I grew up very poor as did my mother. I feel lucky in that my children are
not nearly as poor I was. That being said, I have a different set of friends
now then I did in College, when I go to visit my friends from college I am
appalled at their common American diet. It contains Tang, or kool-aide
rather than real juice, almost always processed meats such as hotdogs and
bologna, white bread or the like never whole wheat or other flours, chips of
some kind and maybe some carrot sticks. 

 

For dinner they eat things such as hamburger helper, soda pop and a canned
vegetable. This is a typical diet, and from what I have seen of those who
are poor and not taught nutrition they do choose the chips, the pop, the
beer, the kool-aide, and lunch meats. It is a very sad thing to see that all
of my aunts (6 of them) have raised their children this way, my mother was
the only one with a garden. 

 

It always drove my mom crazy to see other people in line with their food
coupons buying the garbage mentioned. But that seems to be the way it is,
processed foods are fast, easy and really from what I see much, much cheaper
than whole foods, let's not even talk about organic or hormone free prices. 

 

On a breastfeeding note none of my aunts breastfed ever, my mom was the only
one to breastfeed 5 children. Of my college friends they all tried
breastfeeding, some had insufficient supply and some of them their husband's
didn't like it so they quit. The fat cousins (there are over 20 cousins) are
those who eat for comfort. Most of them  have bad diets, including some of
my sisters, but those who eat for hunger don't have the problems with weight
that those who eat for comfort do. 

 

Now that being said I will still pull out that box of mac and cheese every
once in awhile, and we have pop a few times a year with some chips. We too
had the typical diet, but have worked very hard (my husband and I) to change
the way we eat and to feed our children more nutrient rich foods. 

 

Heather Shelley CD, LCCE

Midwifery Student MCU

Washington State, USA 

 


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