Living to Eat and Eating to Live

by Milt Chaikin

After reading Bernice Stock’s delicious and nutritious cookbook for parents and their children, it reminded me of an article I wrote for Bernice’s publication, To Your Health. It was called “Our Kids Deserve More Than Academics”. The article talked about what children eat and how it affects their behavior and performance in school and at home.

More than children’s behavior and performance is at stake, however. The public is learning about the seriousness of poor nutrition as the incidence of adult diabetes, heart disease and obesity is diagnosed in children. If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call, then we are in for a troublesome future.

Countless studies have reported that young Americans do not consume the RDA levels of vitamin B-6, folic acid, magnesium and zinc. Why? Answer: To begin with, refined flour, processed oils and fried foods are used in many homes and school cafeterias. Also, sugary drinks, potato chips and other empty calorie snacks make up the standard American diet.
 
Today it’s hard to claim a lack of information on the subject of nutrition and diet. In fact, people are somewhat overwhelmed by books, magazines, newsletters and TV news reports on how badly we adults and children eat. So, what’s going on? It’s actually become more complicated. Just look at the information on food labels, for instance. The concept of good fats/bad fats is driving some people crazy. Vitamin E was good; now it’s bad. What’s a parent to do?

A few things parents and teachers can do is to focus on the youngest children whose minds and behaviors are ripe for learning. It’s the parents who must assume the major responsibility for shaping the tastes and eating habits of children. A good start in life goes a long way. Hence, the importance of a book like Let’s Cook Together. It provides a rare opportunity for the family to create something together: a meal that involves sharing and cooperation, with the result that something new and important has been accomplished. It’s an education in progress that goes beyond good health. In this case it’s a process of exploration and learning about the variety and abundance of foods, raw and cooked, that brings joy to their hearts and stomachs. Here is a good example of living to eat and eating to live. Not only do the children and adults enjoy what they prepare; they are growing up healthy and strong, minimizing the incidence of obesity, preventing diabetes and setting the stage for healthy immune and cardiovascular systems.

Another good reason for doing the Bernice Stock thing is to protect against the television commercials, particularly focused on young children. What are advertised to children are generally not the foods of which nutritious meals are made. If it isn’t candy or soft drinks and meals intended for small children (i.e., fast foods) – it is a concoction loaded with bad fat, salt or sugar, additives, preservatives and without natural fiber. These experiences have to be denied and/or explained to children and not offered as a reward for good behavior. 

We have learned from bitter experience that we can’t depend on the schools, the industrial farms, the manufacturers of packaged foods and the medical profession. If we are to stem the tide of childhood obesity and hypertension, the home must become the bastion of good sense and responsible nutrition education. A good start for a young family is to get a copy of Let’s Cook Together by the veteran educator and childhood nutrition expert, Bernice Stock.