McDonalds has just announced an educational health workshop for elementary school children. Other than this being a health conscious parent’s worst nightmare, it begs the question: How else can we teach our children what is nutritious? What is this fast-food chain, home of the 800 calorie, double pounder beef patty with cheese teaching our children anyway?
The golden arches may put a smile on your kid’s face, but it will also provide a high sugar, high sodium, trans-fat filled concoction. If fried chicken, burgers and french fries are consumed too much, it will set up your child for a health disaster down the road.
As parents, we have to ask ourselves, how can we teach our child what is healthy and what is balanced nutrition? We cannot completely restrict them from junk but we can certainly give them the tools.
1. Positive reinforcement: Whenever your child eats something healthy like a carrot, enforce that it is a good nutritious food. You might say: this carrot can make your eyes see better. Its’ really good for you!
2. Set a good example: Kids see themselves as little mini-you’s. They will copy eating what you consider good. If you set a good lifestyle at home, then eating with their friends at the golden arches every now and then won’t hurt.
3. Tell them what junk does: The same way you would talk to them about a carrot, tell them what fatty foods do to the body. For example you could say: Too many sugary drinks might make it harder for you to have a good night’s rest.
4. Educate yourself: The more you know about nutrition, the easier it will be to set a good example. To start you off, here are some basics of fast-food health problems:
- The excess sugar in the fast foods and sodas lead to diabetes in children. Their bodies fail to produce the insulin that controls the sugar levels and metabolism. Your child could become hyperactive and may even develop learning disabilities.
- Fats and saturated fats lead to high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol leads to various heart problems. These heart problems increase the risk of major heart diseases. If your child has a problem with cardiovascular activity like running and has a bad attitude about fun, active games, you should put your child on a whole foods diet and encourage exercise.
- The excessive sodium in junk food leads to high blood pressure.
- Children become anemic as they do not get the required vitamins and iron supplements necessary for their growth. Children become lethargic and become tired easily.
- The most common and the root cause of all the diseases in children, due to fast food is obesity. Fast food obesity is the root cause for major diseases that can develop in children. According to research, 15-20% of American children in the age group of 12-18 years are overweight. Obese children spend little time in physical activity or sports, leading to a sedentary lifestyle which leads to mental stress and other emotional disturbances.
