Stop the Obesity Epidemic -Feed Your Child Healthy Food!

According to the American Obesity Association 30.3% of children ages six to eleven are overweight, and 15.3% are obese. These are some pretty disturbing numbers, as the American Obesity Association also claims that "excess weight in childhood has been found to predict overweight in adults." So I'm wondering why we still continue to set ourselves up the battle with obesity by feeding our babies and children mountains of junk food. Did you know that potato chips and french fries are the most common vegetables that a toddler eats? Or that Gerber makes Macaroni-And-Cheese baby food as well as baby food desserts packed with sugar? Or that on any given day 30% of the children in America will eat fast food (www.drgreene.com) So I ask you, Is this really what you want your child to be eating?

Those are all just statistics, and you may believe that most Americans have jumped on the healthy eating bandwagon, but I beg to differ. Two of my closest friends routinely feed their children aged sixteen months and 3 years old fast food. One of them started giving her son Kentucky Fried Chicken at seven months! I asked her why she would want to feed her child something as unhealthy as fried chicken and she responded "It's easy, and he likes it." While it's true that feeding your child fast food is easy, you can get healthy foods just as easily. If you are short on time all you have to do is go to the grocery store and you can find many items like fresh fruit and vegetables already washed, chopped, and ready to eat. You can also find whole chicken breasts, grilled fish, and lean meat already cooked at many grocery stores. As for the excuse of "he likes it"- your child can only like if you give it to them! Babies and children don't have a subconscious craving for fried chicken, McDonald's hamburgers, or cupcakes before they've even tried it- they only like it because you've given it to them! The easy way to stop this is to simply, not give your child those foods. My daughter is ten months old, and she won't be getting any of those things (or any other fast food or product with refined sugar) until she is at least two years old. Even after her second birthday she will not be given fast food or sweets except on special occasions, that way she can cherish those times when she is allowed to have them.

You may be thinking that it sounds difficult to withhold something like that from your child- and you may be right. That all depends on if you started feeding your child healthy food at a young age or not. Babies don't need Macaroni-And-Cheese baby food, Sugary Desserts, or any junk food for that matter. You can find baby food without added sugar or other nasty ingredients by simply looking at the labels. If your child is already in love with junk food, simply stop offering it like one of my friends did. Sure, she had some battles with her son. In fact, he refused to eat anything but apples and wheat bread for a day, but eventually he came around and started eating what she provided for him. It may be a battle for a week or two- but the battle against obesity is definitely one worth fighting.

You may also be wondering why it matters what your child eats now, when she can choose her own foods later on in life. This is a valid, but flawed, argument. The foods you feed your child now will shape her tastes for the rest of her life. Not only that, but as parents it is our job to make sure our children are provided for in the best way possible. Basically, feeding our children healthy food is part of our jobs as parents! Fast food is not healthy in any way, shape, or form. The best thing you can get from any fast food restaurant is a salad- which is usually loaded with fatty dressings, croutons, and cheese. Most of the food in the freezer section of your grocer isn't very healthy either. While grilled chicken strips are an excellent source of protein; the fried variety has added fats that just aren't necessary. While steamed vegetables provide many vitamins and minerals; when they are smothered in cheese sauce they are dripping with nothing but extra calories. If you take the fatty sauces, batters, and spreads away from your child- will she still eat her favorite foods? Of course she will, you'll just have to find new ways to cook that add flavor. There is a whole magazine that is devoted to slimming down favorite recipes, Cooking Light, and it's a great resource to check out when making the change to healthy cooking and eating.

We all know what problems stem from obesity including, but not limited to : heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. If the parents of America don't turn things around soon, the obesity percentage will just keep climbing. So I'm begging you, parents of America, to feed your children healthy food.