Just thought I'd share a little story

[hunterjumper999]

I am from Connecticut originally and moved to Georgia three years ago to be with my fiance'.

food in their house is much much less nutritious than im used to. spagettios, fried stuff, beans with fatback. cheap and fast.


We moved into our own house almost 2 years ago . we have been eating healthier foods ( normal foods for me) and recently started steering away from pre processed junk.


her brother moved in with us about two months ago while he lost his licence and is going to the same school as we do. at first he shied away from our "orrrrganic"(said with much disdain) foods but last night I caught him putting zuchini and feta into his spagetti sauce and he requested we get some corn tomorrow from the market and bbq it. he's eating more salads and making less comments ( so missing less) about the lack of junk food.


I think this proves that without education on what we are eating we can not make wise choices, but in educating someone just a bit you can change the way they look at things.

now when he goes home in august will he continue to eat this way? SADLY no, because his parents just don't care.

 

[mamagoose]

Yet more proof that how you parent your kids makes all the difference.

My brother-in laws family are old school farm folk but the ONLY things they would eat was meat, potatoes, bread, pasta, and cheese.......the occasional corn.They (my sister and BIL) have tried to get them to eat anything else....they added strawberries and grapes.

Some people are just stuck in their ways.

 

[Bailey'sMom]

I don't understand how people can feed their children junk. Don't they care? I don't get it at all. How could you not care about the health of your children?

 

[Dace]

I don't understand how people can feed their children junk. Don't they care? I don't get it at all. How could you not care about the health of your children?

Well I don't think it is about not caring....a parent who doesn't care is probably pretty rare. Many of us have been misguided and misinformed for years.....by everyone and everything, from pediatricians and magazines to marketing campaigns.

When you are taught that cereal is a good choice because it has added vitamins then it is easy to believe that spaghettios offer nutrition as well.

I think that folks who know better make better choices, but many folks just don't realize how much faux food they are giving to their kids.

 

[lorihadams]

I can tell you, cause they THINK it's easier and cheaper.

It takes the same amount of time to cut up an apple or peach or nectarine or carrots, or any fresh food for a snack as it does to dig through the pantry to find some sort of prepackaged processed crap to throw at them.

My parents do it to my kids all the time when they go for a visit and then I have to spend the next week reprogramming them towards healthy (REAL) foods.

My pet peeve is that every time there is a function aimed at children the food that is served is goldfish crackers, cookies, brownies, chips, cheeseballs, cheetos, and my biggest gripe of all--- fruit snacks.

Does anyone think to offer fruit, a veggie plate with dip, granola (homemade), yogurt, or anything else healthy.....noooooooo. I keep trying to bring it but what do you do when you have little kids tempted with all that junk food and no one to help them make healthy choices? Frustrating, isn't it???

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Perhaps, Dace, but then they should care enough to educate themselves. We all have access to the same resources. I wouldn't dream of getting a pet without researching how best to feed it. People should be willing to do at least a little bit of research about what to feed their children.

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Lori I took my daughter and her friends on a weekend trip once. One of the mothers decided to send along "snacks"- little Debbie cakes and neon colored cheeez balls - ugh. I brought luscious pineapple and fresh raspberries and crisp cucumber slices and crunchy carrots. What do you think they ate? The junk went back unopened.

 

[Bailey'sMom]

And while we are on the topic- I recently walked at a Relay for Life cancer fundraiser. There was no healthy food in sight. Everyone was chowing down on hot dogs, fries, funnel cakes and soda. Are you kidding me?? Have people at a cancer fundraiser not realized that this is life and death?? Everyone else seemed oblivious. I was the only one outraged. I kept thinking here we are raising money and one of the causes of the disease is being outright promoted here. What is up with that?

 

[Dace]

Perhaps, Dace, but then they should care enough to educate themselves. We all have access to the same resources. I wouldn't dream of getting a pet without researching how best to feed it. People should be willing to do at least a little bit of research about what to feed their children.

I do agree that our kids are overloaded with junk food. And I agree there needs to be fundamental change.

I disagree that we all have the same resources. Junk food is cheap and for some it is a way to keep food in their kid's bellies. A bag of chips is cheaper than a bag of apples. People with less money truly have less options and I think that a judgmental attitude does more to push people away than to rally them together towards a worthy cause/idea.

 

[mamagoose]

And while we are on the topic- I recently walked at a Relay for Life cancer fundraiser. There was no healthy food in sight. Everyone was chowing down on hot dogs, fries, funnel cakes and soda. Are you kidding me?? Have people at a cancer fundraiser not realized that this is life and death?? Everyone else seemed oblivious. I was the only one outraged. I kept thinking here we are raising money and one of the causes of the disease is being outright promoted here. What is up with that?

So the people who have cancer were eating hotdogs and junk food.........kinda makes you wonder what exactly they consider healthy living......