Why I’m Picky about My Kid’s Food – and You Should Be, Too
By Geneva Watford-Lawrence, 9th Episcopal District
To know better is to do better. However, our convictions hugely determine how and when we adhere to this adage. Understanding how food impacts our bodies—mentally, emotionally, and physically—I advocate daily for better choices. Pushing our bodies to perform optimally when we don’t feed it to thrive creates an impossible dilemma. We are sluggish, depleted, and sick. Our judgment is clouded and interaction with others is skewed as we attempt to compensate for our lack of energy and overall blah-ness.
Let’s face it. We like giving kids “treats.” Shared food bonds and creates memories. We associate events and people with specific items or meals that define a moment in time: a peppermint in church, pizza and soda for parties, and picnics and reunions. We often give a sweet reward for any and every “too cute, just because” milestone. Decades ago, this was an every-so-often occurrence. However, occasional foods have become diet staples. Further, it is killing us.
Unfortunately, it is killing our kids even quicker. Diseases generally reserved for much older adults are impacting children as young as seven or eight in record numbers. What’s more, many adults who experience these ailments could significantly reduce their susceptibility by implementing small lifestyle changes themselves.
Everything we eat becomes our blood. Our bodies are designed to work a specific way to ensure a better quality of life. As a parent and an arguably responsible adult, I am required to lay a worthwhile foundation for my child. Unapologetically, I believe children do not need a Standard American Diet (SAD) to experience a good childhood. Much that we consume does exactly the opposite. We complain kids are overly excited, loud, misbehaved, and underperforming in school. Yet, we feed them copious amounts of sugar from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed in the form of processed cereals, snack cakes, fake juices, desserts, and fast foods.
The daily recommended amount of added sugars for a child in a single day is 12 grams. Popular cereals have 11 grams per serving generally with twice the amount eaten at a time. The daily amount is 25 and 36 grams for women and men, respectfully, found in a single breakfast bar and a cup of coffee loaded with sugar.
We’ve all heard it said, “If I had done things differently when I was younger, I wouldn’t be suffering so much now.” Why not offer our kids a different story? Many children will receive no financial inheritance but we have the opportunity to provide something equally beneficial, if not more.
Why not give them health? Why not reward them with your time? Why not help them fight depression, raise their self-esteem, and lessen their chances for issues they do not have to experience?
The Creator provided an abundance of living, natural foods for the sole purpose of nourishing, preserving, and healing our bodies. As a result of our choices, we are stripping our kids of their birthright and don’t even recognize it. We are offering our kids life-long, terminal issues wrapped in attractive packaging.
I can’t control what my child will do out of my care but I will continue to fight for my child’s right to thrive and experience a different type of life. Today, you have an opportunity to do something different. It will be challenging but replete with rewards.
Children follow our examples. What you do matters. How you live matters. Small changes matter. Take them one day at a time. For now, just try drinking water. Your health truly is your wealth.
Geneva M. Watford-Lawrence is a member of Murdock Chapel AME Church in Pike Rd, Alabama. She is a graduate of Spelman College and a holistic wellness coach certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Read the unabridged version of this article and more at www.gmwliving.com.
