The other day Hugo and I were shopping for a few gifts for Oliver's Big First Birthday. We both had a "WHOAAA" moment when we came across this highly instructive food set from General Mills. Apparently food education training begins early!
This brought to mind the baby & toddler-age book that I saw recently. It depicted babies eating exactly four different things: milk, animal crackers, an ice cream cone, and a cookie (I was surprised that juice wasn't shown instead of milk, and that cereal wasn't included). There was no trace of a vegetable or even a fruit to be found. What does this teach children? How are kids supposed to learn about real food when these are the images they get from their earliest years?
My advice to all parents out there is this: be very aware of the food images that you allow in your house! The major food corporations would LOVE to tell your children what they like to eat and get them started early on a well-balanced diet of frozen pizza, ice cream, cereal, cookies, crackers, white bread, soda, frozen dinners, conventionally-produced burger, French fries, canned foods, packaged meals (like Hamburger Helper), pasta, and juice. What they really need is grass-fed meat & organ meats, eggs from pastured chickens & wild fish, wild-caught seafood, raw milk dairy products (if tolerated), lots of leafy greens, lots of fresh veggies & some seasonal fruit, soaked or sprouted (or sourdough) whole grains, properly-prepared beans & nuts, and plenty of wholesome fats & oils (butter, lard, unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, high-vitamin cod liver oil, and palm oil). The best way to get them started the right way is to model good eating practices yourself. That's what I'm here to help you do, so keep reading!
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