Keep It Up, By Keeping It Off!
It seems that the continually rising number of children who are considered obese, has hit a peak and is at a stand still. Will this cessation in the increase hold, or will people revert back to their old ways? Summer is here and families will be vacationing. Will the break prove detrimental to the ability to keep excess weight off? I certainly hope not. There are plenty of ways in which we can help our children to stay away from the trap that is obesity. Fast food is the biggest offender in the downfall of dieters.
Have you ever taken the time to read the nutrition facts on a Mc Donald’s menu? Take a look. Scary, isn’t it? Let’s take a pretend trip through Mc Donlad’s Drive Thru. Would you like a Double Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese? The sandwich will deliver a whopping 42 grams of fat!! That is 65 percent of the overall daily allowance, and 96 percent of your allowed saturated fats. Would you like fries with that? Then go ahead and add another 25 grams of fat. You are now over the allowed daily percentage of fat. Need a drink to swallow the saturated truth? I suggest some water and a laxative, to rid your body of the enormous amount of lard and sodium you just consumed.
My advice to parents who are sincerely concerned for their family’s health and future…steer clear of fast food. The faster it is, the more unhealthy it is. Opt for a quick stop at Subway, where you can order the sandwiches without mayonnaise and with extra veggies. Also, try to keep healthy snacks in your car, for instances when the kids are hungry and the temptation to stop at a fast food place, is strongest. Busy families on the go and road trippers can especially benefit from some stored health snacks in a travel kit. Make sure to replenish once a week, or as needed.
Above all, encourage your kids to make good choices, without being forced. Reward their good choices and continually teach about the value of good health. Do not stress body image, rather emphasize internal well being. The goal is to raise kids to be aware of their choices and well educated on the reasons why we eat healthy. They are more likely to become health conscious adults, if they have a good example to follow and plenty of direction.
(cartoon: Daryl Cagle)
We have a lunch box that we always take with us whenever we go out. It has the kid’s drinks in it and snacks such as granola bars, raisins, dry cereal, fruit and cereal bars, etc. It saves a lot of money and it avoids the urge to drop by McD’s.
Twice in the past 2 days has someone asked me how to help their child lose weight and eat healthier. I’ll send them this link
My 2 have only had McD’s a total of 5 times (maybe) in the past 2 years. I feel so guilty every time I give it to them, but I feel it’s part of childhood (sadly). You just don’t want to do it often or habitually. I never eat it, why?, because I’d get fat!, so why give my kids something that would result in the same.
On another note, I recently had the opportunity to talk to someone who is very involved with a fit kids organization, and she gave me two other tidbits for family health: 1. when the labels says made with enriched flour, don’t buy it, it’s poor in nutrition b/c the most of the grain’s nutrients are removed in processing, and 2. stay away from all treats that have high fructose corn syrup listed in the ingredients. It sounds pretty elementary, but with 2 little steps, you can seriously make some changes that will last a lifetime and help your kids adopt healthy future eating habits. It certainly changed my entire shopping list b/c so many things I was buying contained one or both.
It’s a place to start anyway. Baby steps go a long way!
good advice.. When we do go to McDonald’s we always skip the fries and substitue for juice.. It’s not super-healthy, but my kids have gotten to the point that they don’t even like fries anymore..
I disagree with the whole “McDonald’s is part of childhood” argument. Who says? The advertisers for McDonald’s, mostly. My kids are 7 and 6, and have never eaten there. We’re vegetarians for one thing, and for another, their food is just awful. If I’m going to go to the trouble to eat out, I want something good – Indian food, a good bean burrito, Pad Thai – something worth the money. They still have friends, they still enjoy special snacks and treats when the occasion warrants. But to say that McDonald’s (or xbox, or Spongebob, or whatever) is somehow a ‘necessary’ ingredient for a happy childhood seems bizarre to me. Why let the marketing machine define my needs?
I write fast sometimes, and I don’t thoroughly explain myself, nor did I think that part was especially dominate in my statement; however, I am not making an “argument” that McD’s is part of childhood, especially not that it’s a necessary ingredient for a happy childhood. I definitely didn’t go that strong on it. My kids have not been any happier eating that food than any other, except for the toy they get! I should say the times I have resolved to stop there, it’s been a part of the motherhood experience rather than a part of the childhood experience that got the better of me. I have been coming back from a long day at the beach, everyone’s tired, kids too sleepy to leave the car to eat somewhere that doesn’t allow drive-through, etc. so I stop. Each time, I vow NEVER AGAIN. I’ve needed to plan better, but I won’t crucify myself over a few times, I’ll just try to be better prepared. I do know families that routinely do McD’s, their kids have the whole collection of toys!, but for my kids, I just don’t want them having it. I, in fact, totally agree with the post and everyone’s comments. My point was not clear or one statement stood out, but that’s all. Kids only eat, recreate, etc. with what their parents give them so I should say it’s been part of busy motherhood that for me has gotten the better of me.
No one should feel guilty about the little things we need to do to survive as moms. For you it’s the occasional McDonald’s. For me, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, at least once a week. I know that there is at least one night per week that the little beggars will actually eat without whining first. (They eat the rest of the time, and pretty sophisticated stuff if I do say so, but always that symbolic protest: “Eeeeeew! That’s Disgusting!”) So don’t feel guilty about fast food, and don’t take what I said personally. I just have had so many people tell me that my kids cannot possibly get through childhood without x (x = Barney, McDonalds, etc. etc.) and I just don’t get why. My experience is that they can, and they do.