What are we Feeding Our Kids?

Hi,

I went to a Christmas party last night. Or more correctly I volunteered to help a lady from my church who put on a party for what is called "Joy Circle" which is a weekly meeting for the teens in the small church that I go to. I've never gotten involved in this group before so don't really know much about it but I could very clearly see how much my friend loves those kids. We had one three-year-old and one about eight, the rest were in their teens and a few are in their early twenties. The beforehand head count had been twenty.

I had no idea what they would be eating but pretty much guessed there would be not much for me to eat and follow my program. I stopped and got a Hardee's low carb burger which is a burger with no bun, wrapped in lettuce and paper for holding. It was not the healthiest choice but I was in a hurry and it had no starchy carbs which is a plus. I absolutely knew I had to have a full tummy when I got there or I might succumb, which I did not want to do. (By the way I've now hit the 20 pound mark.)

When I showed up a little late I was completely stunned by the overwhelming abundance of crackers and cookies and candy and snacks that completely covered a whole six-foot table and half of another one. The meal was nachos so I helped to open one of the huge industrial sized cans of cheese that was put in a roaster to keep warm. The can opener was chintzy and hard to use and the cans were dented so I wore out my wrist turning and turning that pitiful imitation can opener around those giant cans of cheese sauce. I could not get it open in the normal way but bent up the section I was able to open and spooned out and poured out the cheese sauce. Some one else had to open the other one, my wrist could take no more..

I said nothing. I just observed. I was there to help out, not to judge. I helped to cut the tomatoes while someone else cut the onions and hot peppers for the nachos. Large bowls of corn chips were laid out. A pot of canned chili heated up on the opposite end of the long counter from the warming cheese. A big bowl of rice was placed on the counter as was more hot peppers, cooked hamburger meat, sour cream and salsa.

Soon the kids started showing up. It was fun to see them come in all excited. It did not take long for all of them to form a line, say the blessing, and fill their plates. By that time, I was so exhausted all I could do was sit down with one of the other exhausted ladies. We did not sit long, though. The other lady stood up and started uncovering the crackers and cookies, so I did the same and uncovered a couple of platters of roasted nuts and went to get more serving spoons.

Then the lady giving the bash brought in little presents all wrapped in pretty Christmas paper with every individual's name on one. She even had one for me. I got a cooking mitt and a hot pad with little snow men on them. I thought that was nice of her to do. Then after she passed out the presents she just kept bringing out more stuff for the kids. She had enough socks that each one could pick out two pairs and then she started handing out candy. She had a bag full of giant Good Bars, big boxes of skittles, and two tubs of bubble gum. I really have no idea what all she gave them. I saw boxes of Russell Stover chocolates and boxes of chocolate covered cherries.

I saw the kids going to the table and getting second helpings of chocolate covered raisins and chocolate covered marshmallow stuffed cookies and well, you name it, and they were eating it.

When I began to be a little tempted the Lord put thoughts about how that stuff would raise my uric acid levels and I turned and walked away. I ate a salad made of lettuce, tomatoes, hamburger meat, salsa, sour cream and roasted nuts. I had waited for all the children to get their plates and then I got mine and sat down near the other adults. The buzz in the room was enormous. Everyone seemed to be talking and joking and having a good time as they consumed gargantuan amounts of starchy carbs and sweets.

I was sitting near the three-year-old who is a little cutie and seems to be the pet of the church. He was eating a gigantic dill pickle which really surprised me. He very carefully ate the whole thing, which also surprised me, and pushed away the little bit of chips and cheese and nuts he had on his plate and went to wash his hands from the pickle juice. (His big sister who is probably about seventeen was there watching over him.) After washed his hands he started doing the things three year olds do. Picking up all the candy canes that had been laid out as place settings from the empty seats. At one point he had an armload of them and brought them to the lady who was throwing the party. At least that is what I think happened, I later saw the pile of candy canes next to her plate.

As I observed all the candy and sweets and crackers and nachos that were eaten it surely seemed that what I have been reading about the standard American diet is actually true. I recalled from my own childhood which was fifty years ago, that I used to eat the same things these children were eating. Dad used to give my sister and brother and me twenty-five cents each as a weekly allowance and we went immediately to the neighborhood store and spent every penny on candy or comic books.  Back then, you could buy enough candy to choke a horse for twenty-five cents. The prices are higher now, but the vision is not. The adult who put the party on, truly loves these kids and feeds them what she thinks they want. Or perhaps she was feeding them what she wanted -- a carbohydrate addict will do that -- and in the process help to create other carbohydrate addicts.

I did notice that some of the children simply did not open the candy boxes that she handed out. They had eaten their meal and desired no more food. I recalled that when I was their age, I was quite a bit over weight and I would have opened the box and sampled them. Not wanting to let others know that later that night when I got home I would have consumed the rest of the box -- or at least over the next day. The two layer box of chocolates would not have lasted more than three days.

I wanted to commend four of the older girls who got up immediately when we started to clean up, and without asking or being asked, quickly began to put things away. I began washing dishes but my back was hurting a lot and one of the girls came over and told me to sit down, that they would take care of washing the dishes when they were finished putting things away. I sat down, but felt compelled to get up and wash dishes again because it was no longer getting done. I felt like I had abandoned my post, but the same sweet girl came by and told me to sit down and rest and that they would finish cleaning up. So I went and sat down, again. As I watched the girls they were very efficient and I could tell they had been well trained at home. They all came from different families but were very helpful girls. I have new admiration for them.

You know, I don't have a particular message from all this, other than that I hope eyes get opened soon. I will begin to pray for that. I still kind of wonder why people don't know about the raw food movement. It is almost like it flies underneath the radar of the culture. It is kind of a sub-culture and Americans are not aware of what is killing them. If I had actually heeded the message the first time I heard it about thirty years ago, I think a lot would have been different in my life. I remember that my reaction at the time was one of skepticism. The books I read about it seemed to be from fanatics who were doing other bizarre things like living in communes, or bathing themselves in mud, or climbing mountains. The healthy food concepts were buried amidst the otherwise outlandish lifestyles and gave off the same impression by association.

That is really too bad. The simple change to eating fifty-one percent fresh raw vegetables and staying away from processed foods is actually a really good idea. I believe that it is now proven in many ways to be the actual place we all should be heading. It may not happen en mass but it could happen one by one. I'm one.

I hope you are one, too.

Be back soon,

--Marcia

P.S. Here is a link to a 50% off deal that will last until Dec. 13, 2010 -- for the movie, "Food Matters" -- and a host of freebies that comes with it. Check it out. You might like it. It might even change your health:  http://www.rawfor30days.com/blog/?p=157