The Hazards of taking childeren out to eat - Essay Example

EATING OUT Few things are more important for children than a healthy diet. Parents have a very serious responsibility to ensure that their children receive the right amount of nutrition and protein. Because children develop physically very quickly, they need to have the right balance of food. One of the great challenges of proper parenting is taking children out to eat. There are many hazards involved in restaurant meals and it is vitally important that parents are aware of these challenges in advance.

The problem is that many restaurants which children like—especially fast food restaurants—are very clever at attracting children and playing up to them. McDonalds, for example, has a clown as its mascot, Ronald McDonald. It has playgrounds for children and special toys that come with its food. Given a choice, children will clamour to go to these special places. The food they will eat there, unfortunately, will not be good for them. These restaurants know that if they can lure children into their restaurants they will get money from the parents.

Pandering to children is a good business model for many restaurants. Additionally, it is important to note that children like sugar and junk food. These restaurants ensure that they have these things on their menus. This food is not good for children. Parents who do not take their children out to eat have much more control over their childrens diets. They can cook with fresh food and will know exactly what is in each meal. They can avoid sugary and fat foods and make sure that their children are eating properly.

This is very important because a recent study links consumption of junk food with childrens IQ: Food packed with vitamins and nutrients notably helped boost mental performance as youngsters got older, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports. Researchers said toddlers diets could change IQ levels later in childhood, even if eating habits improve with age. "This suggests that any cognitive/behavioural effects relating to eating habits in early childhood may well persist into later childhood, despite any subsequent changes to dietary intake," the authors wrote (Guardian).

In a sense these findings are not so surprising. It is well documented that diet is important to physical and intellectual development. The fix is in. Many fast food restaurants have very low standards when it comes to food, and yet their food is incredibly attractive to children. We have to remember just how hazardous this kind of food is to childrens health. As one report recently put it: “One out of three children will come down with diabetes. One out of five children now has hypertension.

Doctors are seeing children as young as 2 and 3 years old with the beginnings of heart disease” (Ringle). Nothing is more important than our childrens health. We must protect it like a valuable treasure. One of the best ways of doing this is to ensure that our children eat healthy and are not tempted by fast food restaurants. There are too many hazards involved in taking children out to eat: we should cook for them at home. Work consultedRingle, Hayley. “Expert: Children should eat healthier earlier.

” Arizona Republic. May 12, 2011. http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2011/05/12/20110512documentary-children-healthy-food.html#ixzz1MS7zYsu2Guardian (UK). “Poor diets may lower childrens IQ.” February 7, 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/07/diet-children-iq