Help Your Child Eat Right
America’s children are eating all the wrong foods and not enough of the right ones. These food habits are causing an explosive increase in the rate of childhood obesity.
The Wrong Foods
I think it is obvious to just about everyone what the wrong foods are. They are cheap, full sugar, fat and salt, and calories. They are packaged for convenience. And they “taste good.” So, it is not surprising that parents and children would reach for these types of foods. They are not called junk food for nothing.
Junk Food
You won’t find any warning on food packages telling you that the junk foods you are feeding your child could cause him to gain an excessive amount of weight, that one day he could develop diabetes, heart disease or other serious health problem as a result of eating those foods. You won’t find any advice to limit the amount of junk food you feed your child. And you won’t find any advice on any of the packages suggesting that you buy some fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and other nutritious foods for your child instead of the junk food. So, you don’t think twice about the damage that those foods may be causing.
A Better Way
On the other hand, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer some pretty good advice that you might want to pay attention to:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Watch those portions.
- Cut the fat.
- Cut the sugar.
- Cut the salt.
- Move more.
Keep these basics in mind the next time you go shopping. To be sure that you are not filling up your shopping cart with junk food, read the label of packaged foods. Better yet, buy fresh. This will help to ensure that your children are getting the nutrients they need for good health without the fattening calories.
