Saturday, December 09, 2006

stuck in a rut

ok, so it's no big secret that i'm not a fan of fast food. i've been pretty good about expressing how i feel about it. the grease, the fat, the processed, the sugar water, the fried, the questionable "meat" products. all this and not to mention the age-inappropriate, dirty, germy, danger-ridden playscapes. fast food is bad for kids. that's not a new discovery - studies have shown definite links between fast food and childhood obesity and other diseases for years- sadly, it's just catching on slowly. but that's not the point of this post.

recently i saw a Burger King commercial in which a couple gets their car stuck in a ditch and asks the King for help. well it got me thinking about how easy it really is to turn to fast food when you are "stuck in a rut."

i understand, as a parent, there are days when you are out and about, and, -oops- forgot to pack a lunch for your toddler. a hungry toddler and no food in the car? believe me. i understand.

it would be easy to find the nearest drive-thru, frantically digging in the purse hoping to have enough cash to hit up the dollar menu. and then the next thing you know it becomes a habit. the child is literally addicted to fries and every lunch becomes a fast food lunch. stuck in a rut.

the point of this post is to offer a solution. unlike the king, who offers no help whatsoever to the couple in the commercial.

to avoid being stuck in this kind of rut, we've made the grocery store our favorite place for fast food.

want to get out of your rut? go to your nearest grocery store, take your hungry toddler to the bright, colorful produce section, and pick from a wide variety of goodness. walk the aisles and be creative.

the options are endless! make good choices. you might as well, since you can.

an apple. a banana. cherry tomatos. grapes. an Odwala juice. a box of unsalted-top Saltines. string cheese. a few fresh slices of turkey from the deli. a whole grain roll from the bakery. a little jug of Horizon organic milk. carrots.

wha-la! a healthy lunch is served for probably less than a McMeal.

BONUS: teach your kid about farms, farmers, how fruit/veggies grow from the Earth, learn colors, names and shapes of all the produce, how to tell when fruit is ripe, how to live a healthy life, and your child's body thanks you.