Healthier eating has become a popular national trend these days. Everywhere I turn, I am confronted by some new legislation regarding vending machines or some company stating that it is changing its cooking methods in the attempt to reduce fat and calories.
Just the other day, McDonald’s announced that it is switching cooking oils in its European restaurants, hoping to cut trans fat to only 2 percent. Other fast food chains, such as Wendy’s and KFC, have made similar changes in their restaurants in the United States.
I am all for healthier eating, and personally I am glad that fast food restaurants are trying to become more health-conscious. However, I don’t support all the measures that are being taken in the battle against non-nutritious foods.
For a few years now, state governments have been considering legislation to limit the amount of junk food that is sold at public schools. This legislation covers everything from completely removing vending machines to stocking them with only healthy options.
I understand the purpose behind these measures-remove the temptation to eat something calorie- or fat-laden and replace it with a healthier option. Seems guaranteed to encourage more nutritious eating, right?
I’m not so sure about that. It is true that if a child has no choice but nutritionally-balanced food while at school, they will certainly be eating better during school hours. However, there is nothing to inhibit them from ingesting junk food as soon as they leave the school premises, especially if their parents are not particularly health-conscious.
A more effective method for positively changing children’s eating habits would be to educate them about nutrition and healthful eating. Removing junk food ultimately is ineffective as long as children have access to it at some point. Unless they are taught why that kind of food is bad to eat in mass quantities, they will not adapt healthful eating habits.
Think about it. When you were a kid, what did you know about nutrition, calories and fat? If you were anything like me, you knew nothing. And you didn’t really care. Even into high school, I had no idea that what I ate was very detrimental to my health. I had a vague idea that I shouldn’t eat so many fried foods, but I didn’t really know why. I was, and still am, a dessert fanatic, and although I knew that dessert “wasn’t good for me,” that did not really stop me from eating it.
My life changed in my junior year of high school, though. I took a food and nutrition class, and my eating habits were never the same again. I learned exactly what fried foods and sugary, carbonated drinks did to my body. I finally understood what fat grams and calories meant, and I learned how to read the nutrition label on the back of a box. This class completely changed my perception of eating. Before then, I had never realized that the eating habits I had in high school would impact me for the rest of my life.
Kids are the same (and probably many adults). They probably know that eating a whole bag of potato chips is bad, but they don’t know why. And a person’s behavior does not change until they know why. If we really want to effect a positive change in children’s eating habits, then we need to start teaching them why they need a change.
Instead of removing soft drinks and candy bars from vending machines, schools should implement basic nutrition classes. These don’t have to be confusing or overly laden with information. A simple program to teach the difference between healthy foods and non-healthy foods and the implications of eating both is all that is needed.
If you talked to adults who struggle with their weight, I bet that most of them would say they never learned about nutrition until they were older. They never had to watch what they ate when they were young, and then when middle-age hit and that metabolism slowed down, they had no idea what to do about it.
Including nutrition classes in the educational core would have a much more lasting impact on children’s future eating habits than any other program. For people to make positive eating decisions, they have to be informed. If a person likes cheeseburgers more than turkey sandwiches, and he has no idea how bad cheeseburgers are for him, then you can’t expect him to consistently choose turkey sandwiches. People need more information.
That being said, I’m not totally against placing healthier food options in public schools. In fact, I think it’s a great idea. But I don’t think the total removal of all junk food is the answer to childhood obesity. If you force kids to eat healthy at school, then they will rebel when they’re not at school. They don’t like being coerced into anything.
Information is the key. Children and adults need to understand why certain foods should be eaten sparingly. They need to know what healthy eating habits are and how they can implement them in their own life while still enjoying food. Once they have the right information, they will be able to make the best possible choices.