It can be pretty difficult to get your kids to embrace vegan eating when TV commercials are working overtime to contradict everything you say.
The case against TV commercials:
“And what are they marketing to children? According to Dr. Harris, the top four products are fast foods, sugared cereals, sugary drinks and candy.
Thomas Robinson, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, has studied childhood obesity and its links to screen time. In experiments with preschoolers, he told me, ‘even a 30-second exposure to a novel product, one that you’ve never seen before, changes their preferences for brand.’ ””
When we started this journey, we had five TVs in our house and the boys wanted everything they saw advertised on them.
Even though our vegan lifestyle wasn't the only reason we got rid of cable, I will say it made it easier to get the boys to eat vegetables and try new dishes once it was gone.
What Can You Do
*Reduce your child's TV time
*Send them outside like grandma used to do us-I know y'all remember those days. lol
*Play a board game or cook together
*Skip the commercials- DVR your child's favorite shows and fast forward through all the commercials.
*Be willing to say no to your child's demands-I know from experience that is easier said than done, but I worked overtime to get my kids to accept healthier alternatives opposed to the crap pushed in advertisements.
Do you think watching too much TV affects our eating habits? Leave me a comment below.
Further Reading (from quote above): How Advertising Targets Our Children
