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| Photo: Greenandcleanmom.org |
Last week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban on sales of super-sized sugary drinks in delis, arenas, restaurants &cinemas.
And who can forget the rumors from several years ago, that the Cookie Monster would be morphing into some kind of "Veggie Monster"?
Is changing the behavior of imaginary childhood characters or banning products and their advertising really the answer? And if it is, where do we draw the line? Are we just fooling ourselves into thinking that we are doing something effective to address our health problems when we really are not?
In my opinion, 'reality' TV shows are just as damaging to our youth-and contain not a shred of actual reality- and yet when I sit to watch a movie with my family, we are subjected to repeated commercials of "Kendra", "Dance Moms" and "Bridezillas" and other such ridiculous, useless programming. In addition, sitting there watching them is only contributing to inactivity/obesity. So why are those commercials not banned in the name of health and wellness?
What it really comes down to is self-control and common sense. And as far as parenting, we don't use either any more. Someone told us we had to be more, do more and give more when we became parents, and we took that to heart. In the process of trying to be better parents, we got too busy trying to give our kids everything instead of trying to help them learn to make better decisions and do for themselves. We got too busy trying to be their 'friend' and giving in to their momentary passing whims, to show them how to have enough self-control to focus on long term goals instead of instant gratification. Our food habits reflect this.
It doesn't take a scientist to see how it works: Advertisement comes on TV during children's programming. Children run to parents and say (with puppy dog eyes) "I want XYZJunkFood". Parents comply because we are good parents and don't want our kids to want for anything. We didn't realize that we just bought something unhealthy for our kids based on the emotional need to see them happy. Then we send them off to sit at the computer or iPad we bought for them, while they eat their sugary snack. Cycle repeats with other junk food and bigger/better stuff....
Commercials for sugary drinks & junk food and childhood obesity are just the outward signs of a much bigger problem. One that we encouraged and only we can fix. Making junk food companies the bad guys & banning products and advertising is taking our attention off of the real problem. And its not the right solution.
We need to understand that companies create & market products based on what we buy and we usually buy out of a sense of emotion-not out of an actual need. We think we need it-but we really want it.
So, rather than banning commercials-or taxing/banning products- a better idea would be for us to just get back to better, more sensible parenting and stop being afraid to tell our kids "NO".
The article stated that: "Makers of junk food and sugary drinks spend about $1bn (£650m) a year on commercials directed at children under 12 years." So-how many of us with children under 12 let them take the car (or their bike/skateboard) and go to the store by themselves to buy junk food? (Anybody?... anybody?...Bueller...)
Ultimately, our own behaviors and habits along with the environment we create for them are what most influences children-not advertising.
These manufacturers spend that kind of money advertising to children because they know that a parent will buy "XYZSugerDrink" for them. The more we buy, the more they will want. We are the problem, not the companies advertising to us. We are the ones in control of what products are produced-we ultimately direct what products stay in the market by our behaviors & purchasing habits. These companies (naturally) want to make money-and they would not be producing & advertising for junk food & sugar based products if we were not buying them. Lots of them.
Educate yourselves! Basic nutrition is not mysterious or hard to understand. There is so much information available to us - and given what we know about health and wellness, there is no reason to spend time, money or energy banning advertising, taxing products, taking toys out of "Happy Meals" or changing the Cookie Monster into someone he is not. And there is no excuse for any child (or adult) to be unhealthy or obese.
We just need to make better choices.
*Do you feel pressured by advertising into purchasing unhealthy foods/products for your children? Why or why not?
An Excellent Food Education Resource: Jamie Oliver Foundation
Related Articles:
What your Child's Food Cravings are Telling You
Hydration Tips
The Neglected Nutrient
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