Top | Dinner Guest Blog

The Macaroni Syndrome

(article, Cynthia Lair)

We give the power of deciding what to feed our children away to food manufacturers and let them train our kids' taste buds to prefer poor-quality food. Here’s how:

# Choosing formula over breast milk. We buy into the myth that it is more convenient and that it is somehow the same (or better!).
# When babies are ready to start trying solids, we buy manufactured bland refined carbohydrates (baby cereal) instead of simply feeding them fresh food from the family meal. This teaches children to expect “special food” and prefer bland refined carbohydrates (do I hear macaroni calling?).
# Believing that toddlers and small children need “kid food” and purchasing boxes and bottles of refined manufactured foods. This perpetuates the myth that they need “special food,” food that only comes in cute packaging with smiley animals. Put your money instead into a trip to the farmers' market with your child, or into planting a small garden.
# Selecting food from the nutritionally inferior “kid’s menu” when dining out.
# [%image reference-image float=right width=350 caption="Feed kids wholesome foods right from the start."]And finally, the coup de grâce comes when parents begin making separate meals for their children and justifying that sugar pops and macaroni made from refined white flour is OK, as long as they eat a baby carrot or take a vitamin pill.

Feed kids fresh, local, organic whole foods. Right from the start! They deserve the best.


reference-image, l