The Weight of The Nation: Children in Crisis

Tonight I watched part 3 of the four part documentary series "Weight of the Nation" airing on HBO.  This particular series "Children in Crisis" tackled the growing epidemic of obesity in our children.  I commend HBO for running such an eye opening documentary.  Sure we all know that obesity  is a HUGE problem in America but hearing the numbers are scary, especially when it concerns our children!  Hearing things like "today's generation of children may be the first generation to die younger than their parents" and "1/3 of children are overweight, this number has TRIPLED from the last generation of children."  See?  Scary.  Extremely scary.

This got me to thinking about my own children.  I would like to think that I am trying to raise my kids with healthier habits than I was raised with but am I doing enough? 

From the moment my children were off formula, I was VERY adamant about every little thing they put into their mouths.  Friends use to make fun of me because I would not let them eat candy as a toddler.  My kids have never even tried soda because I am so against it in our home but as they get older it is harder to shelter them from these unhealthy habits.  And I admit, there are even times when I turn a blind eye to what they are consuming and also contribute to some unhealthy habits.  Trips to McDonald's, little Debbie snacks in their lunches and frozen pizza for dinner are a few of the things I am guilty of doing. I always try to point out the unhealthy foods they are eating and inform them that eating too much of these "bad" foods will make their body's sick.  But am I wrong for contributing to this in the first place?  We consume food to fuel our bodies, not to be used as a reward.
  

Sometimes, I feel like I am punishing them with this mentality....

But will they really be missing out on anything if I do not let them enjoy a few "bad" habits from time to time?  This brings me back to the "no soda" policy.  Are my kids missing out from not having soda? No.  In fact, once at a birthday party Zach had accidentally mistaken Sprite for water.  He started spitting, rubbing his tongue and yelling "It's burning my mouth!"  I was happy and VERY relieved he did not like it.  Why can't I do this in all aspects of his nutrition?

For one thing, it does take time and is a little more costly to eat healthier but is it not totally worth it for our children's health?  I do not want them to become one of the statistics;  I do not want them to have to grow up with the weight and health struggles I had to endure.  I do not want to be just an example for my kids but a pioneer towards better health for them.  And I can, we all can.  Aren't our children worth it?