Anywhere you go these days, you can find fast food. And you don’t even have to get out of your car to purchase it. You can just go right through the drive through and order whatever you want. Kids love fast food. It tastes good and they often get toys with their meals. Much of the fast food marketing is specifically aimed at kids. Everyone knows parents want to make their kids happy. And parents are stretched for time like never before.
How is the fast food culture harming our kids?
1. They are adapting their taste preferences to high calorie food that is high in fat. I see so many parents who say they can’t get their kids to eat anything else but fast food. Sure, there is no harm in eating it every once in a while. But, it should be balanced with more healthy foods at other times.
2. It prevents kids from getting adequate nutrition. All too often, I see kids who don’t eat fruits or vegetables. Much of this is because these are not served very commonly in these types of fast food places, until more recently. They don’t taste as good as these other foods. But, recent studies are showing the many health benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables, including preventing certain types of cancers.
3. Kids are getting too much sugar and salt in their diet. Once the taste buds adapt to these senses, it is hard to cut down.
4. The rate of obesity in children and adolescents has been steadily rising. Much of it has to do with the points previously mentioned. Eating a fast food diet is much easier. But, over time, the increased fat content in the food leads to weight gain, obesity and high cholesterol. I am increasingly seeing kids who have high cholesterol levels. Even very young kids.
5. Kids get the expectation that we need things immediately. It is much easier going through that drive through. Sure parents are time crunched but this should not be the norm. Kids should see this as the exception and not the rule.
6. We are decreasing the amount of time we devote to exercise. Sure we are busy and rushing around. But, unless we do activity that raises our heart rates, all that activity is not making us healthy. When we live on the fly, grabbing our food through the window as we rush from place to place, we are not developing healthy exercise habits. Too often in this country, we are so overwhelmed with activities that we just can’t do anything else.
While fast food doesn’t need to be completely thrown out, we need to consume it in moderation. Kids need more balanced diets and, for their health’s sake, need to learn the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables. Additionally, kids need to be more active. Exercise should be a priority. In this fast food culture, kids need time to just slow down. They need to learn that not everything needs immediate gratification. That there is nothing wrong with waiting. The statistics regarding the rising rates of obesity in our young is absolutely scary. But, with a few minor changes, hopefully we can curb this rising tide and help our kids make better choices to be more healthy.
