August 19, 2013
What can we do now? Follow up from last week.
Teach your kids what good food is and grade food based on categories of good to eat always, rarely and not at all. Have the kids make a poster with magazine cutouts of the foods in each category.
1) Change the food selections in your immediate household. Limit sugar beverages to rare. Dilute pure juice 1:4 ratio with water. Make it flavored water. Teach your athletes that sports drinks are unnecssary and actually harmful as they promote weight gain over time through sugar and high fructose corn syrup consumption.
2) Learn to cook. Experiment!!! Go to cooking light.com or other healthy sites and make food great through practice.
3) Encourage your schools to change the food choices during parties and events. I.e. get involved and be that parent that expects good food for their child as well as a good education.
4) Don't buy it if you don't want your kids to eat it.
5) Praise kids with non food rewards - always.
6) Educate the grandparents/caregivers about your philosophy and that the food of today is not the same as 40 years ago. Help them understand that we are preventing disease and not interested in waiting for disease to clean up our diet.
7) Be present moment with your food. Eat slowly and with thanks for the gifts that we are given in this country. I love the American Indian tradition of giving thanks to the animals and fish that give their lives for us to eat and be nourished.
8) Pay attention to why and when you are eating. Be aware of emotional eating and try and pause before going there. Try and meditate or journal your hurt instead of eating to please the inner part of you that needs love. Model this behavior and teach your children.
9) Have a scheduled mealtime as often as possible. This serves so many purposes: keeping your kids close, learning about their day, providing wholesome food, showing them that you care, and others.
10) Fight back against the government and companies that produce the poor quality food and tell us that we are better off with it. Be vocal with friends and anyone who will listen about the dangers of our current food system. Be an advocate for change.
