I have hope for the future of food because I have hope for a new generation of taste buds. Yep, taste buds. They’re going to move the food industry away from the synthetic and processed nastiness that started taking over our grocery shelves way back in the 1950s—when Dr. Royal Lee fired several warning shots about what was happening to our food supply.
My friend Misti’s recent Facebook post about her daughter is a good example of what I mean when I say (or sing), “Children’s taste buds are our future”:
Mia currently went through an “I want to eat hot lunch” phase. I let her (even though I know that food is mostly crap). I picked her up from school and she is just in a foul mood, so I wondered what she ate or if she had actually skipped lunch. She said she had a cheeseburger, and then she said, “I don’t want to eat hot lunch anymore, Mom, I am pretty sure that it’s poison, my stomach always hurts after I eat.” I am telling you, clean eating is where it’s at if your child has problems focusing or is cranky.
Misti the mom deserves as much credit as Mia’s taste buds because she fostered her daughter’s palate through healthy nutrition. Parents build good eating habits when they cook whole food for their families and make sure their growing kids get all the nutrients they need. And since babies and growing kids need specific nutrients, it’s always a good idea to check out books like Super Nutrition for Babies, The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care, and Real Food for Mother and Baby. It’s surprising just how particular their needs are.
Mia’s taste buds know the difference between real food and fake food—and prefer the real stuff. Kids who only eat fake food can’t make that distinction. With the tide already beginning to turn back to whole, traditional foods and away from processed fake food, we’re on our way. But we’ll need a lot more parents, and taste buds, like Mia’s.
Photo from iStock/mediaphotos
