Between the United States’ widespread obesity epidemic and still-limping economy, many parents find it a challenge to meet their children’s stringent dietary needs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled in the past 30 years, with over a third of children and adolescents classified as overweight or obese.
Fast food restaurants are an easy target, but they aren’t the only enemy. What we should really watch out for, according to home chef LaCreta Holland, are processed foods.
Holland is a mother of four who spent years in Italy honing her culinary skills. She also teaches a variety of cooking classes out of her own home, covering basic skills like baking bread as well as more intermediate recipes like authentic Italian Bolognese.
Her advice? Well, it’s simple.
“Try to eat real food that hasn’t been pre-prepared. When people eat processed food and get away from real food, it gets them used to so much salt and so much sugar that they don’t even realize,” Holland says.
An unnecessary amount of additives isn’t just limited to pre-packaged candy, snacks and desserts, though. Holland notes that even canned pizza dough, for example, tastes extremely sweet because of all the added sugar.
The insidious danger lurking behind the American food industry is that many people aren’t even aware of how unhealthy their pre-packaged meals are. In fact, according to another study carried out by the CDC, almost half of obese American children and adolescents misperceive their weight as normal.
Holland believes that one of the keys to getting kids to eat healthy is to involve them in the food making process from an early age.
“Gardens are a great way to show kids where food comes from,” Holland says. “To see something grow is actually very exciting for young children. Most kids, particularly elementary school children, are fascinated by that growing process.”
According to Holland, it’s important to see the source of your food.
“If you don’t see where your food comes from, you take for granted that what you’re eating is OK,” Holland says.
Holland doesn’t believe cooking has to be a long, difficult process. Many of her own recipes are surprisingly simple and don’t require any culinary expertise to pull off — just a little bit of effort.
A pita with shredded cheese, thinly sliced cucumbers and other vegetables makes for a delicious and easy-to-make healthy lunch. Send your child to school with homemade pesto pasta, which uses only five ingredients and can be eaten cold, and “they will be the most popular kid at the lunch table.”
Does your child have a peanut allergy? Almond butter makes for a tasty substitute.
“If you don’t know how to cook, learn how to cook,” Holland advises. “It’s not hard to make simple things. Make cooking for your family a priority, and it doesn’t have to be expensive organic food.”
The best way to save money and still eat healthy is to buy local, Holland says. She recommends visiting farmers’ markets (Tuesdays and Fridays from May to November, there’s one in downtown State College on Locust Lane). Another of her personal favorites, the Penn State Meat Lab on Porter Road, often has great deals on pork, beef, lamb, poultry, and eggs. It’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters.
Holland says that if she could give one lasting piece of advice to all moms out there, it would be to “let your children help in the kitchen.”
“Even though there’s going to be some spilled flour, the benefit you’re going to receive from teaching them how to cook is that they will be very capable of taking care of themselves when they leave home,” she says.
You can find recipes, local food information and a listing of home cooking courses on Holland’s website at www.happyvalleylearntocook.com.
