Case in point and a perfect opening to this blog …
I’m reading the “Parent Handbook” for the preschool my son will be attending in the fall.
There is a section here entitled “Snacks.” They talk about a monthly snack calendar and how each child will be assigned a day of the month on which they will be responsible for providing the snacks for their class.
In bold it says, and I’m quoting here: “
“SNACKS SHOULD BE COMMERCIALLY PREPARED AND SHOULD ARRIVE AT SCHOOL IN THE ORIGINAL UNOPENED CONTAINERS. DO NOT SEND HOMEMADE SNACKS. THEY WILL NOT BE SERVED.”
Sigh…
I don’t live in a bubble.
I realize that this “rule” stems from concerns that some child at the preschool will have a psychotic parent or guardian that would get their kicks out of adulterating some ‘homemade’ product in a way that would harm the children at the preschool.
Need me to give them more benefit of the doubt? Maybe some parents are concerned that snacks have an ingredient list for allergy purposes.
I don’t remember one instance growing up of a preschool child suffering from a serious allergic reaction or dying from the ingestion of a poison or a razor blade presumably carefully hidden in a cupcake that some mother prepared for her child’s class.
Are those truly the things we are concerned with protecting our children from today?
Isn’t obvious that we are doing more harm than good?
Obesity realted health problems are killing people at an alarming rate.
Obese children are being diagnosed with malnutrition.
Why?
Because children are being led to believe that commercially prepared foods are what’s “normal” and “safe”.
Our childrenhave been and are rapidly developing a taste for commercially prepared foods that are full of refined sugars, salt, additives and preservatives.
Unfounded and paranoid concerns are causing us to set these children up to suffer lifelong health problems.
Don't believe it?
Look up the statistics.
Is a human being more likely to die from HEART DISEASE or a peanut allergy?
DIABETES or poisoning?
Swallowing a razor blade or CANCER?
As parents, we need to make it a priority to take the time to introduce our children to delicious whole foods so that by the time they must to make their own decisions about what to eat, they will know that whole foods actually taste better …
… and they feel better when they eat them.
Talk foodie to me ...
