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Are my kids doomed to follow in my fast food footsteps?
By: Nick Sargent | 03/31/2011
On a road trip with my wife a few years ago, a familiar site peaked over the pine trees that lined the long, lonely highways of northern Wisconsin: The Golden Arches.
"Isn't it disturbing how where ever you go there's a McDonald's?" I said to my wife.
"Yeah," she said, waiting a beat, "... or comforting."
We both had a laugh at the expense of my wife's disturbing comment (or, I guess, comforting if you're a McDonald's exec). And then we proceeded to have a lively debate about the healthiness of our food choices and who was to blame (in our relationship and in society in general). Eventually we came to the realization that we had to eat healthier and make better choices for ourselves and our future family.
But more importantly, we realized we were hungry.
You'll never guess where we stopped for dinner.
My wife and I found ourselves laughing about this story recently as we sat down to feed our four-month old twins, Emerson and Max, rice cereal for the first time. (That's Emerson in the video below ). We realized that soon our kids wouldn't just eat milk and pureed carrots. They'll be eating what we're eating.
Suddenly our road trip story wasn't so funny. Sure, we cook most of our meals and look for ways to replace fat and complex carbs with whole grains and vegetables. But when push comes to convenience, we still don't hesitate to resort to frozen pizzas, fast food and take out.
We never gave indulging in our bad habits more than a passing thought of "We'll change ... someday." But now, we indulge in guilt. Are we in danger of passing our bad habits onto our kids? Are they destined to find comfort in a quarter pounder and pleasure at the bottom of a Snickers Blizzard?
We hope that we understand what our parents didn't: That kids can't be raised on ketchup and refined sugar alone. Even our arch food frienemy, McDonalds, seems to be wising up to the times. Did you know you can get a Happy Meal with apple slices, and there's even oatmeal on the breakfast menu? How wholesome.
How not. It turns out a bowl of that bowl of oatmeal has about 10 less calories than a cheeseburger and more sugar than a Snickers bar. As Mark Bittman pointed out in a New York Times op-ed on the topic, "From a marketing perspective, they can do almost nothing wrong; from a nutritional perspective, they can do almost nothing right."
I know we're not alone in our struggle to find a way to eat healthier. Despite the ongoing national conversation on health care, agriculture and nutrition there's a reason truly healthy options are few and far between at your favorite fast food restaurant. We don't choose them.
Yet, as my wife paged through "The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet" last night, we plotted our healthy path to the future. One as the subtitle says, where we know what goes into every bite.
But I can't help but be concerned where our latest road trip down the highway of good intentions will lead, particularly when we have two toddlers screaming in the backseat for chicken nuggets and chocolate shakes.
What do you say when that's what you want too?
Posted in Agriculture and Nutrition, Health Care
comments
Christi says:
Fri, April 01, 2011 at 9:02:am
Okay, so I felt REALLY guilty after reading your post. My daughters are 6 and 9, and we generally eat lean protein, fresh or frozen veggies and cut-up fruit while we’re at home. On the run? That’s a completely different story. Aside from Subway (the favorite of my youngest), the healthier options are abysmal. It’s a massive market gap, in my opinion.
Last night we ended up at the Arches—only because I had four kids in the van and five bucks. As I dropped each of our guests at home, I asked them to keep the visit under wraps. Oh, yes I did. We all have guilt about making good choices over convenient ones. But the bigger question for me is why has it taken so long for fresh choices to ADD convenience?
The local PRSA Chapter has invited the community relations team from Whole Foods Market to present in May. My first question to them will be… why can’t you add a drive-through to your healthful cafe?!
MIchelle Cox says:
Fri, April 01, 2011 at 5:18:pm
This is a topic that is very important to me, too. As a mom to three kids—one of them a competitive swimmer—we travel a lot to swim meets. During those excursions, we struggle to find healthy food options on the road. At home, I keep only healthy foods in the house. My kids complain about it (a lot), but I think it’s my responsibility as their mom to teach them to eat right. It’s next to impossible on the road. We take a cooler in the car and eat from that as much as possible, but I’d love to see a Whole Foods Cafe drive through. What a great idea!
I
Julie Steininger says:
Sun, April 03, 2011 at 5:56:pm
Don’t be fooled by Whole Foods marketing. And don’t get me wrong—I love their food/salad bar a whole lot, but you have to be as diligent about reading food labels at Whole Foods as you do at any other grocery/food store. And experts say there is not enough evidence to prove eating organic is a real advantage.
Christi Dixon says:
Mon, April 04, 2011 at 9:02:am
Good point, Julie. We all need to be diligent about reading the fine print. I mention Whole Foods because they are one of the few places that have freshly made veggie dishes, made-to-order sushi and a sandwich bar in one location! I could say the same about Crazy Bowls & Wraps, Jason’s Deli and other chains that profess a commitment to healthier eating. None of them are on every street corner… and not a one has a drive-through option. When my kids (and my hubby) are more willing to stop and sit, the options undoubtedly get better!
Farrell says:
Mon, April 04, 2011 at 11:25:am
Moderation is key, as far as fast food goes. Indulging once in a while is just fine!
In general, it is hard to find healthy choices ANYWHERE when you’re eating out. You’d be surprised how many calories a restaurant can pack into a seemingly innocent salad! I have a copy of Eat This, Not That for Kids and I keep it in my car at all times for those errand-running/sports carpooling days.
Nick Gilham says:
Wed, April 06, 2011 at 8:01:am
Nick, I find myself in the “We’ll change…someday” crowd. While I don’t have any children yet, we are planning this next step for the next few years.
I have found myself lately asking myself what message I am sending to my future children every time I choose one food over another or one activity over a healthier one. Specifically, when I choose to sit at home and read a book or watch TV on a nice Saturday instead of taking a bike ride or going for a hike, what does this say about the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle?
I am not sending any message right now, since those kids don’t yet exist, but I am creating habits for myself that will likely continue throughout their childhood.
Sue Gales says:
Thu, March 31, 2011 at 4:01:pm
I think they will want a Concrete more than a Blizzard.