Week of the Young Child

This week has been designated the Week of the Young Child. It was designed to bring attention to the health of young children. I believe that good health in children starts with proper nutrition. Recently I was interviewing a 6 year old child (with his parent) that already was 25 lbs. overweight. It struck me that he never eats a home cooked meal. All his meals were taken out of a box and heated in a stryoform plate in the microwave. I love to eat and can not think of anything more unappetizing. Remembering back to my own childhood I enjoyed the smells of my working Mother's kitchen. She always made time to cook something for us. Nowadays, we have so much to do that it seems 20 minutes is too long a period of time to dedicate to making a meal, but it's not really! We have become a nation addicted to box food that heats in 10-30 seconds. These boxed foods are not supplying our children with the nourishment they need. Plus, the melted styrofoam is adding chemicals that we do not want. So during this week of the Young Child, can we make a young child a home cooked meal using the basics: 1. A lean protein:meat, fish, poultry, or beans 2. a vegetable: make it taste good 3. a high fiber carbohydrate: brown rice, wheat pasta, wheat bread, or sweet potato. Milk or a high calcium beverage would round out the meal. Let's make the effort! Our children are worth it!