THE Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Canada:
pave Canadian. families

oa failing grade in eating
“habits this year.

Since this discouraging
“pronouncement we've scen
severe finger wagging-and-
© pointing nutritional spokes-
epeople raging ar as about
Show our kids cat too much;
junk food over vand over
“again,
coe Like Pm net already feel-
ing bad cnough abourthe
“thet that kids today aré less
‘respectful and more.violent
and spoiled rotten, now | feel
like Timust shoulder the bur-
den for the likelihood thar
heart discase will be on the
rise because my “mutts are
“nor low-fat: :
‘Looky admit it; my
. kids have terrible gating
habits, Bur it’s not because. L

have neglected to reach theny

what is and isn’t good for
thenss It’s that there are just
“too many things working
against me.

\Like most women in my
generation, | cried hard to
instill good eating habits in
my children. And despite the

© fact that they were picky
“ater, it was easy-to ensure
that they were eating well’,
because when they were litile
t never occurred to them to
sar something without mye
permission, [_ prepared
‘healthy-breaktasts, lunches,
and dinners for them every ,
of their little: liv es, and
all thrived
=U Bur gress what? Asn my
children’ gor bigger, they:
“earned how ta-open the."
fridge and cupboards for
‘themselves. They got bus

“Shannon
_ Humphreys

Close to
home

with all kinds of activities,
and picked up the habit of”
grabbing the quickest source
of energy they could on the
fly.

They snubbed my fruit
and vegetable : Snacks, and
started putting pressure 05
me to buy naughty things

“Pizza Hut,
Subway, Burger.
_ King, these are
far less depre essing”
“mealtime
expe eriences

forme

. | .
like Cheezies-and cookies and
those delightful; creany little
chocolate puddings. | even-
tually buckled, F mean, for
erving out loud, Pm only
human and have vou tied.
those puddings? hey're deli-
cious.

As we all vot busier and
nore independent our good
eating habits began to disap-
“'pear.to the point where if
managed. to sneak something |
‘healthy i into at leasrone meal ”
‘a day, usually dinnertime, 1)

“s figured I was: doing OR: |’
turned to cat mouflaging veg

remove all identitiable chunks:
tet plane matier and dadling 07.

Unick cheese suive over anys -
thing green. Burt felt fb was

‘ fivhting dtosing bane.

i And then the worst possi-
“ble thing happened. We

“gnoved inte a house dat had

‘bomato

a kitchen bar in ir. .

You know what Pan ilk:
ing about, tat space of
counter so-popular nowadays
where people can congregate
oa barstagls to. keep the COOK
company while she works,

in theory (and in homes
where there are no checky

:children} the kitchen har is a:

reat idea.

Bat for my family the
Kichen bar has only served
terunderming my eamest
efforts to feed my family
properly.

Here's how it happens: In
our home, dike many, the

* kitchen is the main ACtiVELY

centre for the family. In the
half-hour before dinnertime, ,
my children gradually con-
gremate at die bar. The con-
versations fo something like
this:

First kid comes in, sits
down at the bars F sayy “Se,
how was your dav?"

Kid: “Fine. What stinks?”

Me: “Nothing, just saute-
ing some onions in-burter for
spaghetti sauce, Doesn't it
sinell good?”

‘Rid: “Gross. I hate
onions,”

Second Kid sidles up.te
the bar, says: “Ooo sick,
what is. that horrible sinel?™

Me: “Spaghetti sauce.
Doesn’tit smell yummy?”

Stcond Kid: “Are there

going to be tonratues in ie”

auce is all

Me: “Spagherti.
makes

‘That's wh

it red.”

Both Kids! “FU have my
spaghicizt plain, thank vou:

Fortunately ny third kid
is Cating dinner at someone
else's house,

Lam sick af the heckling
atthe har. fs se painful that
at times [ve had to give up
cooking, entirely.

Pizza. Hat, Subway,
Burger King, these-are. far
less depressing mealuime
experiences for me. Besides,
when f feed the people in my
family at the bar, PF endup
SI anding by like-a short order
Waitress, filling orders for

~ milk and. bottles of ketchup

and mopping up in between
shifts. | never get a-chance to
sit dawn and enjoy my own
meal.

And another thing. I
know mealtime is supposed
to be a special time for every:
one to get together and dis-
cuss the day's events over a

‘hearty meal, but it simply

doesn't work i in our busy’
family.
Dinner is ongoing, from

Drop a hint
this. Christmas!
st Hither you arvon file at...

1637 Lonsdale hve,
North Vancouver

, 1730 Marine Dr.
West Vancouver
Your Name :
Your Tel #2

“Pawould Love For Christmas.
“Description 9 | Stack =

Sener rareeases

Da ceseeaeeeesmetecucneeees
- ‘

=
a

Frida

'

i - / ‘
about 5 pam. io Y pam. And

when it Comes to preparing

something that es both

healthy and can withstand sit-

ting ay the tute for four
hours, choices are timited.

Those nitty frozen pasta
dishes look convenient
enough to be appropriately
healthy ona hectic Tuesday
night. Ml tell you.

So ne more fingerwag-
ging at us mothers, 1 say.

The real reason today's
kids have poor cating, habits

“All services
"fully warranty
approved

‘Oil, Lube & Fitter
<2 at Safety chock, 15 minutes - FAST!
“inctudes up to 5 tres of 1Ow3O Quakerstate
; 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115
eae ey Sun, 8.00ar-5 Ope ‘

is not thatwwe aren't trving (a
feed then properly. [rs that
we're all serv bis we can't
compete with fastfood, our
Kids eventitaliv ger old
chough to make cheices for
themselves, and sane idiot
architvet invented the Kitchen
bar. ‘
dy the wat, diose little
puddings [ referred to carlier
are really best served witha
couple of cookies and a cold
beer,

— bumpérstibe vipa ticn.ca

poe Dec. 288