It's no secret that our generation has become a fast food society. If we don't feel like cooking or have a long day at work, we order pizza or some other take out meal. Lunch hours don't give us much time for nourishment. The choices are minimal when we have to choose a meal from a vending machine. We usually have options that are far from appetizing. Such options usually include lunchmeat sandwiched between two slices of bread that is similar to cardboard or microwavable noodles that are more rubbery than a bouncy ball. If you choose to forego the vending machine then you probably end up dashing over to the closest fast food restaurant where you quickly inhale the usual burger and fries. Your taste buds may be content momentarily but your digestive system probably isn't too happy. There's nothing wrong with fast food once in awhile but unfortunately for some people it becomes a way of life.



We are seeing more obesity in children at younger ages. The rise in childhood obesity has been steadily climbing in recent years. Children eat more fast food meals as well as junk food for snacks. It seems as if children don't get much exercise these days either. They spend hours in front of the television playing video games, talking on the phone or spending time on the computer. They don't spend nearly as much time outside running and playing physical games or sports as children did in the past. This makes healthy eating that much more important. Lack of exercise and fast food feeding are definitely not a healthy combination.

You can break the fast food habit without eliminating fast food from your family's diet entirely. Limit fast food. If you don't have time to cook dinner every night, cook when you have time and freeze meals for use when you can't be home or are too busy to prepare a meal. When shopping for groceries buy more fresh fruit and healthy snacks. Limit the amount of potato chips and cookies you purchase. Most adults as well as children love snacks such as chips but we also tend to gorge ourselves on these items.

We can set good eating habits for our children by practicing proper nutrition ourselves. Parents can become so concerned with making sure their children are eating enough that nutrient rich food may get overshadowed by empty calories. Such an oversight is not intentional but more likely the result of hectic lifestyles, demanding work schedules and society in general. In order to live up to today's standards both financially and societal, many people have become workaholics out of necessity. In a majority of families both parents work full-time jobs and juggle a variety of household chores. Conveniences that are time saving and make life easier are welcomed.

Television bombards us with dozens of fast food and junk food commercials every day that make it difficult to resist succumbing to the ease of a fast food restaurant or pizza delivery. As mentioned previously, fast food is fine as long as it doesn't become the main staple of nutrition. Children need more than burgers, fries and pizza and snacks don't always have to mean cookies and chips. Make your child's meal a well-rounded eating experience. Try to gradually introduce your child to new foods by using different recipes and buying food items you usually don't purchase. Many children are not eager to try new foods and will insist that they don't like certain foods although they've never tried them. Be creative; create your own recipes. Your kids will be amazed at what you can come up with and so will you. The kids may have some ideas of their own too. Eat healthy and have some fun doing it.

When you're ready to get out of the kitchen, spend some time outdoors and take the kids with you. There are plenty of outdoor activities for every season of the year. They might actually enjoying spending some time away from the television and video games.