“Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.” --Albert Einstein
When was the last time you took your child to their
pediatrician for a checkup and the doctor gave you a prescription to feed your
child vegetables every day?
There are easy, creative ways to include vegetables into daily meals. In the healthy cooking
workshops we offer for children, we give kids opportunities to learn about food
preparation firsthand. Most kids embrace
the chance to try a new food when they learn how to grow it, harvest it, chop
it up into little itty, bitty pieces and then taste it. My favorite response to parents who tell me,
“My child will never eat that!” is to invite them to go away for an hour. When they come back to pick up their kids, our favorite thing to hear is, “What did
you do with my child? That can’t possibly
be my child eating those vegetables!” All
I can say is that magic happens in the kitchen when you let kids be kids and
you let them learn.
With obesity affecting one in six children in the United
States, we need solutions that work. Here
are a couple of ideas:
Families need to be able to earn a living wage so that
children do not suffer in poverty. There
is a direct correlation between poverty and childhood obesity. What is the poverty level in your community
and is it trending down or up?
Women who are pregnant need to be supported to breastfeed
because breastfeeding lowers the risk of a child becoming overweight or
obese. Does your workplace have a
wellness policy that supports employees who are breastfeeding?
Communities need to be encouraged to increase access to
fresh vegetables and fruits, especially in areas considered to be “food deserts”. How many of the local convenience stores in
the food deserts where you live feature fresh “healthy in a hurry” sections
with the support of your local health department?
Children need access to safe outdoor play areas and
communities, together with the local police departments, needs to ensure kids
can get outdoors. They need sidewalks so
it is safe to walk. Does your
neighborhood have sidewalks and outdoor play spaces?
School guidance counselors, psychologists, and cafeteria managers need training on recognizing and protecting children who are being
bullied or ostracized because they are at unhealthy weights. When was the last time your child’s school staff
received training in how to reverse, prevent and halt childhood obesity?
The minimum wage needs to be raised to $15.00/hour by 2020 so that
families living in poverty do not have to work 2 and 3 jobs to pay the bills
and then have no time left for a family dinner.
Does your county have an economic council and how do you become a member
to advocate for livable wages for your neighbors?
Eating dinner together is one of the strategies which can
prevent childhood obesity. Families benefit
from sharing a meal with real food instead of burgers from the dollar menu at
McDonald’s while having conversations that are not rushed. When you take at least 20 minutes to eat a
meal, you don’t overeat (because it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to
send the brain the message that you have eaten enough and are full). How often do you make eating dinner together
a family priority?
Throughout the year, I will share more strategies that are
effective in halting, reversing, and preventing childhood obesity. Stay tuned and be the change you want to see in the world.
In gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
*To learn more about childhood obesity, go to www.cdc.gov or
click here.
