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| Saturday, 6 November 2004 |
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The Processed Food mania of Lankans by Shanthi Wijesinghe
Early Childhood Educator and President, Association of Montessori Directresses and Educators, Sri Lanka Browsing the Internet recently on my constant search for new material for the parents of toddlers at my centre, I discovered a site set aside for new thinking by Jennica Smith who says: "...From observation, it seems apparent that Americans are 'wealthy' with food." The rest of the world - especially we in Sri Lanka like to emulate lock, stock and barrel - even when we know these food trends are bad for us - simply because it is the in thing to be seen and be heard that we've just been to the latest food place in town! Most of us live to eat, and the goody-goody ones amongst us, vice-versa. The problem is, many people rely fully on food for more than just survival. They rely on it for social enhancement, boredom, nervousness and depression. (Comfort foods are a great source of discomfort to the body). Even so, says Jennica Smith, this may not be much of a problem, except that so many foods on the market today are processed, and provide individuals with a high fat intake. A major contribution to why so many people are overweight is because of the high consumption of processed foods - frequently. Children of families belonging to keeping up with the Jones's are given as much as Rs. 250 per day at least thrice a week - that's Rs. 750 a week. Some low-income groups live for half a month on this. Pre-school teachers in Anuradhapura's interior villages sustain themselves for half this amount on pulses and grains. The children in these areas are healthy as opposed to those constantly munching on high fats and high sugar diets and slump in front of their TV sets at the end of a 'tiring day' having travelled by car the live-long day as well as played a game where no travelling was involved. What exactly fits in the category of processed foods? Basically any food that is high in sugar, saturated fats and/or excessively salty is considered 'guilty'. This accounts for a large percentage of food on the market. If one were to eat these foods excessively, they can cause health risks in more than one area. First of all, there is an immediate risk of weight gain. Doctor Enig, a consultant, clinician, and the Director of the Nutritional Sciences Division of Enig, Associates Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland, says that "high fat levels in manufactured food are creating weight problems in consumers, one of the main problems facing the planet, according to a World Health Organisation report." Also, according to the WHO - "type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and stroke, as well as various types of cancer are effects of diets with a high rate of processed food intake. Many experts are calling childhood obesity an epidemic. This is also the first generation of children raised on nutrient and enzyme-depleted food, chemical-laden foods, and food preservatives. I am informed by my young friends that (in schools that have no strict rules in and around Colombo) children use their mobiles to order these high risk foods more than once a week. There are many school-going children I know who think it is beneath them to eat greens - well, coleslaw on the other hand, they argue, is the 'in' thing. Many of these 'young adults' go without eating vegetables at least 5 days a week. Fish is a definite no-no, even if mum prepares it with the wretched magic cube, chicken is a definite favourite and all other proteins are 'yuck'! In this site a doctor asks a very poignant question in that: when children are beginning to obtain obesity, shouldn't the finger be pointed at the parent? After all, the parent is the person who provides for their children. Why then are they not providing their children with healthy eating habits? In Sri Lanka, the general answer to this can be cited as: over-viewing of television commercials (one cannot help this as no program is complete without the over-airing of the sponsored product), non-availability of spending quality-time with children, mealtimes spent in front of TV, parents who cannot say 'no' to their young with the all-time classic excuse of 'because they are still small', interference of extended family members when children are 'on-demand' for the wrong reasons, poor-quality educators who give in at every turn to children in pre-schools and of course the necessary evils - (the domestics) - who in their magnanimous gestures hurry to please the tiny mite, serving up mountains of processed stuff. In many instances, I have worked with domestics who couldn't understand why her 'nona and mahattaya' and I were not in favour of this manna from heaven as seen on TV. Talk about captive audiences. A parent once told me that when she attended her domestic's sister's wedding recently, the wedding feat was replete with kirata-mirisata! The rat-race is slowly but surely engulfing the once-calm villages. Physicians in these villages are always kept busy with one form of illness or another or some form of mysterious indigestion. "What did the child eat? One asks the mother of the groaning child. "Mukuth ne" (Nothing) "kade thiyena eva thamai" (what is sold in the grocery). There isn't time to cook the jak fruit that falls and finally perishes under the tree. There isn't time to make a dry-fish curry or scrape a coconut for a mallun, laments the mother. The child has to attend the shishaththva panthi (scholarship examination classes) or else face damnation in the village school (politicians please note). The physician severely reprimands the mother for her lack of concern. On the way home she buys a packet of snack 'food' loaded with flavour enhancers, emulsifiers etc... She is back in 2 weeks with similar complaints. Life goes on - shortened. In most homes these days women do not make time for cooking, judging by those who flock round mobile food outlets that sell anything and everything, take-away stalls and for the more affluent, the home-delivery packages that's just a call away. According to a conference on obesity held in Beijing, "Experts point out that when populations abandon traditional foods and substitute processed foods, they turn inevitably towards obesity." If only people could set aside some time to cook a simple meal of three curries and some rice for lunch, their health as well as of their children would be in a much better state. Think what you can do by turning around all that brain-washing manufacturers and brand-pushers do with you and your kids. Begins when your kids are around three years of age. This is the impressive stage and kids absorb a lot from parents and pre-school teachers. Look for a school that has a policy on nutrition. Educators (mainly Directresses) turn a blind-eye on this fact for lack of information and can't-be-bothered attitude. If your money is good enough for admission to the school you should be asking as to the various policies of the school. If they do not have a policy, direct them to us. Visit our website www.montessori-lanka.org Do things to make educators know that you are aware. You are not a pair of ignorant parents who just happened to have a child. Show that you care. As home-makers parents have to ensure that the family is in the best of health and if they do fall ill it's not because of the trash we have been giving them to eat out of love - this love can kill. For those of you would like to follow my recipe here's how: * Make the children help whenever they can - don't force them into it - just coax them. Even as small as three years, children love grating carrots. Older children can help cut up for salads. They won't give you perfect results - were you perfect at that age? By the age of 6 they can make themselves a salad, as well as a variety of sandwiches. By the age of 8 they can actually cook a tasty dhal curry and 'do' a kang-kung fry with bits of chicken or meat. Teach them to operate the rice-cooker at about the age of 11. If you teach the kids safety in the kitchen you have nothing to fear. You can also be sure that they will never bug you for food at odd times. Holidays are great for them to try out new things - not fancy food - hunger appeasing stuff like uppuma, sago pudding and savoury roti/pittu are great for starters. * Set the alarm - stay in bed for five minutes after it rings and meditate on what your tasks are for the day. Deep breathe as you do this. Set a separate alarm for the kids. * Cut up veggies and greens the night before - only what you need for the day. * Scrape coconuts and freeze in small containers. * Cook chicken and other meats/fish in bulk and pack for freezing. Teach the kids and your spouse to use up all the contents and never put back anything after it has been re-heated. * Set aside tasks your spouse thinks you're too weak for - this helps in boosting his ego - Don't overdo it! * Always forward plan breakfast foods. Pulses are great and it doesn't take long to boil if you add a pinch of soda-bicarb to the soaking water. * Use leftover godamba roti for a koththu - kids and their friends love this! Add finely chopped gotukola and raisins. You can do the same with leftover string hoppers. Contrary to belief red string taste delicious. * Get the family used to eating soups before dinner - around 7. This helps older children fill up and younger ones can even skip their dinner if they are too sleepy to eat. Mushroom soup is the easiest. Second comes pumpkin and spinach soup and if you are ambitious try a combination of leftover veggies with an egg added for good measure. Children have to be nurtured to liking natural food flavours which is why doctors tell us to refrain from adding salt and sugar to their baby food. They grow to actually liking natural foods and reject the artificial taste of processed foods. Therefore, we must discipline ourselves, and avoid taking the easy way out. This is the only way we can show our love in the long run. Don't join in the rat-race. Stand apart from it. Enlighten those that need it and dare to make a difference. Drawing conclusions from statistics, the world has become enthralled in what is easiest. According to the conference on obesity held in Beijing in 2002, "...the total population of overweight people in the world has reached an unprecedented 1.2 billion, almost equal to the whole population of China." This can be largely credited to bad eating habits, consisting mostly of processed foods. We were not created to consume processed foods. The sooner we realise this - the better. In 10 years time you will reap the rewards when the friends of your children are warded in hospitals and their parents are running hither and thither not knowing what ails their child and facing the burden of paying soaring hospital bills. Then you can thank me. By then, I might not be around. |
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