Comments on Eat, Lift, and be Happy.: Food Education for Kids

Thanks for posting this article!!

2012-02-10T04:37:25.235-08:00

Thanks for posting this article!!

Thank you for reading! Good for you, your boys sou...

2012-02-06T19:42:39.186-08:00

Thank you for reading! Good for you, your boys sound like they have good heads on their shoulders. Hopefully they know how lucky they are!

Congrats on your decision to return to school with...

2012-02-06T19:41:55.401-08:00

Congrats on your decision to return to school with such a relevant subject matter! The state of our food education is very saddening, and often maddening as well. Keep spreading the good word!

The colorful packaging and cartoon characters are ...

2012-02-06T19:40:37.245-08:00

The colorful packaging and cartoon characters are so frustrating, aren't they?! You sound like you are doing a great job. Keep it up!

That is awesome, Sigrun! It's so great to know...

2012-02-06T19:39:31.186-08:00

That is awesome, Sigrun! It's so great to know that as adults they see why you raised them the way you did. I am so grateful to my parents for instilling in me the importance of good food and the ability to prepare it.

That is really scary, Janine! We have to ask ourse...

2012-02-06T19:37:57.997-08:00

That is really scary, Janine! We have to ask ourselves what we are doing to out children when they have those kinds of responses. I am so glad that I was able to give you some hope! With Isaac it is a constant effort, because just like any other kid, he wants the bad stuff, too. Education is key.

"Have regular conversations about food" ...

2012-01-30T12:54:27.378-08:00

"Have regular conversations about food" - this is what I have been doing for years with my boys. We often get kidded by others about our "too healthy" way of eating, and my boys always took it in stride. Now 16 and 20, I am very proud of their food chocies that they make on their own and their healthy lifesytle with lots of exercise. They still love to learn and educate themselves on new food topics. It's so nice to see that my years of educating paid off! Great post! I recently found your blog and now addicted!

Hey Neghar, this was wonderful and, as usual, beau...

2012-01-28T04:07:53.168-08:00

Hey Neghar, this was wonderful and, as usual, beautifully put. I am going back to school for a PhD in Nutritional Science next fall (scared silly to do so) but THIS is exactly what motivated me. I know I don't need a PhD to make a difference but I want to use it to learn more and spread the good word.

Oftentimes I talk to people about their food choices. I make a pointed effort not to come off as critical of their decisions, as what they eat IS their decision, but I like to know what and why people choose what they do. It saddens me that not only is there an overwhelming under-education in the subject of eating, but most simply don't care. I feel the vast majority of people I speak to simply have resigned to "mom fluff" or "old age aches" that could be cured with diet and a little movement.

Please keep the great posts rollin!

Great post! I live in Sweden and have two kids, 6 ...

2012-01-27T13:44:08.967-08:00

Great post! I live in Sweden and have two kids, 6 and 4 years old. Here in Sweden we have very subsidized child care and also in school the lunch is for free. Lunch in school is sometimes good and sometimes bad (very processed) but not pizza. They always have fresh vegetables as well and I know that my daughter eats a lot of cabbage! In Kindergarten they have a great cook who cooks the lunch which is really good. Some food is always organic as well as our city has decided to promote this, which is great. But the afternoon meal is not so good at times. Its a lot of bread, sometimes white, sometime, rye bread, or corn flakes with jam and milk (organic = good) in the afternoon and when I pick them up at 15:30 they are soon hungry again. I know it could be much, much worse Now, I don't think it harmful for them but it's not what I like my kids to eat.

I really try to give my kids good food, not processed, not too much sugar, etc. but it is really hard when they have gotten used to the taste!

Today we went shopping and my daughter spotted some small packages with Hello Kitty on them with dried fruit. I refused to buy this as I don't want them to eat grapes/raisins which are not organic. Standing there in the supermarket explaining about pesitizides felt a bit funny but at the same time good. We did buy some organic raisins although we already have some at home. Not with Hello Kitty on them though... My kids know that we shop organic but I don't know how much they understand of it. It's there in their minds at least!
/Marie from Sweden

Well said,Neghar, I have been through the school p...

2012-01-27T13:21:01.850-08:00

Well said,Neghar, I have been through the school peer pressure with my kids, they are adults now. I did very similar to what you described, even through the teenage years. Whenever my kids complained about the real foods I offered them, I would say to them that one day they would thank me. They all did, each in their own time. They are now 26,24and 23.

Fantastic post, Neghar. I've been following y...

2012-01-27T12:09:52.159-08:00

Fantastic post, Neghar. I've been following you for a while (really fun stuff!), and this post really hits home. Raising healthy and informed kids is incredibly difficult, and our poor kiddos are definitely not exposed to healthy choices at school. We ask ourselves "why", but I've also read a few recent stats showing that offering a "whole foods menu" led to astonishing numbers of last minute choices to "abstain from lunch". Sad that, when given the option to eat healthy, kids in these examples chose to simply not eat at all. Really, really scary. Well written, passionate, and inspiring, Neghar. Thank you. Posts like this one really give me hope!