How about an incredibly jolting fact to start off your Monday morning?Our children may be headed toward life spans shorter than ours, according to Dr. David Katz, an internationally renowned nutrition expert connected to Yale University and Griffin Hospital in Derby.
Why, you ask? Food.
Our kids just don't get it. When they think "meal," they don't conjure up images of the well-balanced variety. They think of the "happy" option that comes with a cheap toy that will break within days.
Heck, a lot of us don't get it. And that's why Kimberly Porter Dowie calls herself "a mom on a mission."
Porter Dowie goes into schools armed with a lesson about "Traffic Light Eating," a concept created by Dr. William Sears. She brings a huge bag of food into classrooms and has the children divide the containers into three categories: red (bad), green (good) and yellow (somewhere in between).
"It is so important," says this mother of three from Essex. "There is an epidemic of obesity and illness right now." She finds the kids to be incredibly interested and enthusiastic: "They're smart. They get it."
Here is another staggering statistic: The government recommends your child eat at least 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. Five to nine! Every day!
I don't know about you, but I feel like a hero if I can cajole my picky eater into eating one fresh veggie with each meal.
Be vigilant, and don't give up, says Porter Dowie. Sometimes a child has to try a food 10 times before he develops a taste for it. And limit sugar consumption, because the less they eat, the less they'll crave.
"I'm not saying this is easy," says Porter Dowie. "It's very difficult."
My method? I bake zucchini muffins and pumpkin bread every chance I get. My guys gobble it up, no complaints, and that makes me feel good. Plant a garden. Or steal secrets for sneaking from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook.
No matter what your tactic is, it's clear that we have to do a better job of feeding our kids. I know I do.
March is National Nutrition Month! Click here for more information!
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