What Are We Feeding Our Kids?

Some of us here at Storytime Under the Stars grew up on some pretty unhealthy, ultra-processed stuff. With consuming all the canned ravioli, boxed mac and cheese, and Wonder Bread sandwiches, it’s amazing we made it through childhood and into adulthood.

The sad truth is that our kids don;t always make the best decisions when it comes to food. And as parents. we don;t do enough to help them choose wisely. We send our kids to school with a cold lunch consisting of sugary “fruit” snacks, potato chips, snack cakes, and PB&J sandwiches. We may send a few carrot or celery sticks, but the kids just throw those in the trash.

If our kids elect for hot lunch, they probably toss out the healthy stuff and only eat the french fries. If our children are old enough to head out for lunch, it’s burgers and shakes. Then they come home and we treat them to chocolate chip cookies and milk.

That’s a pretty grim picture, but in reality, it’s a pretty accurate picture too. It’s safe to say that the majority of us parents can do a little better.Thankfully, there are solutions that don;t have to be so drastic.

If we want our children to grow and develop properly, they need nutrition. There are a lot of web sites filled with expert advice about the best foods to give your kids. There are also some great companies that make children’s health and wellness a priority. For example, Melaleuca.com manufactures and sells nutritional products for children and adults, include shakes, crackers, and snack bars.

Kids like fat and sugar. We all do. And it’s okay to indulge every once in a while. The problem is when we encourage chronic overeating of the bad staff. That can lead to malnourishment and major diseases like obesity and diabetes. Our kids don’t have to subsist wholly on bland, unappealing food like kale. We just need to be mindful of what we’re feeding them.

If we pay attention to the foods we buy and stock our fridges and cupboards with, we can make a huge difference for the better.