didn't have special kiddie food. Their kids had to eat whatever the adults had on hand, and the human race survived and thrived. If you start your kids out eating real food and not kiddie food, then that's what they'll eat. I know, they may be exposed to fatty junk food at someone else's house, and you may not be able to control that, but you can tell them that such food is for special occasions and isn't nutritious enough to eat every day. You may have to endure some whining, but if you stand your ground, it'll end soon enough.
Finally, how do parents expect their kids to learn good eating habits if they aren't taught them from day one? You can't feed kids junk their whole lives and then expect them to adopt good eating habits when they turn 21. Parents have to set the agenda and the example from the beginning to ensure a lifetime of healthy eating.
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