Kids "FUN" Foods

Yesterday, I spent my afternoon cleaning our condo (which we are trying to sell, so if anyone's interested let me know!).  The entire process, along with being on the second floor with no a/c, was exhausting!  I used my power of persuasion to talk my hubby into letting us eat out for dinner.  We decided to eat at Applebee's because they have many gluten-free options.  My husband and I both decided to get a salad.  We than began looking at the menu options for our kids (which BOTH eat food now).  Our options were Mac n' Cheese, Chicken Fingers, Sliders and Pasta with Alfredo sauce.  Wow.  These foods may be fun for kids, but they are far from healthy.  Needless to say, we decided to order off the adult menu to feed our children.

Is it any wonder why children are so unhealthy?  As parents we want to make our children happy.  One way to achieve that is buy feeding them these "fun" foods.  What child doesn't get excited at the sight of Mac n' Cheese?  As an adult, I still love Mac n' Cheese; however, my kids have yet to experience this over processed product (notice I didn't say food).  Everywhere you go to eat, "fun" foods are readily available for kids.  As my mind set is changing, I am looking more at these fun foods as a food product rather than real food.  If we began to look at food in that way I think most Americans would feed themselves and their children differently.  Wouldn't it be great if food came with a labeling system?  Such as, real food like lean meat, veggies and fruit would have an A label while fake foods like mac n' cheese would receive a D.  Wouldn't most parent's strive to feed their kids the BEST food?  Doesn't it make sense that in order to get the BEST result from our children, we need to feed them the best food out there?  In the book, "What's Eating Your Child" Kelly Dorfman, MS, LND writes:

"If a child's neural network is lacking nutrients, it cannot be expected to work optimally.  If the components are not there when they are needed, a weaker system is built, and the person compensates accordingly.  For example, if a child consumes the wrong kind of fat (the fat that comes from mac-and-cheese, chips, or fired foods in stead of fish, whole grains, and lean meats), the cells incorporates the less suitable fat into the membrane.  The nerve membrane now is less able to process and interpret incoming signals, resulting in changes in the sensory system capabilities,  Multiply this problem with foods devoid of nutrients (sugar), and a child will be functioning, emotionally, mentally, and physically - at a deficit."

Doesn't that put things into perspective??  We cannot expect to get optimal results from ourselves and our children if they are not eating the right foods.  It's so easy to feed our family out of a box or can, but that's not food - it's a food product.  If your family is ill all of the time, you may want to question the food your eating...even your milk (which I believe is a processed food as well).  You can see my earlier post on milk, which I'm planning to edit soon as I have learned more. :)

I'll let that be that for now!!  Wishing everyone much health and happiness!  Oh yeah, if anyone wants to buy our beautiful condo, I will give you a wonderful deal on it! ;)