Taking a Step in the Right Direction

Amidst running errands yesterday, I found myself sitting in the car with a sleeping munchkin while my boyfriend went to get a haircut. The barber happened to be next door to a Wawa convenience store and I got to people watch for a while and what I saw really saddened me. It was around the time that kids get out of school and a lot of parents were getting their kiddos after school snacks. Now I’m not saying I’m the perfect mom and that munchkin has never had a chip or piece of candy but I seriously felt bad for some of the kids I saw because they are headed down a bad path with their eating habits. There were too many overweight kids coming out of the store with chips, candy and huge cups of soda and slushies.

 With obesity rates rising like crazy in America it makes me sad that parents don’t try to instill better eating habits in their kids, especially since Wawa has a lot of healthy snack options like precut veggies with dip, fruit salad and my personal favorite cheese sticks. I know I’m not supposed to judge other people’s parenting choices but I sincerely feel bad for the kids who will one day have a tough time changing their unhealthy eating habits or will carry them through to their adult lives.

I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver and I really like the changes he is trying to make with his Food Revolution.  I know some of the show is exaggerated to make good TV, but I think his efforts are really making a  difference.

The LA United School District just removed flavored milk from the cafeterias of all the school in Los Angeles county partially due to Jamie Oliver’s efforts.  Little things like that will remove thousands of calories and grams of sugar out of the diets of children in a district where over 30% are obese or on the verge of diabetes.

The smallest changes in a person’s diet can make a huge difference in the long run, and most times these changes so unnoticed by kids. If every school district were to follow in the footsteps of the LAUSD, the United States could take a step in the right direction in ending childhood obesity.