Surprised?

According to an article today in The Charlotte Observer, a review has found that education efforts have not helped change kids' eating habits. Are you surprised? I'm not. This study followed up on 57 different federal programs (spending about $1 million this year) to see if they had an impact on eating habits. They didn't seem to.

Who really thinks that kids eating habits depend on the formal programs that the federal government puts out....obviously the federal government (or do they even really believe it?). The governmet may be putting out $1 million a year to help "fight" childhood obsesity formally, but then in its other realm it spent over $22.7 billion dollars (see link) just in 2005 on corn subsidies to "help" farmers (see this article to make an informed decision about whether you think they are helpful) continue to produce surpluses of corn (these surpluses are used in large part to make High Fructose Corn Syrup-HFCS-to put in sodas that are sold all over almost every school and in every corner of this country). Yet, we aren't allowed to sell or buy raw milk for our children to drink...god forbid we actually give them something to drink that won't make them fat. The formal federal education programs remind me of the huge advertising billboards for liquor (with the small phrase...drink responsibly at the bottom). This doesn't mean the programs aren't doing any good (although it is likely the government will decide that is the case and pull the programs), it just means that it may take more than just programs to make a difference (and maybe more than one year). So is childhood obsesity the government's fault? That would be too easy.

Maybe we should blame big business: supermarkets, fast food restaurants, convience stores, marketers. We know kids are influenced by the ads they see, on tv, on billboards, the pretty, bright colors on the cereal boxes, the toys they get in their kids' meals at the fast food restaurant. Marketers are wonders at getting kids to eat HFCS-laden products. Again, too easy.

Kids' are influenced by fancy advertising and marketing, but they are much more greatly influenced by watching the people they care about and emulating them. If mom and dad are tossing back sodas, gatorades, stuffing their faces at fast food restaurants while they drive furiously from one thing to another, then why would a child do any differently? We all know children learn by emulating, not by what we say...so maybe parents are to blame? Maybe, but I think it is more complicated than that.

What about the availability of food? Maybe we should blame our schools (oops back to government), they are the ones putting the chips and soda in the cafeteria to start with. The review showed that children continued to choose sodas and chips over fruit...well duh! Why are we giving them such a choice? I am all for allowing children autonomy and allowing them to make choices, but why does the choice have to be between fresh fruit and chips? How about allowing them to choose between an apple or an orange...or brocolli or carrots?

Obviously, there isn't a specific person or entity we can blame completely. But, I do feel as a parent and responsible citizen you can help to make changes in government practices. You can talk to your child about why you won't let them have that great looking marshmallow star cereal that their favorite cartoon character pushes. You can choose not to support those fast food restaurants. You can choose whole foods, not processed foods at the supermarket. You can be a role model in your own eating habits, you can have family dinners. You can be an activist in your child's school to make changes in the cafeteria food. You can take your child to your local farmer's market and let them make their choices there...let them pick out what they want...you will certainly have better luck getting them to choose something good for them than you would presenting them with the choice between an out of season apple or chips and soda!