Junk Food

So... this article caught my eye.

I'm no psychiatrist, but I do remember what it was to be a child. I absolutely loved sweet foods, but even more so I loved salty foods. (I've always had a taste for the savoury.) I liked starchy foods like rice and potatoes, and meat especially if it was in curries or fried. I disliked vegetables and went without them as much as possible, but I would take the apples and oranges my father cut for me after meals. I also drank copious amounts of orange juice. It was like... manna or something. I wasn't too fond of plain water, unless it was chilled. I wouldn't drink boiled water.

As I grew older I started to see that vegetables weren't so bad. My mother always put chopped spring onions on my congee and noodles, so I got used to the taste. I started to like asparagus, beetroot and lettuce. Broccoli I still couldn't endure, but cabbage and cauliflower were good. I tolerated peas and onions if they were mixed in with a lot of other things. I was fine with kangkung if it didn't contain crystals.

When I reached my teens a big change happened, and by big change I mean a complete reversal of polarity. I started to actively like vegetables, especially if stir-fried. I'd go out of the way to get hold of unusual salad vegetables like rocket lettuce and baby spinach. Brussels sprouts were prohibitively expensive, but I did get to try them and I loved them. My opinion of broccoli remained unchanged, but I had to admit that curry leaves had an attractive flavour. I became fond of raw carrot. On the other side, my father became confused when threatening to withold chocolates did nothing to make me behave better.

I don't know what caused the change. Part of it may have been peer influence - when I went to camps and stuff, my friends would make grabs for the watermelon and papaya (I used to dislike both). Perhaps I wanted to be more like my father, who while old is fitter than many others his age. Part of it may have been instinct - it makes sense that a growing, active child would need more proteins and energy-rich food, while at adulthood the diet can become more balanced. And maybe, I had matured and was starting to make decisions for the good of myself instead of always going for what tasted better.

One thing I can be sure of - none of it had to do with being withheld from unhealthy things when I was young. I had plenty of chocolates and fast food when I was young. In my time it was still possible to buy a cup of Coca-Cola or an oily bowl of laksa from the school canteen.

However, while I still had access to those unhealthy foods, it was regulated. I considered it a treat to get a single square of chocolate per day. My father always sliced Mars bars into thirds - getting an entire bar was unthinkable. (I did get one once - as a reward for solving an entire workbook chapter of Maths problems. I was on cloud nine.) My mother would never allow us to have soft drinks in combination with healthy foods (something about affecting iron absorption), and fast-food was a rare thing.

Conversely, I was taught to like certain healthy things, from young. I have mentioned that spring onions were a staple on my noodles and congee. Whenever my mother deep-fried anything, she always made it a point to drain the oil on kitchen towels. She also used to spend a long time trimming chicken of skins and fat. (Misunderstanding the action, I once tried... washing a chicken skin and then eating it. Aheh.) Eggs were not allowed more than three times a week. I was given plain yoghurt when I was young - even now I prefer plain, sour yoghurt to the flavoured kinds. We were given lots of milk and cheese. Seasonings were used sparingly, to the point where I feel some kind of horror watching my friends stir-fry vegetables in copious amounts of oyster sauce. Coconut milk was vilified to the point that I can't still can't stand the smell of it, even today. And I still find it physically impossible to eat an entire tub of ice-cream at once - I was always taught it was wrong.

But perhaps the most important lesson came from some book that I read, and which I can't remember the title of now. It said that vegetables are not always good - they contain toxins, which can be just as harmful as cholesterol or fat. The key, the book said, was moderation and eating a large variety of foods. As I started to learn more about diet and nutrition through my Biology classes, the lesson was continually reinforced. It is not a matter of eating foods which contain a protein, a fibre-source, a carbohydrate source, etc. While carbohydrates tend to reduce to a limited number of monosaccharides, there are twenty amino acids, all of which are needed, and which are present in varying amounts in different foods. There are different kinds of fats (though all everyone cares about are trans- and cis-fats these days). And foods contain a frightening array of essential minerals and ions which can't be obtained from a single source.

I think the point of all this is... Suppressing "unhealthy" foods is not the way, especially when the definition of unhealthy foods keeps changing (*cough* margarine *cough*). Emphasising that there must be a mix of food groups doesn't help if it isn't clear that there must be variety within the food groups as well (lousy food pyramid...). And most certainly, implementing laws within schools which ban certain foods isn't going to work very well. It simply creates resentment towards the authority, and smuggling of contraband (and I thought it was bad enough in my time with all the chewing-gum trafficking and covert import of Coca-Cola in opaque waterbottles). The lessons have to come from trust figures - parents (and I mean loving parents, not the sort whose sole purpose is to be ATM machines), peers, likeable teachers, books and documentaries. They can't be forced - they have to come slowly, and be accepted slowly.

Furthermore there should always be substitutes to help the spirit when the flesh is weak. That's why I like the idea of fruit-juice lollies as alternatives. I'd also advocate small servings - ice-cream in small cups, or a small amount of fries. They help to ease, not suppress, craving, and build an ethic of eating such things in small, select amounts at a time. After all, there's evidence that some of these are healthy (in particular dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, and cholesterol is necessary in small amounts to maintain cellular function).

It is probable that good habits must be instilled early, and there is no time earlier than childhood. But forcing them causing opposite behaviour. Forcing, by creating laws or even rewarding "good" children with badges, may be easier to implement, but in most cases I'd expect it to be counterproductive. Patient teaching, ultimately encouraging children to make decisions on their diet by themselves, is what can cause a change.