A Treat ? Really ?

There are times when you really have to take a step back and ask what is going on here? We all want our children to grow up to be happy and healthy. So why do we do things that not only don’t help them with this goal but may make it harder for them?

On the weekend my daughter brought in something she found in her cupboard. It was from a party she went to around November of last year .It was a bright orange sweet which looked a bit like a snowman in three layers with faces and decoration. Pretty as a picture.

The reverse side was not so pretty. The ingredient panel showed it to be sugar, glucose syrup and six “numbers” (artificial additives colourings and preservatives).Included in this were two colourings that are banned in the UK (but not Australia) The use by date was May 2010!.

This is basically chemically coloured sugar in suspended animation. There is not only no goodness in it but chemicals that the livers of these young bodies will have to work to remove.

Now you are right in thinking that there is no use putting a stick of celery or carrot in a party bag for kids .It is a treat and doesn’t happen that often. However there are two issues to think about.

First is the overall message we send to our children about foods and nutrition. By making something which is artificially coloured sugar into a reward we are training children to see this sort of thing as special. Secondly what does it say about us as adults that we are prepared to do this?

We all like sweet treats and there is no reason why children can’t have them at times.
However there is no reason why these treats cant be sweet and fun for children and not have just sugar and artificial colour .There are an increasing number of “treats “ which do not have artificial colourings and preservatives . There are also sweet treats that you can make at home with natural ingredients Yes it might take a bit longer and require a bit more effort. This is our children we are talking about though

It is counterproductive to be zealous about what we fed our children .Being too strict with “healthy” food may push them the other way. Collectively though we can do more than offer artificially coloured sugar. There is a happy middle way. It does require a bit of effort It is worth every bit of that effort.

Tip for today

Have a look in your pantry and read the labels on 3 boxes or packages . Then make decisions about what you do and don’t want inside your body.