You are exhausted from a long day at work, ticking things off your to-do list, grocery shopping, cooking and a little cleaning here and there. Your children are back home and haven’t stopped begging you to take them out to Mc Donald’s cause they have a new series of toys they want to collect with every kids meal or it could be to taste the new mac Arabia they saw on a TV commercial or billboard on their way back home from school.
You say “No!” and they respond with answers such as “but all my friends tried it” or “but I did really good on my math test”. Like all that junk food is a reward for good grades and behavior! This is one of the very thoughts which are causing this obesity epidemic!
Junk food, chocolate chips and sweets should not be perceived as “rewards” for good behavior! A day out with the family by the pool, cycling or strolling outdoors would be much better health wise and could create stronger family bonds.
They refuse to eat your healthy home cooked meals. Despite your efforts to teach them about the harms of unhealthy eating and snacking. But what you should really ask yourself is can you really blame them?
Every day they are exposed to BILLIONs of dollars’ worth of advertising, promoting all the unhealthy food they consume and the unhealthy food parents try to teach their children to reduce( I won’t say avoid as no child will accept to eliminate these foods completely, but a reduction is a good start). They are being convinced day in day out that happiness comes in the form of a candy bar a bag of chips or a juicy burger!
This sometimes makes parents feel like they are battling something way bigger than them. Yes they can control what they eat at home, but the second they leave home to school, out with friends even on their phones and tablets they are being bombarded with ads and messages promoting these very foods we ask them to stop.
So what do parents do now? Governments in countries like the US and Europe have intervened trying to promote more active families and healthy eating and even in the Middle east private sectors and NGOs are doing the same but the question is when the fast food industry spends BILLIONS will the Millions spent by governments ever be enough to win over the fast food industry?
Let me know what you think…
