Changing the Way We Snack to Fight Obesity

As a mother of two children, an educator and a health counselor, I live by the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Our children’s health is being greatly compromised by lifestyle, environment, diet and exercise. You would be amazed at the number of mothers who come to me for consultations that are unaware of the damage they are doing to their bodies (and their children’s bodies) when they feed them over-processed, pasteurized and chemical-infused snacks.  They wonder why they are always tired and their kids are cranky and sick. They believe they are feeding there kids well because they are buying products marketed as heathy.  Nothing could be further from the truth. These  processed foods in a box are typically loaded with partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, antibiotics and unpronounceable food additives.

While the media, and now Mayor Bloomberg, are focused on obesity, this is just one of many side effects of  overfeeding and under nourishing of our children.  Kids today have higher levels of asthma, allergies, behavior problems, type 2 diabetes, obesity and even cancer than in years before. Many believe these health issues are connected to the poor quality food products Americans are putting into their bodies every day. You might say it is the by product of convenience. While measures like Bloomberg’s proposed ban on soda may help bring awareness to the obesity issue, it is not enough to make any real impact. Education is imperative. Wellness, cooking and food 101 should be taught in every class room.

Changing our kids diets, and trying to eliminate processed foods may seem time consuming and inconvenient,  but with some proper planning, the transition to a healthy lifestyle can be fun and delicious!

Stay tuned for quick tips on how to make healthy snacking fit into your busy schedule and check out some of my yummy recipes so you and your family can become smart snackers!