I read a good and interesting article about obesity increasing as people hit hard economic times. You’d think that lower-income would be a loss in weight, but not in America. We have so many high calories unhealthy food options that are actually less expensive than the good stuff. Look at the price of a high sugar cereal and then look at a nice box of granola. But I think this story goes deeper than short article the writer gave – granted had to be short for news publication. So I’ll help the writer and elaborate on her thoughts. And I’m sure many of you will help me in the comment section:)
“As the unemployment rate inches toward 10% and U.S. consumers continue to find themselves strapped for cash, many are turning to cheaper fare to better balance their budgets. That often means fast food and canned and frozen processed foods that are higher in fat and calories and are made with refined grains and sugars. The result: More Americans are getting fatter and becoming more at risk of getting illnesses such as diabetes.”
The article listed several reasons:
- A Nation of Snackers – me: yes we all know this
- Not from Scratch - me: more on this below
- Better options: article said to look for better options. Think ahead, make a shopping list, buy in bulk, make it yourself, pack a lunch, and cut down on sugary drinks.
This is all common sense. But it does not come second nature to a generation whose parents have taken them to McDonald’s, fed them fruit loops with a coke to wash it down and a frozen pizza for dinner with chips ahoy for dessert. I feel sorry for this lost generation. I’m guessing many, if not most, people in their 20s and 30s grew up in homes that did not practice the list in the “better option” category above. Their parents had jobs and it Mom’s time was more valuable at the office making $100 / hour than cooking at home from scratch. That may have been true for that family at that time, but what was not factored into the equation was the future fruit of homemaking skills.
Now this generation is facing an economic downturn like they’ve never experienced in their lifetime. For many the seniors, they remember hard times and have better coping skills. I’m theorizing that a larger segment of this population knows how to make do and cook from scratch. For the most part, the younger generation has never been taught and never seen it in action.
So what can we do to help them? I’ve mulled that over in my head and thought: churches could offer cooking, sewing and life skills classes. The seniors in the church could teach the younger generations how to get by on less. It is one way to start bridging the generation gap within churches. But I’m thinking those who need these skills would not show up in mass. Maybe a few, but it is harder to get people excited about this stuff when they have not seen it lived out. I didn’t start doing this until my late thirties, but I remember watching my Aunt Lelia (when I married she, age 80 plus, gave me a wedding gift – a bride’s magazine she had found in a dumpster), my grandparents and parents as a child. That example has stayed with me as an adult and I was able to pull back on those experiences and transfer them into modern-day practices.
I think another thing we could do as a society is bring back home economics classes in our schools for GIRLS only and FHA or similar classes for boys. I read a story from the original lady (Mrs Maggie) at hillbillyhousewife that stayed with me. When she was a girl, she was really really poor. She learned how to cook in home economics classes. They were allowed to eat what they cooked at school, which was her only healthy meal of the day. She learned to develop a taste for home cooked meals. As a mother and wife she again experience tremendous financial hardship. But she had the skills from her home economic classes to shop, meal plan and cook from scratch. She put her ideas together on a web site that has been read by millions of readers. Just a homemaking lady in the hills living in a small cabin has impacted many. That changed my view of home economic classes. Not all girls see this at home. Since they are at school 8 plus hours a day – let them at least see it there.
Another thing we can do now for our children to prevent this once they are on their own is to help them to develop a taste for home cooked meals. It is really hard to love a meat loaf and green beans after you’ve lived on chicken nuggets and queso / chips. For those of us with the time and finances, we have that obligation and do our children a disservice when we neglect this area.
I could go on and on about this subject. But gotta run today. Enjoy your day and go cook from scratch!
Posted by Kris 