“Please Don’t Feed My Children” – Reflections on Child Nutrition

For the past year, we have been homeschooling our children. Our oldest daughter began her formal academic career at a local school that has a long tradition of excellence. It really is a great place…a great community.

With that being said, for various reasons, we decided to take our daughter out of last year. Is it a permanent election? That is not very likely. We just needed a break. Some of the reasons were quite predictable, such as rising tuition costs in a “tough economy.”

But, the number one reason we chose to take our daughter out of school was based on nutrition. And the side effect the nutrition issues were having on my stress levels!

I take the scientific view that our nutritional choices DO matter. What we put in our mouths will have a physiological, mental, emotional, academic effect… it matters. What we feed our children now certainly has a direct effect on their future.

Does this mean that I strictly feed our children broccoli and Brussels sprouts at every meal? Do not! Does that mean they never have “tasty toxins”? Do not! What it means is that we do everything we can to feed our bodies what they need as basic elements for health every day. We meet the innate genetic requirements for health.

We say, “fill up with Health first!”

Our bodies need real whole foods in their closest natural form, as opposed to fake factory foods. We need protein and healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and pure water. According to many of the leading nutrition experts, we genetically don’t require grains and dairy, so they don’t rank high on our list of things to fill up on first or overeat.

We also need food that is as pure as possible (and preferably fresh, seasonal, and local), rather than toxic and contaminated. These are the types of foods we know create health. Pure and Sufficient: That is, our bodies genetically require them and we get enough of them to create health.

There is a figurative “Health Scale” at work all the time. On the far right is Optimal Health. On the left is lack of health. We are constantly moving in one direction or another, toward health or away from it. What determines the direction of movement? Our lifestyle choices: how we eat, how we move, and how we think.

When we make pure and sufficient choices in the types of food we eat, for example, we move toward optimal health. When we make toxic and poor nutritional choices, we move away from health. Every time. This is how we get sick and develop chronic diseases over time, such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, learning and attention deficits, digestive disorders, depression and anxiety, etc.

Based on meeting our nutritional requirements for health, meals in our family, for example, typically include a healthy protein (usually grass-fed or free-range meat or poultry, or deep-sea cold-water fish, or free-range eggs). ) and a lot of fresh vegetables or fruits. The dairy we consume is organic and raw whenever possible. From time to time, we will have some ‘healthier’ grains, like wild rice or some sprouted bread. We do not make these foods the center of our meals or snacks.

The biggest nutritional culprits that rob us, and especially our children, of the opportunity for vibrant health and function are toxins such as: high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colors, trans fats/hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, synthetic vegetable oils, soybeans, refined white sugar and flour, and of course, all the drugs and chemical products used in our conventional diet (hormones, steroids, antibiotics, etc.).

These common toxins are most commonly found in conventional snack foods, junk food and candy, fast food, sodas, juices, sports drinks, condiments, conventional meats, eggs, dairy, grains…and so on. Does this sound like the diet of any young person you know?

Here is my sticking point. I really don’t care what other people feed their kids. That is your right as a parent: you can make decisions on behalf of your children until the children are old enough to competently do so for themselves. Where the line is crossed for me is when it affects MY son. I certainly don’t think it should be brought into the classroom and offered to every child.

We have no problem understanding that when a child has a sensitivity to peanuts, we should keep the offending food away from that child. Don’t you think that all children are sensitive to toxins like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners (known neurotoxins), trans fats, artificial colors… even sugar? We may not see the full effects of those toxins as obviously or as quickly as an allergic reaction to peanuts. Although ask any teacher how children perform and behave after consuming sugar! What is this garbage doing in our classrooms? And why are the adults putting it there?

We would be horrified if we discovered that teachers or other parents are giving our children drugs without our knowledge, such as painkillers or antidepressants. However, we forget that food affects us like drugs do: food changes our physiological function, as well as our mental, emotional and social function. For this reason, I don’t think we should feed other people’s children without their permission.

As a parent, I am responsible for the health and safety of my own children. Why is it socially okay to feed someone else’s child a known toxin? Strange times.

In the school setting (as well as in other social settings, like sports and extracurricular activities), I can keep things simple by saying, “Stop feeding my kids, especially if you didn’t ask me first!” Look, this is good news! You can save your money, you don’t need to offer my kids any junk! I’m your father, so I’ll give you food! (And honestly, if anyone’s going to feed my kids crap, it’s going to be me! I know them, I know their patterns, I know how to teach them about portions and samples, I know what’s gone into their bodies before in the day… I’ll decide when they can handle a dose of toxicity!)

A school is responsible for the education and safety of my children while they are there. I do not expect, nor do I want, a school (or other adults) to make my health decisions for me!

We are (without realizing it) teaching our children to live without consequences. They may make unhealthy choices, but since they don’t feel the symptoms of chronic disease precursors, they should be fine. That is a dangerous thought. That is also the reason why more than half of our population has been officially diagnosed with a chronic disease, this includes children. Many more have yet to be diagnosed.

I certainly do not believe that parents, teachers, and adults are deliberately and maliciously making unhealthy decisions for our children. I think the average adult has very little understanding of proper nutrition. How could they? What we’ve been told to believe is inaccurate and unscientific… but highly profitable. Most adults are also so busy and stressed that they don’t have the time or energy to conduct careful cost/benefit analyzes of the food that feeds their families.

If we knew the true cost of feeding our children toxic waste, the true cost of not feeding them healthy foods, and the lifetime benefits of correcting this eating pattern, I believe more adults would make significantly better decisions on behalf of children. However, we must be willing to look at the real costs.

When it comes to all the sugar, candy, fast food, cereal, and kids snacks, etc., I hear, “It’s a normal part of childhood” and “You’re depriving them of something that’s fun and normal.” . Since when is poison normal? How is it depriving them to limit their consumption of toxins? Isn’t it the opposite? Offering a plethora of toxic options on a regular basis deprives children of the opportunity for a completely healthy future.

I’m not saying “you can NEVER have that candy or that junk.” I say make sure you’re giving your body what it needs first, and understand that toxic choices will take you away from health, so it’s not wise to make those choices on a regular basis. There are limitations of matter, and we are seeing what happens when we overcome them. Lifestyle-related childhood diseases such as childhood obesity, diabetes and cancer are skyrocketing.

So, we return to the starting point. A part of me would love to send our children back to the educational community of this particular school. But I just can’t turn off everything I know. I can’t knowingly put my kids in an environment, every day, that doesn’t understand the consequences of unhealthy choices and regularly uses toxins as “rewards” and “treats.” That kind of thinking is too dangerous to accept.

I’d have to change something pretty significant, like no junk without parental consent. That seems pretty simple. On the other hand, I may be setting expectations that a school should not have to meet. I just don’t feel like the school environment should be a place where kids go to get sick. It is deformed.

I am fully aware that this is how most of our society thinks, “So how will your children function in the ‘real world’?” You are asking! I am working on it! Let’s not conveniently overlook that the “real world” we’re so pressured to fit into has also produced devastating trends in disease…so I’m not excited about forcing my kids into that unhealthy mold! There is something not quite right about that line of thinking for me.

I’m doing my best to teach our kids how to make healthy choices the vast majority of the time, even when mom and dad aren’t around, and how to enjoy their social environment responsibly. (In many ways, it’s not unlike drug safety, gun safety, fire safety, sex education, child predator issues… all the other things we expect our kids to know about.) make good decisions when we’re not there to guide you.) It’s a work in progress!

They are “normal” children in the sense that they are aware of what is outside and are convinced that the grass must certainly be greener on the other side. They’re pretty sure I’m the only mother on the planet who requires her children to eat healthy foods! “Just your luck!” I tell them!