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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2018)
12 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - November 2018 Then & Now: What’s changed at family mealtime? By VIRGINIA JUSTICE Nutrition is an ever-evolving sci- ence. Parents are continually told that this item is either good or bad for children, but is it really? How does feeding our children differ to- day from the past? Do families still eat together regularly as they did in the ’50s and ’60s? Because inquir- ing minds want to know, I asked via Survey Monkey. Most individuals responding to the survey believe children eat worse today than in the past be- cause of highly processed or fast foods. Since the 1950s the number of stay-at-home moms had de- creased dramatically, with many households headed by a single parent or two parents who work full-time outside the home. This has had an impact on how families are fed, as there is no longer an entire day to create a meal. People eat out more today than in the past and the number of fast food chains has increase dramatically in the last half century. A 2003 Gallup poll noted that 20 percent of teens, age 13 to 17, said they ate fast food every or nearly every day. Convenience and time have become major factors in meal plan- ning and preparation. Convenience, however, typically comes with a price: prepared foods contain preservatives to keep them fresh while in the freezer, refrigerator, or on the shelf. Very often these items are very high in sodium and over- consumption of sodium can result in high blood pressure and other health issues. Much of the food offered by fast food restaurants is high in fats, salt, and preservatives, with large portion sizes. One respondent to my survey stated, “Parents are letting kids Nutrition eat crummy food because ‘it is the only thing they will eat,’ instead of continuing to encourage health eating and offering healthy choices.” Having worked as a dining services manager at a university, I would have to agree with this respondent. We often encountered students who were not willing to try foods that were not “fast food.” We changed how meals were presented to fit the desires of the students, but maintained the healthy choice options as well. Children are rarely willing starve themselves, if you provide food they will eat. But that’s not always easy. My parents insisted that we all have a “no-thank-you portion” if we said we didn’t like something. The no-thank-you portion was about a tablespoon (roughly two bites) that we had to eat. For me it was peas, as a youngster I just did not care for them. I would gag and carry on, but my parents insisted I finish the small portion – and I love peas now. I recently found out that my mother never liked Brussels sprouts but she ate her no-thank- you portion because she wanted us to decide on our own whether we liked them. The key is to offer foods repeatedly, because as a child grows their taste buds refine, tastes and textures that once were not palatable now are. Setting a good example is very important, our children mimic what we do, what we say, and what we eat, so parents must also be willing to take eat our “no thank you” portion if we truly want to expand our child’s exposure to foods. Involving children in the preparation of meals also encourages them to try new things because they have invested in something they created. Though dating myself, I will admit that I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. We had dinner, made from scratch, at least six nights out of seven around the dinner table between 5 and 6 p.m. Fast food was not a staple for my family but rather a treat. Nearly all the respondents surveyed indicated that family dinner was also part of their growing up and most now have family dinner time at least four times a week. Since we can’t make more time in the day, are we all doomed to a life of premade meals and fast food? Probably not. Inventions like the air fryer and multicooker (a.k.a. the Instant Pot®) are allow- ing families to prepare wholesome foods in less time. These kitchen products reduce cooking time and, in the case of the air fryer, “fry” foods without the oil that deep fry- ing uses. These products do not cut daily preparation time; however, that could be done by planning meals ahead and spending an hour or two on a single day preparing ingredients for that week’s meals. There are also the meal kit de- livery services that essentially plan and prep your meals, delivering them to your doorstep for you to cook. These kits typically cost $8 to $12 per person, certainly reducing the shopping and preparation time for meals, although at high cost. Even in this fast food world, it’s still possible to teach children healthy food choices and reason- able portion sizes while encourag- ing them to try new things. ________ Pendleton home economist Virginia Justice and her husband have two college-aged daughters.
