In a back-to-school theme piece over at the Federalist, I examined the current sad state of snacking for American youth. It involves, among other deplorable facts, doling out Oreos at 8 AM and the inducement to near-constant grazing.
If you use such a moralizing tone about food, you are likely to be met with accusations of an eating disorder, but arguably objecting to such disordered eating cannot itself be a disorder. More importantly, complaining about snacks is less than half the battle. And it’s actually not a battle at all. Food battles bode ill for all involved, but a positive response holds the possibility of restoring order.
Order feels good. There is no guarantee of appetites aligned with virtue and total health and wellness when you get your three squares with minimal snacking. But there is a good chance that thinking more consciously about what you eat and whether it feels good will guide you to a better state of being.
Most importantly, let us give our children the gift of meals, those civilizing events held around a table where the flavors they experience can expand, their conversational abilities blossom, and they learn what nourishment is.
If you must snack, let it me some carrot sticks and hummus. No need for a perpetual feedbag of ultra-processed corn and soy byproducts. A better way is possible!
