Helen Gates
Helen Gates has lived in Brampton since 1998. She is employed at a local courier/trucking company. In 2005, Helen started her own retail business. She lives in Brampton with her husband and 3 ½ year old son. Helen writes about her personal experiences as a mother, wife and entrepreneur.
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The childhood obesity rate is on the rise. We can no longer ignore the warning signs. Fast food is readily available and the days of the family sitting down to savour a home-cooked meal is a distant memory. Kids playing games on the XBox seems to a safer alternative for parents than having them playing outside on the streets unsupervised with the rising crime rate.
Who can we blame, we ask. The fast food industry? The parents? The kids? The school cafeterias and the vending machine suppliers? However, we can't place the blame on a single source, but rather it's a series of economic factors in our fast-paced society.
Being a parent, I understand the challenges of taking time to have healthy meals together as a family. Many parents are struggling financially to buy food and cut down on their grocery bills. Some even resort to food banks in their neighbourhood. Often healthy foods at the supermarket are more expensive than processed convenience foods. Ever noticed that Kraft Dinner is always on special as opposed to organic health foods?
It's also hard for parents who have to work long hours to pay their bills, whether it's outside the home or if they're self-employed. In some instances, parents are working a job while they're getting their businesses up and running. Today it's not uncommon for parents to be working two or three jobs at one time. Non-traditional working shifts such as afternoons, nights, and weekends have allowed parents to save on childcare costs.
The school cafeterias and the vending machine suppliers have the opportunity to feature healthy lunches and snacks for our children. Many kids will still choose pop, candy bars, fries, and chips, but at least we can offer them fruits, vegetables, juice, lean meats, milk products, and whole grain bread.
Although my son is a 3 1/2 year old picky eater, here are some healthy food choices that he chooses:
1) Yogurt and some ice cream
2) Beverages such as milk, water, and juice
3) Fruits such as apples, blueberries, green grapes, and bananas
4) Most forms of chicken, turkey sticks, hot dogs, and hamburger meat
5) Vegetables such as mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots
6) Grains such as rice, toasted bread, pasta, and plain unsalted crackers
He still enjoys his fries, Oreo cookies, and plain potato chips on occasion, but always in moderation.
The good news is that the government and the media has increased our awareness about childhood obesity.
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