It seems that the phrase 'kid-friendly' has come to mean 'fattening'. When did this happen?
I was on the phone with the owner of a local day camp today, discussing the camp's meal plan. Before I could get into the subject, the owner informed me that the camp had to serve 'kid-friendly' food and was unwilling to change the menu. (* In the owner's defense, the camp does offer healthy options in addition to the less healthy hot lunches. This particular camp does a good job of accommodating campers- so this is not meant to lash out at this owner at all.)
What struck me was his choice of words- as if there were no way to offer healthy 'kid-friendly' foods. Are there healthy 'kid-friendly' foods? You certainly wouldn't think so from looking at children's menus at restaurants. By constantly offering children chicken nuggets and french fries as options, aren't we turning these unhealthy meals into 'kids' meals'?
Why can't we come up with some healthy foods that children like? Or turn some of the less healthy foods into healthier foods by making small tweaks- for example, serving low-fat or fat-free cheese on grilled cheese sandwiches and grilling them without butter. Why can't Burger King's 'apple fries' become the next child food staple? How about replacing fried chicken nuggets with grilled chicken nuggets- serving them with barbeque sauce or some other sauce to keep the taste alive?
What if we changed the way we think about food altogether? We could suggest that fried foods are 'adult' foods, only appropriate for children in small doses. Why are these foods all that different from cigarettes? Cigarettes have terrible medical consequences- just like fatty foods. Cigarettes are addictive- just like fatty foods. And cigarettes provide a quick 'high'- just like these fatty foods. Can we reshape our thinking to recategorize these foods? Sure they taste great (like cigarettes supposedly feel great)- but they are certainly not great for us. Maybe this analogy is a stretch- but it does make a certain point.
I do know that children (and many adults) will turn to these unhealthy foods if they are offered. Children are too young to understand the consequences of their decisions. Parents must be the ones to realize that their food choices impact their children's health.
We need to redefine 'kid-friendly' foods because it is not 'friendly' to offer our children foods that can harm them.
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What I've learned from my extensive study at the Food Network Culinary Institute (*there is no such thing..my husband and I are just frequent viewers): Fat produces rich flavors - which is why one could assert that most things taste "better" fried, with cheese, etc.
Consequently this is why some people cannot adjust to eating low-fat or fat-free alternatives to some foods right away - without the fat, some flavor is compromised. (This is true...however I personally believe tastebuds can be adjusted, but that's a different rant!)
So, if our kids are exposed to these fatty options right out of the gate, certainly they will be more prone to prefer those foods over the healthier alternatives (i.e. chicken nuggets over grilled bbq chicken).
However, speaking as a woman who has spent the last five years avoiding foods with insanely high fat content, I know that when I DO (on the rare occasion) have fried or otherwise fatty food...it kind of makes me sick.
In the process of losing and keeping 50+ pounds off my body, my system is conditioned to process smaller quantities of fat than, say, what is in a 6 piece McNugget meal.
So, the question remains, why do we not teach and encourage our children to eat healthy right out of the gate, but "pardon" the unhealthy habits. We as the adults are putting the food in front of them, so isn't it OUR choice, not theirs, what they eat? Can we not start them on strained peas before, say ice cream, so their tastebuds are exposed to the flavors of vegetables before sweets?
To answer your question, Dr. D., in this society, 'kid-friendly' does mean 'fattening' or unhealthy, but the silver lining is we are in a position to alter that. We just need to own up to the responsibility and make healthy eating a priority in our families and our lives.
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