On the panel after the movie, I was talking about kids nutrition and said that if kids eat a healthy diet most of the time, they should be able to have a cupcake at a birthday party and not have to feel like "that weird kid that never gets to eat treats." Some in the audience gasped at my comment. Okay - open mouth, insert foot - nice one Sara! I of course, do not think kids who don't eat sweets or treats are weird - I think they are super smart! I wish I had been that smart when I was in elementary school. I personally do not eat cupcakes or other highly sweetened foods anymore for two reasons - I know how bad they are for my body, and I no longer enjoy the flavor of super-sweet foods. When I was a kid I ate way too many treats, and as a result - I was overweight. Unless there is a reason that a child should not have any sweets at all (diabetes or another disease), I think finding a happy middle ground when a kid can go to a birthday party and enjoy a piece of cake. I can understand that for many health conscious people - the thought of eating even one cupcake sounds crazy. For others - the thought of not eating one at a birthday party is just as crazy. I see both sides - why should we eat something that has zero nutritional value, is highly addictive - and in excess contributes to obesity and many other diseases? Yet on the other side of the argument is - if most of the time we eat a healthy diet, why shouldn't we be allowed the occasional treat?
You can if you follow the 90/10 rule - something that Michelle Obama uses herself and with her family. Basically the way that the 90/10 Rule works is - if you eat 90% of your calories from healthy nutrient dense choices like fresh whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains - then 10% of your calories can be from "splurge" foods - such as the occasional cupcake, ice cream, french fries or the like. I feel that the 90/10 approach is attainable for the majority of the population and is a pattern that could be maintained. When one third of all kids in this country expected to develop Type 2 Diabetes in their lifetime, a realistic & attainable approach is key to making change happen. There are kids that eat no vegetables or fruit all day long - for those kids - any increase in plant consumption will help. Some people get more than 40% of their daily calories from calorie dense, nutrient-deficient drinks and foods - to bring that percentage to 10% would be life-changing, even 20% would be a huge step in the right direction. I think the main issue for Americans - is in our super-sized world, can we keep splurge foods to a small percentage of the diet? If the answer is no - then perhaps the all or nothing approach is best. But if we can learn to tune into our bodies and how foods make us feel - and make healthy choices most of the time, then the 90/10 Rule can work. Some people would give up before they started if presented with an all or nothing approach - so finding something that people can comply with - is key.
Americans tend to think mostly about the immediate gratification of the food, not the effects that come later on our energy, digestion, mood, waistline, etc. If more people simply became aware of how the food we eat makes us feel and function an hour or two after we eat it - we might reach for healthier choices. In my school assemblies and classes - I teach kids to tune into their bodies and connect how they feel to what they ate. I ask kids to notice how certain foods make their bodies feel - not just right after they eat it, but also after the initial sugar rush wears off - and to think about that when they are making choices. My assemblies and classes for kids only last 30 minutes to one hour - my main goal is to help them become aware of how the food they eat can helps their bodies feel and function better, and how to get more plant based foods in their diets - by "Eating a Rainbow." We can't make changes - unless we are first aware. When someone connects the dots between how food makes them feel, they are better able to make good choices the next time they are given a similar choice. To ask themselves:
- "How did this make me feel the last time I had it?"
- "Is this the best choice for me right now?"
- "Is this going to help me focus in class, or do well at my soccer game?"
As kids get older - they are going to be on their own more often and will have more choices to make by themselves. When my kids go to birthday or holiday parties - they are free to have the cake and other party treats that are offered. I might remind them to make good choices, but often will simply leave it up to their good judgment. One time I picked up my son from a birthday party, and the Dad hosting the party told me that my son did not have a piece of the cake. They served root beer floats and cake at the party - when I was a kid, I would have been first in line for both (and proceeded to bounce off the walls for the next half an hour)! My son looked at the choices, and decided that he really, really wanted the root beer float, so he picked that and said "no thanks" to the cake. Yes he ate something that was not at all nutritious, yet at the same time, he made the choice to not go overboard and skipped the cake. I was not there telling him what to eat or not eat - he listened to his body and made that choice on his own, so I was proud of him. Fortunately, he is a naturally good eater - and makes lots of healthy choices throughout the day, so 90% of his day was probably good choices, and the root beer float fell within the 10%. Later that evening - instead of a sweet dessert since he already had a treat, choosing fruit or something healthy would balance out the day even more.
If you have a healthy diet most of the time, when you go overboard with sweets or fatty foods - your body doesn't feel so good. Once or twice my daughter has been in a similar situation with lots of treats around. She went overboard - and paid the price - with a terrible gut-ache. But it ended up being a good lesson for her. Later we talked about how too many sweet and fatty foods can make you feel really sick if you eat too much of them. Now she remembers those experiences when she is tempted to go overboard - the memory of the tummy ache helps her to make better choices - so she can be an "intuitive eater" too - she knows what foods make her feel icky, and what foods make her feel good.
I have found that the less sugar and the more whole fruits and vegetables a person eats - the worse processed and highly sweetened foods actually taste. Trans fats seem to leave a "film" on the tongue, sugary foods taste too sweet, and fatty or highly processed foods sit like a rock in the stomach. Eating high quality healthy foods ends up being it's own reward - because they just make us feel good. That is a good "addiction" to have! So if we can encourage our kids to make healthy choices most of the time - over time, those might just start to taste better anyway!!
As kids grow, they gain more independence. I realized that being able to make good choices for themselves is what we want for our kids in all areas of their lives, right? Teaching kids about moderation and to use their intuition about how and what they eat is a step in the right direction for a longer and healthier lifestyle.
Thanks to Whole Foods, Chassie Bell and Rip Esselstyn for the FORKS OVER KNIVES screening - very moving and motivating!
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