Do Fast Food Restaurants Target Children? by, Barbara Christensen

Thank you to Barbara Christensen of EatFreshInTheCity for contributing this article. Reprinted by permission.

                                          Do Fast Food Restaurants Target Children?

Yes, according to a lead story on our local news . Of course I had to know what they said in the study. It was done by the Yale Rudd Center and documented the menu items offered in these restaurant and how they are marketed to kids. They looked at 12 of the nation’s largest fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, Subway, Domino’s and KFC. Kelly Brownell, Ph.D, with the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, said, “Several of the largest fast-food companies have made pledges they would market less to children, but in fact, in the past several years, the amount of fast-food marketing has gone up.” In fact the article showed that the average preschooler sees three fast-food ads per day. I am not surprised. The other day my daughter was watching Sprout while I was cooking dinner, and my husband was shocked that there was a debt reduction commercial on a preschooler's channel. The truth is that your children are watching commercials geared towards decisions that they will want to make in life, that you most likely won’t want them to make. How many of you have kids with credit cards that are just 18 years old?

The study also found that at most fast food restaurants, a single meal contains at least half of young person’s daily recommended calories and sodium. Also they found that at least 30 percent of the calories in these meals bought by kids comes from sugar and saturated fats. And if you didn’t think that was bad enough they found that these fast food companies heavily target African American and Hispanic youth. African Americans see at least 50 percent more fast food ads than their white peers.

Do you want to learn more? There is a great website that I think every parent should check out Fast Food F.A.C.T.S. Some of the top facts that they shared may make you mad…in fact I hope that they do:

Only 12 of 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations meet nutrition criteria for preschoolers. Only 15 meet nutrition criteria for older children. -Fast Food F.A.C.T.S.

40% of parents report their children ask to go to McDonald’s at least once a week; 15% of preschoolers ask to go every day. -Fast Food F.A.C.T.S.

84% of parents report taking their child to a fast food restaurant at least once a week. -Fast Food F.A.C.T.S.

Teens, 13-17, purchase 800-1,100 calories in an average fast food meal, roughly half their recommended daily total. -Fast Food F.A.C.T.S.

The fast food industry spent more than $4.2 billion dollars in 2009 on TV advertising and other media. -Fast Food F.A.C.T.S.

Our recommendation is to be in control of what your children eat. Make healthy meals at home, and send healthy meals to school. And I love what Bari Nan Cohen, prior entertainment editor for Good Housekeeping, said, “it’s really not whether or not you let your kids eat fast food that determines their nutritional fate, it’s how you talk about all food, all the time, that leaves the strongest impression.”

Great Video by Katherine Center

A friend showed me this short clip on youtube and it touched my heart. I thought you all might enjoy it too so I wrote to Katherine Center and asked her for permission to post it here on my blog. She graciously agreed. Katherine is a novelist with Random House. To learn more about her and her books visit www.katherinecenter.com  Many thanks to her for this beautiful message.

Mommy Vacation Guilt

I am leaving tomorrow to spend a week in Italy. My best friend and her family are living in Rome right now, so I am going to go visit her while my husband holds down the fort here at home. I'm very excited about this trip. It will be my first time visiting Europe and I have a million things I want to see and do. But today I noticed a tiny bit of "mommy guilt" seeping into my day. I'm trying very hard to make sure things are all set and ready before I go so no one's activities will be interrupted at all. Food is in the pantry so they won't starve. This will a good chance for the kids to spend extra time with their Dad, so I know they will have fun. I won't even be away all that long really.  I won't miss too much and they'll barely notice I'm gone before I'm on my way home. So why then am I feeling these pangs that somehow I shouldn't be doing this? I don't think I'm the only Mom out there that feels guilt when she does anything just for herself.  I think we all need to stop doing that to ourselves don't you? And here's why -

1) It's important now and then for a woman to reconnect with who she is at a deep level. Just her, all by herself. To have fun and have time to think and relax and have adventures.  Just because we had a child it doesn't mean that the girl inside of us ceased to exist. We don't stop having dreams and goals and wanting to play and laugh and explore. I love being a Mom and it brings me great joy. But now and then I want to go remember that I am not just "Kevin's Mother". I am Laura. And I'm going to love eating gelato on the Spanish Steps.

2) It's a good message to teach our children that they need to take time to renew their spirits. So when they are parents they will nurture themselves and their relationships with their spouses properly. I wish now I had understood this better when I was a younger mother. I want to teach this lesson to them.

3) It's a good thing now and then for kids to have time with their dad's with Mom out of the way. The child/father relationship is different than the one they share with their mothers. But since Mom is often the more hands-on parent, Dad can feel a little pushed out of the way at times. He may not do things exactly how you do them while you are gone, but the kids will have a great time. Remember that old Bill Cosby comedy routine? "Dad is great! Gives us the chocolate cake."   No worries...they'll survive.

4)  There can be a bit of relentlessness in the life of a mother. Repetitive tasks and constant demands. Carpools and meals to be prepared. Diapers and dishes. Laundry. Homework. Pretty much dawn to dark day after day. It's all good, but can be physically and mentally exhausting. A little R and R  can help ward off depression and anxiety and resentment. Getting some extra sleep and a little break in the same routine is critical now and then. I am a better Mom when I take the time to recharge my own personal batteries from time to time. Even the long plane ride sounds restful. Hours and hours with no one asking me anything except "peanuts or pretzels?" Bliss!

5) Going away helps you appreciate coming home all the more. As nice as the vacation will be I will miss seeing the faces of my loved ones every day. Will wonder often what they are doing. I'll miss them. And be just as excited to be on my way home as I am to be leaving now. I'll return with some fun stories and pictures and European candy to share! They have already put in their requests.

I'm going to try to keep up with the blogs this week, but if my posts are a little more sporadic than usual I hope you will understand. The Sistine Chapel calls my name!! Au Revoir!

Car Chats With Teens

Our 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

Talking to teenagers can be challenging to say the least. They have long since outgrown the notion that you know much about anything, so they don't always come to you for advice like they used to. When you kindly try to offer your wisdom they often have the audacity to call it "nagging."   They will be gone for the whole evening, but when you ask how it was you hear "ok."  Ask what they did, "nothing." If they seem upset you may feel inclined to ask what is the matter, but be careful because that can sometimes backfire. Whatever the problem was can quickly become your fault. It's a volatile time of life, so even if they were very open the day before they may be guarded today. Communication can become very strained as they push the boundaries and exert their independence and this tension can spill over into ordinary conversation. They may seem far more interested in talking to their friends than to you. Take heart. All of this is fairly normal and won't last forever. So how do you stay connected, instill lessons and express love when their eyes glaze over the minute you begin to speak?

Having dealt with four teenagers of my own so far, I have learned a lesson that seems to work every time. Teenagers open up and talk in the car better than anywhere else. I'm not an expert, but I have my theories as to why this is. Teens are fairly self conscious and defensive generally. So if you say to them, "Hey let's talk" their guard immediately goes up as they wonder what you intend to lecture them about this time. But if you invite them to go to the store with you that is totally non threatening, so they are feeling more open. Talking in the car is also nice because it is less direct. Eye contact is wonderful, but can overwhelm a teen if they have something to tell you that they are embarrassed about. Or if they aren't sure how you will react. Not staring straight at them and having scenery to focus on can provide just enough buffer that they feel braver sometimes. In the car you have them all to yourself for awhile. If you can avoid their natural instinct to blast the music at high volume, it is uninterrupted conversation time.  Let them play the music if they wish. That in itself can loosen them up.  Just play it softly enough to hear each other over the din. Don't tackle issues head on. I have found it works better to chit chat about mundane things until you have rapport built up. Then try to ask questions that do not lend themselves to one word answers. Rather than say, "how was school today?"  try, "What's one good thing and one bad thing that happened at school today?"    Then pause long enough to really hear their answer before charging on to make your point.

Another great teen car tip...be the driver whenever you can to groups of your teenagers friends. Then just be quiet and listen carefully.   They actually often forget you are there and you will be amazed how much you will learn as they talk to each other. Never use this information against them later or they will think of you as spying on them. Just tuck it away as information about your son or daughter that can help you know them better.

Teenagers get a bad rap I think as surly rude creatures. They can be at times, but they are also quite delightful. It is an age of great confusion and anxiety and change for them. Sometimes they don't talk much just because they really don't know what to do or say. Or they are pondering deep thoughts about life. Seriously. Often I learn more from them than the other way around. And sometimes hanging out with them in silence is ok too. But you will be surprised if you consistently invite them along on errands or find other opportunities to be alone in the car how often they will open up and start talking. Having a hard time getting them to join you...how about offering to let them drive? Yes it's terrifying (but that is another post for another day)

Hiking With Your Kids

I went hiking with my husband and daughters (16 and 12) yesterday in the beautiful White Oak Canyon of Shenendoah National Park. It was a gorgeous sunny day in the 60's. Couldn't have asked for better weather. The trail was so pretty. For most of the day we hiked next to a rushing stream, so we had the peaceful sounds of the water soothing us as we walked. The leaves were not on the trees yet so we didn't have the usual greenery, but the advantage of that was greater visibility of the mountains in the distance and of the many waterfalls that you pass along the trail. It was just a really great day.

Now I guess to say that I hiked "with" my daughters might be a bit misleading. In truth they have way more energy and stamina than I do so they spent most of the day about a 1/2 mile out in front of me. They bounced along while I dragged myself upward at a somewhat slower pace. But while we may not have spent the day talking and bonding in that way, we still all walked away with the same memories. We still got out and were active in the fresh air together. I hope I still instilled in them that I value fitness and nature. And taking the time off from other activities to share that with them. I think they had fun. I know I sure did, even though I am sore this morning. I would highly recommend hiking with your children of all ages. In this world of media and rushing around, the simplicity of nature is a welcome environment in which to connect with those you love.

"Spring" Party

This coming Sunday (March 20th) is the first day of Spring. After being cooped up inside all winter long this is really something to celebrate!!! So this weekend why not have a "spring" party. With treats and activities based on things with springs.

We went out in the cul-de-sac this afternoon, set up cones and had pogo stick races. There was also some competition amongst the oldest on who could jump the most times in a row. It was a nice sunny warm day today for the first time in awhile too, so it was great to be outside.

 

Then we enjoyed a cake decorated with slinkies and had slinky races down the main front stairs. For being such simple toys, slinkies have really stood the test of time haven't they? Every new generation seems as taken with them as the one before. Still can't figure out exactly how they work, but we had fun.

  

Celebrate Plate

A fun tradition to have with your kids is a "celebrate plate." When something noteworthy happens to any member of the family they get to use the special plate that night at dinner and announce their good news to everyone. I got this particular one at a Pampered Chef party years ago, but you could also go design your own at a pottery shop. Or even just buy a plate in a different color that distinguishes it from the rest of your set. All that's important is that it is recognized as the celebrate plate and spotlights the child for the evening. This can be used for big things like getting a driver's license or smaller things like losing a tooth. We have two actually, because with so many children there are often multiple "good news" opportunities in the same day. Any chance you have to make a child feel wonderful is precious indeed. So have fun with this and look for excuses to bring out the plate. I have been forgetting to do this lately and my kids have missed it so I vow to start celebrating at dinner far more often again!