Food for Children and the Planet

There can be no denying it. The vegan and plant-based movements have made great strides in the last 20 years. Yet, despite all the progress and acceptance, the movement has enjoyed, there is still a lot of garbled noise about eating patterns, health, beyond-human species sovereignty, and planetary impact. There are conflicting messages everywhere we look.

One area where this confusion is most evident is Childhood Nutrition. We can look for reliable information sources and quickly realize that few can be found. It seems like the subject isn't sexy enough, or maybe it's dangerous to discuss, or perhaps there's just no money in it. However, the latter can't be true because Big Food spends upwards of $1.4Billion per year just marketing to children. So, clearly, someone thinks it's worth the investment.

It is an obvious fact that all populations have children. It is also a fact that nearly all children in this country get the short end of the "quality nutrition" stick. Furthermore, it doesn't matter who the parents are or where they come from. I mean, just about every three-year-old knows what chicken nuggets, pizza, and fries are, right?

Let me be clear. I am not blaming the parents or other caregivers. Although we parental types have a lot to say about what our kids eat, we are not the only ones feeding them. Much of the time, we are not even solely responsible for the options offered to our children. In reality, the most potent food influences come from the 5,000 commercial ads the average child sees yearly. Kids absorb these messages ("as planned") and then bug their parents for the advertised items (also "as planned"). Then, in a few years, they grow up to be adults who have to fight off all the illnesses that come with eating the advertised foods (certainly predictable, if not "as planned").

This is a crazy way for companies to make money. It is even hard to believe until you see it. Take a look at this video from Food Myth Busters https://realfoodmedia.org/video/food-mythbusters-the-myth-of-choice-how-junkfood-marketers-target-our-kids/ featuring Anna Lappé. You'll get the picture and never be able to unsee it again.

So, as conscientious plant-loving, happily hugging beyond-human beings, and planet-protective folk, let's take a few minutes to consider what we feed children in this country. I invite you to close your eyes for 20 seconds and think about a typical kid's menu. What comes to mind? Pizzas, cheese, cookies, donuts, sweetened breakfast cereals, milk, chicken nuggets, mac 'n' cheese, burgers, and fries? Yes, that's about right...oh, and candy, and sugary beverages. Don't forget those.

Unless your family is pretty enlightened and avoiding all media sources, this is what the kids are eating a good percentage of the time. After all, it is the typical diet supplied by school food programs, approved by our governmental food regulators, and encouraged by marketing, even if it sacrifices our children's health and potential.

Said another way, children are our single most vulnerable human population. As adults, we know it is our job to protect them. Curiously, in any other situation, if we knowingly fed our child poison, the state would remove the child from our custody at some point, and we would be criminally charged. Yet, as our food culture is currently created, we can give our children nothing but chemicals, carcinogens, and cardiac cloggers and society will say NOTHING. In fact, we are encouraged to do so all day long, except the poisons come disguised as processed meats, additives, preservatives, dyes, refined sugar, salts, and oils (happy meals, bacon, dairy products, and sweets).

Let me repeat: This is the typical diet supplied by school food programs, approved by our governmental food regulators, and encouraged by marketing. ALL. Day. Long. And we adults buy into it, making big, unscrupulous food companies very rich at the expense of our children's health, longevity, and human potential.

Isn't that mind blowing?

Ok....so now what? What can we do about it? It can all feel daunting knowing that the US government and billions of dollars hold so much power over our eating patterns. But there's good news! We can control this one!

Here are 7 things you can do right now to save your kids' lives and make a planetary difference, in the short and long run.

1. If you are responsible for selecting or purchasing food for children, choose whole, unprocessed or minimally processed, nutrient-dense, plant-exclusive foods.

2. If you are a dietary service professional in a school district, a youth group home, or a healthcare system, change up the menus to include more fruits and veggies.

3. If you are a parent or grandparent, do the same: decrease the fake, food-like stuff and offer more veggies, fruit, beans, whole grains, and mushrooms every chance you get.

4. Encourage "food bravery," meaning talk to your young people about taste-testing new foods. Let them know it's great to try new flavors, colors, and create new combinations of healthy foods.

5. Talk to your kids about how our food choices impact the planet and other living beings. Most kids want to do something to help decrease climate chaos. Food choices are one real tangible, tasteable, maybe even fun way to make a difference in planetary health.

6. Be a role model. You have to walk the wall, too. Become a Brussel Sprout Booster, A Mushroom Maniac, Whole Grain Hooligan, A Bean Behemoth and share your excitement with the kids near you.

7. Plant a garden or put some herbs in a little pot on your window sill, if that's what is available to you. Let the children help care for them. The ripple effect will be felt around the world.

Transitioning children to healthier eating patterns can be fun. You could be the one to make a world of difference for us all. Thanks in advance for your support!

Check out our free virtual Child Nutrition Summit:

6 Million Seeds 2022 Decade of Child Nutrition Summit 12/3-12/6. Featuring, Dr, Columbus Batiste, LeAnne Campbell, Dr. Joel Furman, Evelisse Capó, Fances Moore Lappé and many more!

Check it out here https://bit.ly/6-million-seeds-2022-summit