No more clean plates!!
Finally the New York Times has published what psychologists have long known to be true: forcing kids to clean their plates ISN’T going to make them like new foods.
Nowadays parents seem to subscribe to one of two camps: the you’re-not-leaving-the-table-til-that-plate’s-clean group or the one where parents buy every imaginable sugary, chocolaty substitute for vegetables in a last-resort attempt at getting their picky kids to eat something. Anything.
With the nation’s childhood obesity statistics rising at a staggering rate, something must be done about parents who lack the proper training in how to teach their children healthy eating habits.
One of the six mistakes parents make, says the NY Times, is making certain foods off limits. Basically if you tell kids they can’t eat something, they want it more and will binge on the food when they do get access. I can personally vouch for this one. My mom adamantly opposed that classically-chemical, Kraft Mac & Cheese that most kids I knew ate from time to time when they had a babysitter. And Kool-Aid? Forget about it. That was strictly forbidden.
Not surprisingly, as soon as I went to college and had total control of my diet, I went CRAZY with those two products. I ate Mac & Cheese almost every night (in addition to dinner) and drank multiple pitchers of Kool-Aid everyday. When that got boring I started eating spoonfuls of Kool-Aid drink mix, not even bothering to mix it with water.
Gross, right? I know. The most shocking thing is that I’m an adventurous eater who loves vegetables and whole wheat grains. It wasn’t that my mom failed to introduce me to nutritious foods, but rather that she made the bad ones so appealing I couldn’t resist them. I gained 30 pounds freshman year without drinking beer. How’s that for disgusting?
Another major threat to childhood healthy eating is school lunches. You know what I’m talking about. Potatoes galore (often fried), greasy pizza (without vegetable toppings) and chocolate milk at every meal. Yes, there are vegetables, but they’re generally way overcooked and rarely served in an appetizing manner. As adults we know that salads are more fun when jazzed up with cheese cubes or dried fruit, but school kids are expected to eagerly consume steamed carrots and peas sans spices or garnish.
So, what can we do to fix this nutrition nightmare? For one thing, we can use research findings to inform our parenting styles, rather than traditions passed down from the Depression era. Also, we can get involved in community organizations like the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food that work to make positive changes. Do it. New York City kids need your help.