“Food Fight! “
Did you hear this infamous cry in your high school cafeteria moments before food would start flying around the room? Rarely aimed at anyone in particular, the various food groups just catapulted around the room in hopes they would splat on a target. This, to me, is one way the parent-child-school food relationship appears.
It’s an enormous random food fight when it comes to what works to get kids to eat healthier while in school. Until a recent conversation with a pharmacist friend, the notion in my head was focused on the ‘getting the children to do something’ piece.
During our time together, I learned that my friend’s daughter was about to enter all day kindergarten. How fun! My friend was concerned. She showed me a list she was creating of foods and recipes that her daughter may like that, as she stated, ‘would allow her to fit in with the other kids.’ Whoa!
A little background: My friend is a great mom, and feeds her family very healthfully, consuming organic whole foods. She delighted in sharing with me how much her daughter enjoys eating homemade healthy foods and snacks.
Mom was not worried that her daughter would not eat what she packed, if it was her normal fare.
Mom’s concern focused on her daughter fitting in with the other kids, having what they had and yet not eating unhealthfully. WOW. This was quite an awakening for me, especially since my parenting days that have to consider school cafeteria food are long gone. A diligent parent’s dilemma that I had not thought of.
It’s the creation of a shift in the child’s relationship with food from a comfortable home, a loving, healthy place in their life, to something that is now dependant on the judgments and choices of others.
I had to wonder why, if the child was happily eating healthfully, it would be necessary to almost force a change upon her, and how many other parents are in this dilemma. As a mom, I can empathize with my friend, in wanting things to go as smoothly as possible for the child. It’s never easy to have them be picked on.
Most of the current focus has been, and rightly so, about healthy school foods. As parents and as a community, we have a responsibility to our youth to guide them and feed them healthfully.
As parents, we play the major nourishment provider for our children. Your role is primary and simple: Feed your children healthy organic whole foods. Open your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer and get honest with yourself about what is there, and your relationship to food.
Your children will make good choices if you do. Be their best example, be their leader, their hero. Show them that you care about what you & they are eating, and share, through their eyes, the excitement with them about why.
Processed food companies play their role in getting people excited about junk food. The advertising is mind blowing. Create that same result with excitement for healthy foods!
Cease Fire! Everyone, take your place in the lunch line and play your part. No need to be slinging the food blame at one another.
Start building a better process now for future generations.
There are many fun ways to entice and empower children to make healthy food choices, while connecting with them in a whole new way.
A colleague, Dr Susan Rubin is by far one of the best resources for parents and schools.
I encourage you to play on her site, Better School Food. Take advantage of the abundance of tools and her expertise.
Here is an excerpt from Dr. Rubin’s website:
Action Plan for Better Food and Healthier Kids
Enjoy being Food Adventurers, together as a family, school and community.
Enjoy,
Karyn
Finally! A relevant, intelligent post about a topic that so much good judgment is missing. Many thanks for sharing this inventive and intelligent commentary with the world. We definitely need lot of wisdom like you have shown here. I appreciate it very much