I don’t know about anybody else, but those were words I often heard during my early childhood days. They came from my mother, and she said them with quite an authoritative voice. But she was really just trying to teach me to eat properly and exercise.


We always ate at home and never went out to any restaurants, especially for fast food.
Being Italian, my mother cooked day in and day out. One thing is for sure: we ate good,wholesome meals, including a salad and fruit. Every meal was well balanced and full of nutrition.

Her other strict rule was to spend time outside the house being active in order to get  rigorous exercise. She set limits on watching television and prohibited sitting around the house snacking and doing nothing. Being outside with the other kids was always fun and adventurous. We used to climb trees, jump fences, play baseball, race our bikes, run through the fields and get our heart rates pumping. None of us were ever overweight.

After spending two or three hours a day — and all day on weekends — outside, I can remember going home and eating a bunch of fruit. It was great snacking on peaches, nectarines, bananas and grapes. My mother always had a big bowl of fruit on the table. Unlike candy or cookies, she would never put a limit on the amount of fruit I could eat.

Many kids are following in their parent’s footsteps. They are spending an increasing amount of time in front of a TV or sitting at a computer eating high-calorie snacks. This habit has totally eliminated any type of physical activity, and the kids have begun to gain weight. Overweight kids grow up to become overweight adults.


Industry to the rescue
Over the years, Americans have become very concerned about children smoking, taking drugs and drinking alcohol. However, it seems that obesity is not on most parents’ priority list today.

Did you know that the average person eats the equivalent of a whole stick of butter a day?
Adults and children are planting the seeds for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes by stuffing themselves with fatty junk foods and snacks. This lifestyle has become totally out of control.

The produce industry has been trying to come to the rescue by educating consumers about the many health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Teaching kids the proper nutritional eating habits while they’re young will get them off to a good start.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation, headed by Elizabeth Pivonka, has made an outstanding effort in promoting the 5 A Day concept throughout the country. Produce industry companies such as Dole, Del Monte and Mann Packing Co. have included educational material for kids on their web sites to help guide them in the right direction.


He continued, “We are trying to reach everyone from the government leaders, who are trying to pass legislation to educate our kids about the need for fresh whole foods in their diets, down to those who are responsible for the food that goes into their mouths. That might be a
parent, grandparent, caregiver, school or the kids themselves. We emphasize healthy eating, which consists of lots of fruits and vegetables everyday.”

Modern supermarkets are loaded with produce items grown in all parts of the world. The produce department offers the perfect prescription for a healthy body. Fruits and vegetables act as the vitamin pills prescribed by Mother Nature.

Hold on a second! The supermarket also acts as a battleground for healthy vs. unhealthy consumers. Shoppers purchase salad items rich in nutritional vitamins and minerals from the produce department. Then they offset it with greasy potato chips and high-calorie pizza from the grocery aisles. The battle goes back and forth with no end in sight. I call this hypocritical shopping.

So who wins the battle: healthy or unhealthy foods? Anyone can eat a nutritious, fresh-mixed salad, claim to have had their 5 A Day, then hours later sit in front of the television loading up on cookies and ice cream. What was the benefit?

There are many organizations in the produce industry that are working hard to get the message out to consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables for health reasons. However, the fast-food restaurants, junk food and snack companies seem to be doing a better job of enticing them into their corners. If we’re going to win the fight, parents need to get more good old-fashioned eating and exercise habits instilled in their children.

(Ron Pelger is the owner of RONPROCON, a consulting firm for the produce industry.
He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056, by e-mail at ron@ronprocon.com, or check his web site at ronprocon.com.)