What About Our Children?

When I think about the years I was a kid growing up and not having to worry about the food that I was eating, it brings sadness to my heart about how things have changed. We never had to worry about all the chemicals that were in the food because back then the soil was still rich in nutrients. Even though they sprayed the crops to kill weeds it is nothing like it is today. New powerful chemicals are invading our food supply and there is no turning back.

A lot has changed over the last several decades and the biggest change is the introduction of GMO's into our food supply. GMO (genetically modified organisms), I believe, is the cause of so many maladies today that when I think about the companies that produce these dangerous mutations, it is hard for me to even comprehend they have anything in mind, but profits.

As parents, we always want to do the right thing for our children and yet we are caught up in the conditioning  we grew up with surrounding food. Yes, we are conditioned to eating a certain way with certain foods and it is something that is very difficult to break. We pass that onto our children and that is a very dangerous thing to do. Breaking that habit is extremely hard to do, especially knowing that the food in our food supply is not very good for our overall health.

When my kids were growing up, they are now 25 and 27, I was uninformed about the dangers of our food supply. It was that conditioning I grew up with that carried over to my kids. On top of the conditioning was the changing work environment. Both parents have to work to make ends meet and we began to see the erosion of the family dinner. Sitting down to eat with your family was once the norm and now it is grabbing something quick on the run. No good can come from that.

Knowing what I now know about the food in our American diet is causing me some concern. I often wonder if I would have done things differently with my kids. It would have been very hard to tell them that after the soccer game they can't go to McDonald's or go have pizza with their teammates because the food is disgusting and bad for them. That would have been the right thing to do, but an extremely difficult thing to do.

Speaking up as parents today is critical because so many things hinge on the future of our children's health. The cost of health care now and in the future is reason enough to begin changing our patterns to a more healthy lifestyle. Our children deserve the best and unfortunately they are not receiving the best and I have to go back to us, as parents, to make that call. There are so many variables in play, but the one constant is our love for our children. Do the right thing and begin to condition your kids on a more healthy path even though it goes against the norm. In the long run they will love and respect you for your actions.