Obesity -- drastic measures

I was reading about a product one man was trying to sell to public schools as a healthy alternative (hummus and pita chips), but it wasn't looking like it would go over well for one reason that has stumped parents for years: the kids don't like it.

Well, you know what? They can bloody suck it up. They are telling us that the reason they can't make things more healthy is that kids don't like the way it looks, or smells, or other people in the room aren't eating it. I remember that garbage myself, and in my not so humble opinion, kids need to suck it up. What happens to my son when he won't try the stir fry? Eat it or not. Whatever. They're so worried about childhood obesity, so make the foods healthier, don't give them garbage options, and the little porkers might not like it but who cares? If they miss a meal because they don't like it, it might actually do them good. Parents have been doing things to their kids that the little darlings don't like but will help them keep or acquire good health for years (think prescription meds or immunizations) but they're afraid to take away pizza and chicken nuggets because... they don't like carrots? We're willing to spend billions on the repercussions of eating poorly, willing to suffer from eating poorly, willing to have surgeries, and shots, and several daily medications from eating poorly but we're unwilling to make the little sweetums' a little uncomfortable while they're young enough to really learn good health habits and WHY??

I don't claim to be a paragon of healthy eating. Far from. But there are a few things we do that keep the kids from getting obese and lazy:

1. We only have soda in the house about 1-2 times per year. Other than that, 100% juice (which I only pull out every few weeks) or water. Milk is served with meals or as a complement to a snack.

2. Snacks are reasonable. They are allowed to eat as much fruit or veggies as they want at any time of the day (except for within an hour before meals) and I don't serve dips with them. Fruit dips are considered a treat and if served, come after a meal. If you get good fruit, it's good enough on its own to not need that sort of treatment.

3. I kick them outside for a few hours each day. A lot of days I have a total ban on tv or computer. They get bored and I tell them to get over it. They find things to do, usually outside running around or on bikes. Mean mommy? Sure.

4. If they don't want to eat it, fine. Be hungry. No alternatives. Period. I can't force them to eat, and they can't force me to give them something they want. In defense of my cooking, Tag will never eat anything I cook until he takes that first bite. After that he'll eat a full serving. He just have to get over these silly refusal habits.

5. A sweet does not have to follow every meal. We have something maybe once or twice a week, but we don't depend on it to "complete" our dining experience.

6. We eat out fairly rarely. I think we average 1-2 times per month. When we do go out, we encourage the kids to eat only until they are full since we can take the rest home. We never get dessert at restaurants.

7. Eating is never a punishment or reward. I don't send them to bed without supper, or dangle sweet carrots for behavior. Well... I think I have once or twice in my whole career as a parent (once when potty training, once when not thinking clearly and needing to cut some little fingernails without a fight) but it certainly is not a habit.


They bark and wail about giving kids a choice when it comes to eating well in schools, but in reality we are still responsible for helping them make those good choices until they're old enough to do it on their own. My mom used to tell us that we could only have chocolate milk with our school lunches if we promised to run around at recess afterward. My honest little heart wouldn't let me do otherwise, but truly how many of our youth do that? High schools don't have a run around time after chocolate milk. Tons of kids don't bother to run and play at recess. Lots of schools don't have gym programs.

Even if we can't force schools to reinstate PE we can certainly help our children make good nutritional decisions. We can set them up for success by realizing that kids in elementary school are still young enough that their capacity to make good decisions in the face of peer pressure or pure self indulgence is largely still under development and give them a variety of good choices rather than a choice between good and evil. They still get choice, but they are choices I can accept.