Snacks Everywhere: Making Our Kids Fat

Snacks - you can't avoid them. More importantly, your kids can't avoid them. Kids are offered snacks everywhere: school, church, after-school activities, even in business places like banks and other offices. I've been growing increasingly aware of this phenomena and annoyed by it.

Thinking back, when I was growing up I wasn't offered candy everywhere I went. But today, my three girls are offered candy as rewards for doing things in school. Recently the bus driver gave each child a full-size candy bar as a reward, which of course my girls wanted to eat immediately upon entering the house. At church, large plates of doughnuts call to them as they walk from the sanctuary to Sunday School class. Instead of learning God's Word, they're more excited about what variety of Krispy Kremes are offered. Rare is the after-school activity that doesn't begin with offering the kids snacks, which are usually of the sugary variety. Even when I take the kids to the bank, they are offered a sucker by the friendly teller. I'm not a Scrooge, but all this sugar adds up.

A study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine noted that school bake sales and teachers' use of candy as rewards was a probable contributor to childhood obesity. As a former teacher, I know that I was "guilty" of offering candy to kids for good behavior and other positive behaviors. I saw nothing wrong with it at the time. It's only now as a parent that I realize I don't want my children being "rewarded" all day long with various sugary treats. And not all of the treats are coming from the teachers. At a recent back-to-school night, teachers in all my children's classes announced that the kids were welcome to bring snacks to school. Although they encouraged "healthy snacks", my daughters tell of frequent sightings of puddings, fruit snacks (no, they're not made of fruit!), and other sugary items being brought.

Clearly, something has to be done for the sake of our kids. The rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 20 years and there is no let-up in sight. All this candy tastes wonderful at the moment, but years of diabetes, heart disease, joint damage and more are awaiting our fat 'n happy kids. I'm not sure that kids NEED all these snacks - even the healthy ones. It seems that today kids are either eating a meal or snacking every hour. I know kids need food throughout the day to fuel their growing bodies ... but do they need constant fuel? Do they need to graze almost non-stop?

If kids do want to snack, they need to have healthy options readily available. Pieces of fresh fruit like apples, peaches and bananas are great, as are pre-cut carrots and celery sticks. Unbuttered popcorn, yogurt, healthy cereals - these are all healthy options that parents can offer. It gets tougher when we need to confront others who are giving our kids sugary treats. Perhaps offer to send in a healthy snack to your child's class. Most teachers would love this.

How to stop banks from giving suckers? Hmmm ... that's a tough one. The thing that makes pieces of candy so tempting to those who want to "treat" kids is that it's small, cheap, portable, and doesn't spoil. A healthy, yet good-tasting alternative would be a wonderful thing.