I consider myself lucky to have had children later in life,
rather than earlier. My first came when I was in my mid-thirties. Prior to his
arrival, I ate everything I wanted and gained a few pounds here and there, but
never getting out of reach of a diet. Then, around thirty-five, my metabolism
left me. I gained weight and expanded my waistline beyond a muffin top, but not
to spare tire size. No diet worked. The Atkins diet was
dangerous. I had seen people pass out at work because of it. I wasn’t going
there. Starvation was out, I like food—a lot. I felt exhausted at the end of the day,
which led to other issues. I was lucky because if they were older when I lost my metabolism, getting back to being healthy would have been extremely difficult.
I had to change my lifestyle, which coincided with the birth
of my second child. I researched books on nutrition, but they contained what I
had already learned since college. Nothing helped. A good friend of mine sent me a
book, In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan. Then, I read Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser, and changed my weekly
visit to McDonald’s, Arby’s, Chix-fil-a, and a whole slew of others. With
confidence, I can say that I have not been to Taco Bell since 2005. Before
2005, a six-pack or ten-pack of tacos was a favorite lunch, when I had a
metabolism. I
also read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Pollan. These allowed me to reflect
upon my world, the world my children will grow up in and how I can make the
right decisions for their future.
Nutritional information is everywhere.
By law, labels deliver percentages of what we are about to eat. Every box has the
information we need for proper eating according to the government. There are
books on nutrition beyond counting. Trying to figure out which one is best
requires a doctorate. Go to Amazon and see for yourself. And, when it comes to
children, there are over 5,000 books on children and their nutritional needs. It’s
becoming overload.
Four years ago, I also began an exercise regimen. As a
stay-at-home dad, this helped to increase my testosterone levels and give me
more energy at the end of the day. My healthy future is tied to theirs, and
when I am sixty-five, retired and watching grandchildren, I will be running
around with their babies, as much as I am today.
I found the best way to feed my kids is to have them see
what I eat, a lot of vegetables, some pasta or bread, fish, chicken and red
meat once every two weeks. I always have raw and cooked vegetables for meals
and snacks. I think it’s impossible to keep them away from processed or fast
food. And, I’m still guilty of grabbing a bag of chips or fast food, but we do it
on such a rare occasion that if everyone did the same, these corporate food
centers would be out of business. The majority of the time we are eating the
right foods, five ingredients or less on the label and fresh organic produce.
It worked. These changes take time and patience. The other
night, my five-year-old made a salad with her dinner and ate it all. She will
eat raw vegetables, like broccoli and cucumbers. Lead through example, and as a
parent, we lead even when we are doing the most perfunctory of things, like
eating.
