It’s not Rocket Science

I watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution this weekend, I think its episode 3 or something, and I want to throw up.

People, who are in charge of the health and education of our children while in school, who dictate the things they are fed, think that French Fries are vegetables. Come on? Seriously? That’s like saying a slice of cheesecake covers your dairy requirements. Pardon me, but what the fuck are you people thinking?

What are you putting into our kid’s bodies just to save time? Is it worth it? Really? Is it ok to watch these kids get heavier and heavier, knowing what you are saying is ok to feed them is PART of the problem? Would you want to eat greasy pizza, or hamburger and fries everyday for lunch? I doubt it; I bet you have your salads and grilled chicken or something else just as healthy and tasty instead. BECAUSE YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO EAT IT EVERY DAY.  So please stop giving it to our children.

As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children about life and how to survive out in the world, yet little things like financing money and nutrition get over looked. We are a country in MASSIVE debt, and obese on top of it.  And who do people blame?  The Golden Arches and the school system, when in reality the parents are the most at fault.

Yes I said it. You can’t blame the school system and not the parents, since both are in charge of shaping kids into adults.

Neither Bo nor I were taught portions as children. I was always told to clear my plate and to this day I have issues when I can’t eat everything I’ve dished out. Do I make Bailey eat everything on his plate? No. Because this is where overeating begins. This is when portions need to be learned, as well as learning your body’s signals saying no more. Making you clear you plate is encouraging overeating. If you don’t want the food to go to waste, put it in the fridge, simple as that. Wasting is one thing, overeating is something else entirely folks.

If we don’t teach our kids these things, and then send them to school where more bad choices are given, they won’t know what to do. Our children will have weight issues for the entire lives, just like most of us parents already do, if we as a group don’t do something about this.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients for chicken nuggets? Do it and you’ll be surprised that chicken is way down the list on ingredients, the majority of what makes those things are chemicals. You can make you own, with nothing but ground chicken and bread crumbs, not only are they healthier but they taste better, AND YOU KNOW WHAT GOES INTO THEM. Pizza is not a healthy food just because it has all the food groups. Ice cream and/or cake is not an everyday dessert. Fruit should not come from a can or jar, they tend to be loaded with unnecessary sugar and preservatives. If you start them from the beginning eating healthy, they will always eat healthy.

No offense but I really don’t want to hear any “Well my kids only eat hot dogs and potato chips, it’s a nice thought but they refuse to eat anything else”. 1)who gave it to them in the first place and kept the house stocked with it? 2)who is in charge you or your kids? If you have these options in your home they will always choose it. If you give them healthy foods instead, they will eventually eat it once they realize you’re not giving in and they won’t get to eat anything else instead. What’s harder to deal with, the melt down/fit because they can’t have the hot dog or watching your child struggle with weight issues all their life knowing you started it and kept it going? They won’t starve; do you not notice the excitement and rush when dinner is announced? Even dr’s will tell you, they won’t starve they’ll eat when they get hungry enough. Get the kids involved in cooking; give them the responsibility of choosing what’s for dinner or a side sometimes and let them help you cook. If they only eat mac and cheese, add veggies to it! But make the mac and cheese yourself! It’s not hard and its real cheese verses some powder concoction. My son loves poptarts, I’m learning how to make them so it’s a)cheaper and b)better for him.  Start a change, its worth the effort.

I also don’t want to hear “I can’t afford to cook healthy”, $5 dinners says differently. Homemade salad costs less than prepackaged cut lettuce. Most fruit and veggies cost much less if you get them fresh and in season. You can always freeze them if you are afraid you won’t use it before it goes bad. My mother for instance, buys bell peppers when they go on sale, cuts up and freezes the ones she won’t use. They come out tasting just the same, and just as crunchy. Use coupons. Price grocery stores and find when sales are going on. It can be done, but it does take work.

Yes I am overweight, yes so is my husband, and no that doesn’t mean we don’t know jack about nutrition. I know you need lots of fresh fruit and veggies, you need dairy, you need protein, you need iron, etc.  I know you have to eat the right portion size, even if its a salad, portion size is KEY to maintaining or losing weight.  You have to keep track of what you eat throughout the day so you know when you went wrong and can do things to make up for it.  You should drink more water than anything else, ESPECIALLY pop/soda…a problem I have myself haha.  Plus you have to have movement, lots of movement!

My husband has lost 25 pounds in three months on Weight Watchers. His issues were: he wasn’t eating enough most days and over eating others, he skipped meals most of the time, and he’s a computer man so he wasn’t moving all that much. Now he’s doing pushups and stuff off and on throughout the day, he’s making sure he eats his meals, and drinking water. He hasn’t given up anything, and has lost 25 pounds!  Now me, I have metabolism issues, I also barely eat some days and over eat others, which does not help my already wonky metabolism, and I wasn’t moving enough. We’ve done the same things (minus the push-ups, chin-ups and such), I’ve gone down as far as 10 pounds, and right now I’m at 7 pounds down. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, I don’t get it either and neither does my dr. I eat fresh fruit and toast for breakfast, leftovers or salad from the night before for lunch and a low calorie dinner with a low calorie dessert. Nothing outrageous, nothing so crazy it’s hard to keep up with, its simple easy substitutes that taste better and are way better for your body. Part of my weight loss issues were my meds, they kept me sluggish and tired and that does not equal weight loss. Now that I have new meds, I’m moving all the time so HOPEFULLY that will help because I’m already eating better.

Parents, we need to give our children better choices. Look at it this way, not only will it be taking better care of our children but it will help us be healthier as well! Schools please help us by doing the same while they are in your care. Together we can make a difference, against each other nothing is going to change. And please stop blaming fast food, it’s not their fault parents get their kids that junk every meal. Stop going, simple as that.