Church, Can You Please Stop Giving My Kids Junk Food?

[Dalit]

Read this yesterday and cannot get it out of my mind. This could be in Health and Wellness, yet since it mentions church as the worst offender, it probably belongs here. This is true. I've seen it time and again as one who truly fights the battle of the bulge and food addiction. It's not right to reward kids with food. I know that set me up and countless others for struggling with being overweight and obese. Reminds me of Pavlov's dog experiment, to use an obvious example. It's a larger societal problem and I agree with Cara that this should not be.

https://healthhomeandhappiness.com/church-can-you-please-stop-giving-my-kids-junk-food-please.html

 

[Vixy]

You should go to one of those small little freestanding churches like I do, they serve wholegrain sandwiches and vegetables on top.

 

[Dalit]

I wish social gatherings didn't revolve around food. Kids do not need to be entertained and fed all the time. Food as a reward is the worst thing we can do.

 

[elsbet]

Interesting article!


“Well, I don’t see why you can’t just bring up your concerns.” It’s because we have, and when we do, we get accused of not trusting God with our health, we get told that the church doesn’t want to imply that you have to eat healthy to be a Christian. I’ve heard the same thing when friends have tried to hold a book study talking about The Maker’s Diet – you can talk about healthy choices in church, it’ll be okay.

We get told that we are entitled to expect volunteers or under-paid teachers to change.

About the entitlement- I’m not expecting, I’m asking.

Or we are informed that we should better parent our children so they say ‘no thank you’ or accept the treat graciously and then bring it to their parents rather than eat it. This may work with some very compliant children, but most of our kids are normal children who also are going to want the sugary junk food if it’s being served to their age group. Plus, have you seen a preschooler who can’t have a cookie when everyone else in their class is having one? Sadness. We don’t want to bring our children to church only to have them feel alienated… church should be a time of feeling accepted.

I used to work for a Christian preschool when I was just out of high school... we had kids on special diets (no red food coloring!), or parents who just wanted their kids to eat healthier. We didn't tell parents they had salvation issues. That's bizarre imo... never heard of such a thing.

However. .. the parents provided snacks for their children. And we were happy to accommodate them. No big deal.

 

[Dalit]

As a Southerner, it seems like everything is about food and it's usually fried chicken, macaroni and cheese pie (none of that Kraft Mac'n'Cheese Velveeta nonsense), donuts, cakes, cookies, pies, collard greens with tons of ham, salads smothered in dressing...you get the picture. Love is spelled Food. I grew up thinking that even though I went from a pale skinny girl to a big Amazon girl since no one showed much self-control or sense around me in that area. Gluttony was the socially acceptable (especially if you're skinny) sin.

I think Cara's right to some degree. Now there are more people being cognizant of health and potential food allergies since it is common to see "no peanuts" signs in church nursery classrooms, etc. It's still more than a bit alienating though, I would think.

As far as a salvation issue, I'd never heard that either. That is truly bizarre.

Glad you were accommodating to kids who had their own snacks and to avoid foods with dyes and colorings. Seriously, Yellow No. 5, Red No. whatever, what is that stuff anyway?

I think it's just a Southern thing maybe. I leave or avoid gatherings involving food if I'm not prepared with my own meal or snack because while there may be a salad, there's no unbreaded meat to put on it, and we've got a vegan and another special diet person and they just make do, but there really are no options for them. I saw the vegan just have a pile of lettuce (the salad), some fruit, and some nuts. Guess I'm gonna have to be the change I want to see.

 

[TempestOfTempo]

I am really feeling this thread and Id like to add that mosques are often places of extremely unhealthy nutrition. The worst is when its Ramadan and not much thought is put into the health of what food is served. Often times very unhealthy, often served in unhealthy portions and often SO MUCH of this food which we receive as a mercy is never finished and plates of food that a starving person would cry just to see & smell is casually thrown away with no regard for the true spirit of Ramadan, nor the hungry community members who would gladly accept what is being wasted in a house of worship during the holiest of months.

 

[Faker He-Man]

winding down a 48-hour fast, just 4 hours left now... reading this thread is making me so hungry

 

[elsbet]

winding down a 48-hour fast, just 4 hours left now... reading this thread is making me so hungry

Thai noodles... sounds good now.