This is the picture that launched a thousand posts about a month ago. Many posters were praising Angelina Jolie for not restricting the food choices her children make. I think this is funny because if it was a picture of an overweight celebrity feeding her child junk food, everyone would be up in arms. Just shows how we associate good mothering with thin mothering.
Nevertheless, Angelina might have the right idea based on a toddler diet investigation in the UK. This article details the investigation of several nurseries in the UK. Reporters discovered that nursery employees are using adult "healthy guidelines" to prepare meals for their youngsters. This has led to 80% of children in nurseries receiving portions that are too small. Read more about his fascinating report at Junkfood Science.
Why?
22 April 2008
Toddlers Need More Junk In Their Trunk
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3 comments:
So the message is--it's okay to eat garbage as long as you're skinny? Great.
I wouldn't give my kids that stuff because I don't eat it--it's just not around. It's teaching kids by modeling good behavior. They will get junk from other people but the parents can at least show and get kids used to a healthier diet.
You cannot tell from the photo how often Angelina's kids eat "junk". There is nothing wrong with the occasional junk food "treat" if most of their meals are well balanced. If you are overly strict with what you allow your kids to eat they will learn to think of food in black and white terms - good or bad. Once they are out of the house, the chances are good that they will develop an eating disorder- binge eating, anorexia or bulimia can all be caused by parents being overly restrictive of what their children are allowed to eat.
I grew up with a mother who was constantly diet and forced me to do the same from the age of 5 years old. Now she is an extreme example but once out of the house, I very quickly developed binge eating disorder and eventually anorexia. Food is still a novel thing. If I had been allowed to make decisions, food would not have gotten the power that it ultimately did. I am 34 years old and still struggling. Healthy models of healthy eating in combination with treats being allowed and food NOT being called good or bad might be a very sane way to approach children and food.
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