Raising Health Advocates
Yes, I am talking about little humans…our kids! The most important thing we can teach our kids is living a healthy and responsible life. When they learn to respect their bodies and the environment, they grow into responsible and kind adults. I think a few generations skipped that “class in school”. So many adults today treat their bodies worse than the city dump. Unconsciously eating whatever they can cram into their mouths without a thought of what it will do to their insides, and worse, no thought about where that “food” came from, or how it was made. We live in a fast paced, “I need everything to be convenient society”, that rarely has time to think about where food came from, let alone what the “food” actually is!
With adults living this way, it is no surprise that our kids health is in a RAPID decline. I have mentioned it before, but it’s worth mentioning again: We now live in an era in which our kids have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. And if we don’t change our methods of preparing, consumption of foods, and poor treatment of our environment, our grandkids will die even earlier than our kids. Is that the legacy we want to leave behind? I sure as hell don’t want to! So before I suggest certain ways of slowing the decline of youth’s health today, I want to be HONEST about certain statistics that many people do not want to discuss or even mention.
The REAL crisis in todays society is the following stats. These stats include children (a larger majority of these numbers than many want to admit!):
1 out of 2 people die of Heart Disease
1 out of 3 people have Cancer
1 out of 4 people die from Cancer
6 out of 10 Americans are Obese
The number I want you to pay attention to is the last one. 6 out of 10 AMERICANS are Obese. Why should we pay attention to THAT number and not the others? THAT number is the gateway to the others. We have never seen our children being diagnosed with “adult early onset diabetes”…because it WAS an “ADULT” disease. Now, we see kids as young as 9 being diagnosed with it. There are kids as young as 15 on waiting lists to get a liver transplant, due to a diagnosis of Fatty Liver Disease. Another disease that used to only be diagnosed in adults.
Why in the world would we be ok with this?
Why would we allow so much BS noise in the background, to mask the REAL CRISIS we are dealing with right now?
Well, I won’t go on with all the theories and corrupt political garbage that controls our Government. (Which I know most of us are aware of the corrupt funding that goes on behind closed doors!) But, I will discuss what we can do at a local level to help these kids out!!!
BE A BILLBOARD FOR ALL TO SEE
Most of us are surrounded by little kids. Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Siblings, even Neighbors . We all have a responsibility to raise the next generation to a higher standard than we were raised with. We also have a responsibility to not leave a completely disastrous world for them to clean up when we are gone. TEACH THEM by SHOWING THEM.
I remember my grandpa walking me around his garden, and showing me how to water and feed the plants. I remember my grandma and mom showing me how to make meals from scratch. I remember my dad showing me hard work and not complaining gets things done. What I can’t remember…algebra, geometry, or scientific methods. I know I learned them, but could I visualize myself in those classrooms practicing those methods…NOPE. I remember what was IMPORTANT. How to live off the earth, work hard to keep it healthy, and help the environment around me. How to cook, prepare, and respect what was going into my body. THAT is what we need to go back to. We have sped life up so much, that we blast anything and everything in our path.
Garden with our kids. Cook with them in the kitchen. Create new traditions, if we discover the old traditions were destroying our health and environment. Eat at home more than eating out. Be honest about eating nutritious food. If you don’t understand nutritious food, discover that world with them. KNOW YOUR FOOD! Do you know what farm your produce came from? Do you know the butcher and farm your meat came from? Showing them how to take responsibility for our planet and their health by doing those things ourselves. Go to the Farmers Market, talk to the Farmers. Visit the butcher and the local baker. Become an active member in your community, and bring the kids along.
The truth is that these ways are NOT convenient, but they are RIGHT! If we want our kids to “live life to the fullest”, we need to at least give them a chance to live.
LOOK AT FOOD AS SCIENCE
To me the kitchen is a science lab. I have taught my kids the very same thought process as well. In our kitchen, we tend to experiment more so than follow protocol, however, we “handle” the kitchen much like a science lab. Hygiene is so important. Much like a scientist, we clean our surfaces, wash our hands, prepare our experiments as needed…you get the picture. Food is just like a science experiment. Most people don’t even put much thought into their food before they take a bite…they miss out on so much awesome science!! This is how I get my kids excited about food!! ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. Never make false statements or accusations, because then the science won’t work. For example: Look at a fresh Strawberry. Describe how it looks. Then, take a bite. Chew it slowly. Think about the first reaction your mouth had to that first bite. When you swallow, take note of how it felt going down your throat and into your belly…We have done this with random fruits and veggies that we have never seen or heard of before. It’s all a way for me to teach my kids the importance of respecting what you put in your body, as much as knowing what you put in your body.
Experiment with all sorts of flavors. We use lots of herbs and spices, veggies, and fruit. I put my kids in the kitchen at very young ages. They have been chopping all kinds of things since they were 5 (could have been earlier!) They LOVE making salads because of all the different toppings they get to chop. They love making egg plates for breakfast. And, the favorite, of course, is making sweet plates out of all whole food ingredients. I tend to give them a challenge, and they go after it. Making food and life in the kitchen fun and interesting, keeps kids intrigued with what they are eating…they want to be part of that fun!
BE HONEST
Kids are extremely smart and receptive to most things now a days. They are surrounded by information and opinions. It is our job to tell them the truth, not just keep going along with the norm because Katie at school eats that, why can’t I? My kids are very aware of the impact sugar, processed foods, and factory farmed foods have on the human body. I am not afraid to tell them flat out, “You cannot eat that because it causes diabetes/cancer!” They used to laugh at my comments, but as they have gotten older, they themselves have become the pillars of truth for their friends and family. They are not perfect by any means. We still go out for treats, they still have candy, and I have been known to grab them fast food. BUT…we limit those for very rare outings, and we are very strict about WHERE we go. My kids are now the ones that educate when someone is eating something I have taught them is unsafe to eat. They typically get a chuckle out of others when they do it, but I have witnessed more adults throw out what they are drinking or eating, rather than laugh off what my kids are saying. Kids care about having their friends and family members around when they get older! For them, it’s not just about being healthy for themselves, it’s having friends and family around to enjoy life with as well. When we keep the truth from them, especially about health, we hinder and bruise those future plans that they are making.
This young generation is growing up in a world filled with stressors. I don’t think I need to create a list of what those are.( Just send me a message if you are unaware!) We need to create a world of positive health and mental stability for them within our homes and schools. They need a safe place to go to when the world gets to be too much. They need reliable and caring adults to help them navigate the BS. A healthy home, body, and mind will give them all the strength and courage they will need to survive in our crazy world!
