I have an experiment I’d like you to try. Nope~ you don’t have to give up anything. In fact, I don’t want you to change anything at all! You can do this with your kids, your grandkids or yourself. This is about snacking – more so the amount and quality of our snacking. Let’s be honest here – we all snack and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as our choices are good ones (at least the majority of the time). The quality of our snacks matter a lot. And just think for a moment all the ‘reasons’ we are having snacks now. There’s the holiday party in your child’s classroom - Johnie’s bday is on Friday and he’ll be bringing treats (just another name for snack) - the teacher’s lounge actually has a printed schedule of all the bdays throughout the year and who is responsible for making sure there is some sugary gooey something in there at all times – and the staff meeting at work could not possibly begin without a tray of donuts or other cinnamon rolls! And don’t even think about having a jewelry party without first thinking of what foods will be served! (Seriously, what has happened to us?) In today’s world it seems that snacks have somehow become a mandatory part of life. Food is everywhere now. You get gas, there are snacks. You go to a sporting event, there are snacks. After T-ball practice - snacks. It’s really no wonder that our kids don’t see the problem in snacking numerous times throughout the day. It’s become a part of their lives! So how do we change it? Is it even possible? Do we want to change it?
Kids are involved in a ton of activities nowadays. (I feel like my mother saying that.:)) But it’s true. A preschool child who hasn’t even entered in the ‘school activities’ stage could easily be involved in dance, tumbling, t-ball, soccer, and swimming lessons. Not to mention the occasional trip to the library and children’s museum. And I guarantee that snacks will be available at many, if not all, of these activities. I’ll be the first to say that when I leave the house with my 2 grandsons, I have diapers, drinks, and snacks! So back to the question of how do we change it. Maybe a good place to start is by choosing the snacks your child/grandchild/yourself will have are ‘good’ ones. If you must have a snack after tball, why not make homemade cookies instead of grabbing a package of Oreos. Yes, it will take time for you to actually bake those cookies but it’s worth it to know your child is eating something YOU made and you know exactly what went into those cookies. If you’re hit with a snack attack at 2:00 every afternoon, be prepared next time. Have something available for you to snack on rather than running across the street for a Diet Pepsi and a Snickers. Make sure you have a couple of Ziploc bags in your desk filled with good choices. Raisins – pretzels – nuts – fruit – whatever you like.
SO….. back to the experiment. For 3 days – notice how often you snack, what you snack on and how or if it affects how you eat your 3 meals a day. Remember; don’t change anything from your regular routine. If you drink a Mountain Dew every day at 10 am, you can still drink it, just make a note of it and think about how it effects your lunch. Do you feel sluggish once all that sugar makes its way out of your bloodstream? It might be interesting to see what types of snacks you are really eating and how they affect your overall mood throughout the day. Feel free to share your experiences!
* Thought for the day*
What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about? J
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