'Body Clutter' is a project for whole family

Buddy Hackett once said, "My mother's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."

That's what my mother's menu consisted of. We had the choice of eating the dinner she prepared or leaving the table hungry. If we didn't like what she prepared, we weren't allowed to make ourselves a PB & J. If we snuck a banana, we were in big trouble. Why? Was my mother abusive and mean? Was my family dysfunctional because the children weren't allowed to call the shots for dinner? Am I in therapy now, because I was made to eat my vegetables?

Nope. My family had issues like any other family, but it was pretty "normal." What was fashionable in the child-rearing of yesterday is now considered barbaric and obsolete. Today, we're told that if we "make" our children eat they will develop eating disorders. Not giving children "choices" will harm their self-esteem, so say the "professionals."

The very words "eating disorder" sends us into a tailspin. Consequently, after years of permissive parenting at the dinner table, we suddenly realize our children may have never eaten an honest portion of veggies. In our quest for perfectionism we have been more concerned about our children's psyches than teaching them an important life skill — eating nutritiously. Because we want to be better parents, we want our children to have "perfect" childhoods, with no conflict. We buy all of that, don't we? And, to use a food analogy, the proof is the pudding — just look at the kids.

Childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions. According to the International Obesity Task Force, there are about 22 million children in the world under 5 who are overweight! The Canadian Medical Association reports obesity among young boys ages 7-13 years old tripled between 1981 and 1996.

That's just the children. What about the adults? In the United States, seven out of 10 adults are overweight or obese! The problem of obesity or what we like to call Body Clutter, is a family problem. And we have a huge responsibility to teach our children how to be healthy. We do that primarily by example.

I don't pretend for a minute to hold all the answers. However, as a nutritionist, I have to look at the statistics and they are absolutely mind-blowing.

Believe it or not the family dinner table is a place that you can make a difference. By serving a healthy, balanced meal at least once a day, you'll make great progress. But the problem is schedules: sports, dance classes, band practice, church . . . did I miss something? We often find ourselves in the car at dinnertime schlepping kids to yet another activity. Or we're driving through for a quick bite (and feeling guilty about it) or going out to dinner (There goes the family budget!)