April 30, 2012
This weeks newsletter is a reprisal of an article I recently wrote in the Salisbury Post in Salisbury, NC. It is a challenge to the local community. I would like to extend this to all newsletter followers.
For the month of May, let us change how we see food and how we eat food. I wish to lay out a framework for a healthy family through parenting and eating.
The end goal of this challenge will be threefold. First, we wish to feel more energetic through a balanced diet. Second, we wish to get closer as a family and community through family dining experiences. Third, we wish to decrease the scourge of obesity in the county.
In order to achieve these lofty goals we need to commit as a family and community. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask, "Do I wish to have healthy children and live to see their children grow up.?" "Do I wish to live well and die without chronic and debilitating disease?"
Now comes the "how."
Keeping it simple is a key to success.
Feeling more energetic is absolutely dependant on what you eat. Think about the post- Thanksgiving-meal-induced couch coma!
What causes it? Primarily, it is overeating the wrong foods. The stuffing, potatoes and biscuits are the go-to foods for many Americans and they happen to be the worst foods for blood sugar abnormalities and subsequent comas.
For the next month, cut way back on flour and sugar in your family's diet. Try to avoid bread or pasta at lunchtime and take note of how you feel from 3-5 p.m. Do you still have the afternoon nap feeling?
Reduce the size of the bread that you buy and make smaller sandwiches for your children. Add fresh fruit and raw vegetables to their lunch box for the needed calories.
Reduce dramatically or eliminate sugar-laden beverages like soda, sweet tea and sports drinks. Encourage your family to drink free water. Watch the pounds fall away from your children.
Parenting is a key to success at all levels for children. We have to go back to parenting by authority and not with children litigators who weasel their way into chicken nuggets or hot dogs at every meal. If I had a nickel for every time I had a parent tell me that their child will only eat unhealthy foods I would be wealthier than Bill Gates!
If your child refuses to eat the meal that is prepared, wrap it up and re-serve it when he or she is hungry (this assumes no medical conditions precluding a wait-and-see approach). No need to argue or spoon-feed your children.
In Rowan County, children do not starve as long as they are offered healthy food. I would counter that many of our children are nutritionally starved on the American kid food diet.
Set specific house rules about mealtime:
* Eat together as often as possible.
* Children do not leave the table until the last diner is finished.
* They must try everything and not eating your vegetables is not an option.
* Talk about each other's day and say one thing that you did for someone else that day.
* Have your children help prepare the meal, set the table and be a part of the whole dining experience. And yes that includes clearing their plate and placing it in the sink.
To encourage community experiences, invite over a family to dine at your house. Nothing fancy. Just have them come over and enjoy the joy of togetherness with healthy food and positive energy.
Ultimately, we need to reduce obesity in our community. Completing this task will reduce our medical bills, our feelings of laziness and potential for a negative self-image.
Here are a few other simple thoughts:
For this month, try to skip the fast and processed food restaurants altogether. If you do dine out, keep the children on the adult menu and help them choose wisely. Try not to have any tempting foods in the house that will thwart your efforts. We all know that idle time at home often plays well with eating for boredom. Keep your kids active and loved.