Is it true Americans once had the longest lifespan? Is it true we are now among the fattest and those with the most unhealthy diets? Is it true some point to this as a national crisis, because it surely, surely is.
Habits formed are passed on to the next generation, so what we have become does not bode well for our nation.
So, I'm reading the paper not long back, and the front-page story tells how schools are now required to serve healthy food. But, when they do, many students simply take the food to the nearest trash can.
This is a program that needs tweaking, but not abandoned. Let the food servers be part of the solution, not forcing the students to consume the food, but encouraging them unendingly. Let them offer choices. "Sam, you didn't like the spinach yesterday, but try this broccoli. It's cooked in a cheese sauce and really isn't that bad."
Never force the child. Rebellion comes with force. Never coerce, but ever coax. Never throw in the towel because the child simply is not coming along. Never speak angrily, but always smile. Love the child into eating that first bite of broccoli, and that first avocado (yuk, I admit).
A nation founded on freedom needn't force the child. But, a nation that has turned from healthy eating should think of how it will use its freedom. It can choose to continue down a road that will not lend to its well-being, or it can take steps to returning to being a healthy people, Indeed, we should aspire to being the healthiest people on earth.
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