The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes a healthy lifestyle of eating five portions of fruits & veggies each day. 5 A day is a slogan that sounds great, but how can we actually integrate this into a child’s life?
Imagine a day in a child’s life – from their waking moment to the time they close their eyes to sleep. Besides the CDC’s 5 A Day program, I don’t know anyone else speaking about healthy eating for children. I don’t hear any radio commercials about a healthy diet for children or fruits and vegetables as part of their daily nutrition. 5 A Day is a CDC slogan that in reality is very impractical to incorporate into our lives.
So what do we do about the increase in childhood obesity and all the health issues that children face these days? Autism, allergies, skin issues, weak immune systems – the list goes on and on.
In the beginning, there was “the pregnant mom”. It is fully understood that healthy eating for children begins in the womb. Whatever foods mom is attracted to consistently throughout the pregnancy, the child is more likely to gravitate to after birth.
Everyone has a great understanding about fruit and vegetable nutrition and their benefits for children; however, many don’t place importance on developing good eating habits throughout pregnancy. We talk about supplements and specific foods that are important to eat for a healthy child’s development, but we never educate pregnant moms on healthy, balanced and nutritious meals. If we did so, then the milk produced by the mother would be so much more balanced and rich in disease-preventing, immune-building essentials.
A balanced meal through mother’s milk would support a stronger immune system and minimize doctor visits and illnesses. Eating healthy meals in this way builds children’s immune systems before birth, but also gives children the ability to accept healthier meals after birth.
Children learn from their parents and their environment. If you incorporate more healthy eating habits into your life, then it is going to be easy for a child to follow suit and develop those same eating habits. We are bombarded with junk food advertisements everywhere. It seems that after we have children, we simply forget or alter our eating habits to match our lives with children.
For example, fast food and eating on the go are more convenient. We ignore the fact that they cause damage to our own bodies and to the welfare of our children. Instead of us instilling good eating habits in our children, we take shortcuts, dropping by for a sausage and egg biscuit on the way to work or picking up pizza for dinner. I understand that most of us are always on the go and it is difficult to cook meals regularly. But there are tons and tons of activities we choose over spending time in the kitchen.
With two parents working to support the family, it is even more difficult to control what children eat throughout the day. Bad habits set in and become normal, slowly consuming children’s health. Children eat fast foods, even come to school with it, because it is convenient for parents. We teach children that this is normal. Fast food should be eaten on rare occasions only and not be served on a regular basis.
Healthy eating is not a fad. It is not to be a once in a while treat. 5 A Day and eating healthy must become a habitual part of our lifestyle. Ultimately, our health and our quality of life depend on it. When we choose healthy eating and healthy living, we extend our quality of life and extend our ability to live a normal life. All of this starts with a simple change in our eating habits.
If we can’t incorporate healthy eating into our daily lives, we are going to have a very difficult time repairing all the damage caused by our actions. Fruits and veggies play a big role in keeping our bodies’ cells healthy and in neutralizing the free radicals in our bodies. 5 A Day should not just be a slogan, it is a fact. Making five servings of fruits and vegetable a regular part of our lives leads to healthier parents, children, and families.