It seems that never a day passes without media reports of the problems that obseity are causing to the health of a nation and the rapid growth in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.
Observing what children are ‘taught’ about food, it should not be a surprise. We can blame all the food and restaurant franchises for pushing junk food but how about parents taking some responsibility?
Parents (and grandparents) often use sweet and salty food as a bribe to acquiesce (calm down) children. When you see a three year old eating a hamburger for breakfast, can you blame them for future diet problems? To my mind, the parents are doing what’s easy instead of teaching their children about ‘reward motivation’ and healthy eating habits.
Instead they are setting their children up for sugar and salt addiction. A recent study have also found other consequences for using junk food as a daily pacifier. British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the age of 34.
Link to article on how eating candy can lead your child to crime.