A discerning look at the American Family and Healthy Eating.

Healthy eating is not something that has been on my radar.  I may eat healthy foods at times and enjoy them but it is not something that I practice or try to do; it is more happenstance.  I am basically the proverbial glutton as most Americans seems to be, statistically speaking.  As a nation we have pretty bad eating habits, there have been several condemnatory reports stating so.  To further prove that, one of the most cherished events in just about any American city is the county fair, where we eat things like fried oreos, huge turkey legs, and take bacon grease shots.  Even McDonald’s has inadvertently confessed to preparing not so healthy food and revised their menu items to include things like salads, oatmeal and granola.  Eating healthy is not something that is hard to do, but it does take discipline, knowledge and the wisdom to apply said knowledge.

My niece, 5, and nephew, 11, are amazing children and quite unique.  They are generally good kids, but kids nonetheless.  A funny thing about them, however, is their choice of treats.  To reward them, their parents will give them cuties, pears, grapes, bananas or just about any assortment of fruit they want.  And they yearn for these items far more than candy, cookies, pies, ice cream or anything else you would expect such small children to desire.  I like teasing their father when he begins to praise their accolades of nutritious snacking, it’s time for Uncle Cue to take a trip to 7-Eleven, I usually exclaim.  The excitement is definitely not shared by the children or their parents.

It is time for us to understand what we are doing to our bodies and the effect it has on our health and wellness.  Healthy living is a lifestyle choice that many of us, especially me, do not choose to make.

Family time is also a lifestyle choice that has lost it’s way in today’s society.  Growing up my parents and I would have breakfast, lunch and dinner together with the television off.  It was a time for us to bond and talk to each other.  They would ask about my day at school and other random parental conversational things.  That time with my parents helped shape my view of what a family is.  As an adult watching two children close to me being reared in a similar fashion gives me hope that some American households have not lost their way.

Here are a five eating habits that we should probably try to break

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Healthy Eating: The Family Affair [Infographic]