Last year, former FDA Commissioner David Kessler came out with a book in which he posited that the food industry, somewhat like the tobacco industry before it, has perfected the ability to make consumers crave their products through the excessive use of salt, fat and sugar. I haven’t yet gotten around to reading the book, but I remember hearing an interview with Kessler on NPR in which he seemed to blame his weakness for various foods - and his subsequent weight gain — in large part on the companies that created them.
I have to confess that at that time I was pretty harsh on poor David. Oh come on, I thought, listening to the radio. You just have a weight problem – you lack self control. Food companies are giving people what they want and it’s your job as a responsible adult to just say no.
But all of that was before I met Stacy. 
Maybe I should’ve been tipped off by that come-hither name — “Simply Naked” – but I swear I brought her into my home innocently enough, just a necessary dipping vehicle for a daughter who happens to like hummus in her lunch box. But then one day I absentmindedly brought Stacy to my lips — and gasped aloud. Never before had I encountered such a perfect trifecta of salt, carb and fat on my tongue, with just a teasing hint of sweetness lingering on the palate. Every synapse in my brain started firing like a sparkler on the Fourth of July and at that moment my mind could contemplate only one simple truth: Stacy and I were made for each other.
These days, when I think no one in my family is looking, I like to slip discreetly into the pantry to pay Stacy a little visit. I’m in control here, I tell myself every time. I’m not going to let things go too far. But then later, many long, delicious moments later, I emerge from the pantry — guilty, ashamed, and with salty crumbs all over my face and shirt that are as telltale as any lipstick on a collar. Yes, there will be an extra five pounds on my hips by the pool this summer, but that’s a small price to pay for a love like this.
So, what does my love affair with Stacy have to do with kids and food? Whether your own personal weakness is a Double Stuff Oreo, a Flaming Hot Cheeto, or maybe something more upscale and exotic, like a wasabi pea, I think you’ll agree with me that it’s only the processed foods that come from factories (or restaurants)– and not the whole foods produced in farms and fields – that cause that particular crazy swoon, that weakness in the knees and complete abandonment of self-control.
And now we have a generation of kids who, according to my guru Janet Poppendieck, “are eating more and more highly processed foods – fabricated foods, food prepared in factories . . . . and less and less whole food or minimially processed food.” They’re also, according to Poppendieck, doing so on an almost non-stop basis: 98% of kids between 6 -18 report eating at least three snacks a day and half of them report eating five or more snacks a day. A recent NPR story had similar statistics, describing children as eating virtually continuously during their waking hours.
Today’s kids – my kids – were handed little snack cups of cheesy Pepperidge Farm goldfish (or, if you’re from a certain demographic, Veggie Booty, aka “crack for babies”) from early toddlerhood. They’re now surrounded by delicious, tempting processed food options everywhere they go. As one parent who commented on this site wrote:
The problem is so ubiquitous… I find myself pausing before taking my kids to the carwash, for example (of all places), as they inevitably clamor for doritos; gatorade; sprite, etc., prominently displayed as soon as you enter the waiting area! Even as I walk my son from the parking lot to the baseball field for a Tuesday night practice, we have to pass a temporary stand set up to “fuel” the players with cookies, M&M’s, and James Coney Island hot-dogs. Sometimes I just want to scream with frustration.
So how do we get our kids weaned off these foods and back onto the path of orange slices and carrot sticks? I know it can be done, theoretically, but there are days when I feel terribly pessimistic about it all.
Do you think I’m being alarmist here? Overreacting wildly? It’s entirely possible that I’m not thinking very clearly right now. That’s what happens when you’re in love.
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
I hate that junk food is regularly proffered to my children; the drycleaners, the barber and the doctor’s office all offer one or more lollipops with each visit (why?). After a 30-minute tennis lesson, all the kids get ice cream sundaes — at 10:30 in the morning. It’s hard for me to say no when an adult shoves the candy under my child’s nose or when an entire group of children are indulging together.
However, I’m the parent, not these other adults with candy, and it’s my responsibility to say no and be the bad guy. Really, who’s in charge? We’re supposed to be. And I don’t think we can necessarily blame others for our own difficulties in saying no.
Oh, yes! This is exactly the conversation I’ve been having with myself, and I applaud you for engaging the discussion out loud with your blog. Kudos!
I don’t think you’re overreacting; I think our bodies and minds are at stake here, and that this issue is not only a health issue but a human rights issue as well: we are struggling to maintain our health as the cost of doing so (in time AND money) requires more resources than we have at our disposal.
Lately I’ve been contemplating an idea — which is rapidly turning into belief — that the best way to manage the assets and liabilities of globalization is to move simultaneously toward a more intense and strategic investment in our local communities: more local than “Houston” — I’m talking zip codes, feeder patterns.
And another thing. does every corner need another supersize grocery store? How much choice do we need? In a 24/7 global culture, in a city without seasons, the choices of what to eat are endless and, suspiciously, debilitating.
Christa:
In grappling with this complex, enormous issue of kids and food, it’s so easy to get lost in the minutiae — your “big picture” perspective is thought-provoking and important. I’m so glad you’re here, and please keep your comments coming!
Bettina
I have had some success with my 7-year-old. Not that it is easy, but it has helped…we have had several conversations with him about healthy food. We talk about how good foods build his muscles, his mind, his bones. Whenever we have to say “no” to something we try and provide this type of lesson, and it has actually helped. He often comes to me now asking “is this healthy?” and when I tell him he can’t have more sweets today because he has had enough and they are not good for his body, he seems to agree and stops asking. He is a reasonable kid and I think most kids are. They want to be “big and strong,” and they need positive role models to accomplish this. Now, with my 3-year-old, this lesson hasn’t gone very far, but I am hoping if we keep trying, she will stop craving the sweets. For both of them, when they receive goodie bags at parties or games, I regulate what they get, letting them have only one thing and many times the rest of it goes inthe trash because they forget about it. If they get lollipops and I think it’s not a good time for a lollipop, I tell them to save it for after dinner. Now, ice cream sundaes at 10:30? It’s hard to fight that when all the other kids get one. Vending machines, cokes, etc. just aren’t an option for them and they know it. Ok, once in a while we may buy a mass-produced candy bar, but we share it and that might be once every four months or so. Maybe each time we are confronted with a vending machine or candy dispenser, it is a good opportunity to reinforce the lesson. Really, it’s not fun to be the enforcer, and we aren’t all perfect, but I have found that my kids do understand why I am doing it (at leasst my 7-year-old does) and when he gets older, I hope he thanks me for it.
I now remember one recent incident when my daughter and I were sitting watching gymnastics and a parent (who also had a 3-year-old girl) came up to my daughter and offered her one of those hu-mongous sugary-caky muffins that you buy in a 4-pack at the grocery store. I was horrified–it was right before dinner time, and both mom and little girl were looking at me like I was some sort of evil person for saying “no” to my daughter. Now THAT was hard, but I did it, and she actually did not throw a fit. She knew she already had a snack and that was the rule. So, perhaps something is rubbing off on her. I must stay strong…
Kristin:
Thank you for this and for your other thoughtful comments on The Lunch Tray. (As noted earlier, I don’t always reply to comments due to time constraints but I read and appreciate all of them.) As for the particular issue that you and Torie (above) raise, it’s so helpful to share how we act as gatekeepers against the “treat onslaught” and what strategies we employ. At any rate, it’s good to feel we’re not alone in the struggle.
- Bettina
Or maybe, as Elisabeth Badinter writes, (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/fashion/06Culture.html?ref=style) processed food is a really feminist idea that has liberated women worldwide.
I do enjoy preparing meals and snacks for my kids, up to a point. I like packaged foods for school snacks – they are easy, safe and somewhat nutritious if you shop carefully. I don’t like them eaten when we’re at home – a piece of fruit or cheese is a much better choice.
Thanks for creating such a great resource! Anna turned me on to your blog and I’ll be checking in regularly, especially as we are trying to move toward a more healthy lifestyle. Two things, in particular, have driven this decision: my daughter recently asked why food that’s bad for you has to smell so good (we were near the Target on Sawyer and the fan exhaust from all those fast food places had filled the area with the smell of grilling and frying) and the second, more sobering, event was when our pediatrician informed me that both my seemingly average built children had an above average BMI. Her diagnosis: too much sugar and processed food hidden in our diet.
Maryellen: Welcome to The Lunch Tray! I’m so grateful to Anna for spreading the word. I hope I can be a helpful resource as you and your family move toward a healthier lifestyle. E.g., one idea that came to me (quite selfishly, because I need the info, too) was asking for a reader round-up of everyone’s most healthful yet kid-approved lunch box items. Sometimes when I face those two empty lunch boxes every morning I have a total failure of imagination (or advanced preparation) and it’s at those moments that I find myself reaching for the more processed foods. At any rate, do keep visiting TLT and leaving comments. – Bettina
I read that book! The End of Overeating. It was great. I myself, raised on vienna sausages and bologna, definitely work to avoid the processed stuff. It’s creepy as hell, but I still love it!
Katherine – Welcome to The Lunch Tray! I heard you read at the Inprint Poets & Writers Ball a few years ago. Glad to have you here. – Bettina
What a fabulously written essay! I was blown away when that first Stacy Pita Chip went in my mouth. Wickedly addicting.
The most shocking (but to be expected) fact is that
ONE OUNCE, one tiny ounce, has 130 calories and 5 grams of fat.
To think how quickly I could put away my RDA of calories is
frightening.
Thank you for this, it is always comforting to know you are not alone.
Now I am off to listen to Kessler’s NPR interview. The book is a life-changing, paradigm-shifting piece of genius. I highly recommend it.
Laurie: I’ve found that not everyone understands Stacy Love. (Fools!) Maybe we could start a support group, or a hotline to call when you find your hand reaching into the bag.
And based on your description, I’m ordering the Kessler book right now. – Bettina
I just want to address the statistic stating that children are eating virtually all waking hours of the day. As a former compulsive eater, I’ve learned to honor my hunger. My son and I are “grazers” and in fact do eat all day. While mealtimes are sit down, social affairs, I keep plentiful HEALTHY snacks on the kitchen table all day, for the grabbing. We’re both slim and are very physically active. I’m teaching my son to honor his hunger AND fullness as well. Even with healthy foods, the Clean Plate Club is largely responsible for overeating habits; teaching children a visual, external cue to fullness rather than the internal cue to stop. I realize I’m preaching to the choir here but it’s not that kids are eating all day…it’s that they’re eating JUNK all day.
Jamie: Agreed – reasonably-sized, healthful snacks all day are not the problem here and when left to my own devices I’m a natural “grazer,” too. But when it comes to my kids, I do value our family dinner and try to curb non-stop snacking in the afternoons, lest everyone arrive at the table already full. So my kids eat a substantial snack after schoo, but if someone complains about being hungry again and it’s within an hour or so of dinner, I try to dissuade them or allow only a bit of fruit. (The other day, I was skimming Mark Bittman’s latest book, Food Matters, and he noted that, as a society, we’ve become intolerant of even the mildest hunger pangs and often don’t even let ourselves get to the point of true hunger.) Thanks very much for reading The Lunch Tray and for sharing your comment. – Bettina P.S.: The name of your business cracked me up.
Hey Bettina: first off, sorry I’ve become a Lunch Tray Stalker…I love your blog! second: yeah, my business name cracks everyone up; it’s half of my success. Third: just of curiosity (and TRUST ME, I’m so NOT trying to start any scuffle here!)…What’s your opinion….What exactly is the benefit of becoming intolerant of even the slightest hunger pain? What is the benefit of getting to the point of true hunger? I live in affluent state (physically and emotionally) where great food is plentiful. As a former circus performer and personal trainer, I’ve always believed the body (in particular the metabolism) is best run if treated like an on-going fire. It burns longest and strongest when stoked constantly: not letting the fire burn out to re-start it. While that works, it’s not the most effective way.
And personally, I’ve found that when I try to wait for “true hunger” I more frequently make poor choices, eat faster, and therefore usually eat more.
I, too, don’t offer anything an hour or so before dinner and our meals do tend to be smaller. But in the last 10 years or so of conscious eating, I can honestly say, I have never felt over-full or stuffed (not even on Thanksgiving).
So again, I’m just curious what your thoughts are why it would be beneficial to wait for true hunger.
Thanks! Keep up the great work!! (the scuffle got a little prickly there, eh?).
Jamie: So glad you like the blog! You ask a good question (and no fear of scuffles — that’s what makes a blog interesting!) Whenever my answer to a comment looks like it’s going on and on, I start to suspect that there’s a blog post in there!
So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to excerpt your comment (even though that got me in trouble last time! I really will try to preserve the context!) and answer it in a post, maybe even today. Keep reading The Lunch Tray and commenting! I love your insights. – Bettina
Hi again, Jamie: I’d said that I was going to address this in a blog post and I actually wrote out the whole thing before deciding, eh, not sure anyone but you and I really want to talk about this issue. So, first, here’s the actual passage from Food Matters to which I was referring. You’ll see that Bittman is talking about people who want to “lose or maintain” their body weight, which is sort of everyone (if you need help gaining weight I don’t really want to know you.) But clearly he’s really focusing on the former, people who want to lose weight, which is of course not your issue or your son’s.
Also, just to be clear, I have absolutely no issues with grazing (and am myself a grazer to some degree) but would point out that studies (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/health/23really.html) have apparently disputed whether it’s truly the better way to eat.
Bottom line: what you’re doing clearly works for you and your son, and that’s fantastic. For me, though, the Bittman quote resonated, because when I do eat at the slightest hint of hunger, even if my diet is overall pretty healthful, I’m very likely to eat more food than I need in a day and gain weight.
Also, there is something to the old expression, “hunger is the best sauce,” i.e., when you’re really hungry (but not, of course, waiting until blood sugar plunges and you’re an out of control maniac), food does seem to be more pleasurable. And, in the case of kids, they’re far more likely to try something new.
So, that’s what my post would have said. Feel free to comment back! If enough people care about this topic, we can always throw it out to the whole readership.
Bettina…I don’t mind at all. Another thing (potential blog?) I was thinking about this morning as I packed my son’s lunch. I’d love to thoughts on making lunches “fun”. I started using cookie cutters for my son’s sandwich (no crust: we use hard core wheat berry bread and I’m perfectly fine with no crust…it is kind of hard and nasty). Part of me thinks it’s cute and part of me thinks it’s ridiculous. But he’s four and it’s fun. Bento boxes are really big right now…as well as the food art that goes into them. Rice and seaweed formed into a panda bear. Hard boiled eggs molds…I don’t know. It seems like something a lot of your readers would have an opinion about. Just curious…as always…Jamie
Jamie: You’ve read my blogger mind! Here’s a Lunch Tray “spoiler” – I’ve already contacted the women behind Yum Yum Bento to interview them about all aspects of this “art”, including the cultural underpinnings, the craft of it and my biggest question . . .how must you feel when you create such intricate loveliness and your kid STILL won’t eat it?? I plan to “air” the interview in September as part of a back-to-school theme month, including also a reader recipe exchange and lunch box tips. – Bettina
Yeah…I’m psychic too
I was actually hoping more for (I guess, secretly another scuffle) viewpoints…is there anything “wrong” with making food fun? And to what extent? How far will people go and is it just more “over-parenting”…the old school mom is me makes fun of the hippy mom on a daily basis…it’s frigging sandwich for gawd’s sake…
Yes, I’ve thought about exactly that issue, too! The whole, heart-shaped sandwich thing. Definitely post-worthy and also on tap for September.
Hey Bettina: yeah…I guess it’s just a matter of what works for you. And I think I’m super educated about food and particularly my body and how it works. I think many people wouldn’t snack exactly the way my son and I do…we don’t eat any sort of typical snack food. We eat roasted turkey rolled up in Nori (seaweed)…so I don’t advocate for goldfish, crackers, cheerios or any other typical snack foods.
I just don’t see any particular benefit to 3 servings of 4 oz of protein 3x a day as opposed to 1 oz of protein every hour all day long.
For some kids, I guess that hunger make strike a balance in trying to get them to try new foods. I find the opposite. Because there’s no commitment (a full serving that makes up a good portion of a meal) my son is much more likely to try something new in a tiny portion that won’t make the meal. For example, last week, he said he didn’t like edamame. He tried one and spit it out. I snack on it constantly and he’s tried one every day. Yesterday, he informed me that he loves edamame and can he have some more.
There was no love lost in the trying. There was no struggle at meal time. And there was no making something else because he wouldn’t eat what I’d prepared. There’s also a lot more room for variety. I can come up with 7 different foods when we graze. Whereas: I’m not preparing 7 different foods to try or not at meal time. He eats peas and carrots for a snack, but at dinner time, not so much…go figure. Toddlers.
I’m definitely not arguing, it’s just what works for us. I see so many parents struggle with vegetables that I can’t help but think I have a good thing going when my son asks for broccoli for an afternoon snack.
By the way: this has nothing to do with maintaining weight and believe me: I load up my six-pack baring son with as much heathly
fat as I possibly can! For us…this is about maintaining a constant flow of energy. I do suspect we both lean towards a hypoglycemic body type and waiting for hunger does not work.
Re: the kind of food that is actually addicting. I don’t think of Stacy’s Pita Chips as falling into the category of “addictive food.” They contain no MSG, trans fats, HFCS, or artificial flavors. There are none of those brain-fooling chemicals that make you feel like you’re eating something radically different from what you’re actually eating. They’re actually not that high in fat, either.
There are definitely some foods out there that I imagine evil food scientists trying to figure out ways to addict people to them. They put artificial colors and flavors, as well as chemical flavor enhancers into food to make it look and taste more appealing than it otherwise would. Stacy’s pita chips don’t contain anything you can’t pronounce in them. They’re actually not bad for you if you portion them out before you eat them and only eat one portion.
Maybe you just really like them.
I’m sorry, that came off as really obnoxious. What I meant to say was, kind of like Michael Pollan talks about in In Defense of Food, how there were a few major shifts in food processing in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first was the widespread availability of white flour and refined sugar to the masses. The second was the ability to can and package things for long-distance shipping. The third was the addition of all sorts of nasty things like HFCS, MSG, trans fat, artificial flavors, etc. The third category of processing is what I associate with the obesity epidemic. So yeah, they’re not carrot sticks, but they’re also not microwavable pizza rolls, either.
NotCinderll: No offense taken at all! I was just trying to find the time to formulate a reply. Basically what I was going to say is that I’ve not yet finished Kessler’s book but my sense is that his focus is less on artificial flavors, etc. and more on the food industry’s careful calibration of fat, salt and sugar. In that regard, Stacy has it nailed (for me at least). I agree that of all foods for me to fixate on, pita chips are relatively harmless, but what’s really interesting to me is the true lack of control I feel: despite my best intentions, if they’re around, I really can’t not eat them! That’s the sort of addictive response Kessler is addressing. – Bettina
Oh, believe me, I know how you feel. Forget your tawdry affair with Stacy…I’ve been having a three way with a couple of old hippies named Ben & Jerry for years.
Hee!
My question is, why and how is a Stacy’s pita chip different from, say, a treat made from a homemade recipe if it contains stuff that you’d find in your own kitchen? I kind of agree w/Michael Pollan again that the easy availability of processed foods is part of the problem. I could spend a couple of hours making cookies, or I could pick up a box from the store.
I almost never buy cookies anymore, because I can make pretty good cookies at home (usually involving healthy stuff like oatmeal and dried fruit), but thinking about the kinds of cookies that I would buy rather than make, I can’t fathom the amount of effort that would go into making thin chocolate wafers and buttercream frosting to make a homemade Oreo. I might foray into making ice cream occasionally, trying simple flavors like strawberry, peach, or green tea, but I’m not going to try making my own batch of Chubby Hubby. I have an issue of Saveur magazine that contains a recipe for crackers with flaxseeds in them. I’ve never made it. Ditto on the Mary Jane Butters recipe for homemade graham crackers. There is no way I’m going to try to figure out how to make a homemade pita chip on my own.
Obviously it’s more than that, though. I’m just not sure what it is.
NotCinderell: Agreed – if I had to make them on my own, I’d eat far less. But I still think there’s something about that fat/carb/salt/sugar “hit” that undoes people, whether it’s Stacy’s or another snack. I need to finish the Kessler book so I can speak intelligently about it! – Bettina
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