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Eziaha Bolaji-Olojo: Saving Our Children Through Smarter Food Choices
By my son’s 6th month anniversary, I weighed a whooping 106kg, a figure I would never forget especially because I had weighed myself in a public place and the lady who took the readings gave me this ‘eyah’ look.
I didn’t think much of it really. As my son crossed the 6-month mark and I started to introduce semi-solids to his diet, I (and my very lean pocket) went shopping for canned baby purees and the likes. You know, those fancy ones that cool moms give their kids (bonus points if this is done in public where other people can see so that your Cool-o-Meter score is off the charts). It hurt my pocket real bad but what else could I have done?
As my son got older and more solids were introduced to his diet, it only made sense for sausages, fries, ketchup, noodles, and more to make it into our kitchen and ultimately my son’s plate. It was the normal (and cool mom) thing to do. Then there were the sugary juices and fizzy drinks that competed wholesale with his intake of water. Oh, did I mention the wide array of sugar-coated, multi-colored cereals that I bought because their ads had happy children enjoying them. Cereals for breakfast? Yes, please!
Now interestingly, something was happening in my personal health journey. By my son’s 6th month anniversary, I weighed a whooping 106kg, a figure I would never forget especially because I had weighed myself in a public place and the lady who took the readings gave me this ‘eyah’ look. (she was more concerned than judgemental though so no beef there). To give some context, I used to be a photography model and was actually a beauty queen in my University of Ibadan days.
Once the exclusive breastfeeding phase was over, I decided to start the journey to losing weight. As I made radical adjustments to my diet and lifestyle and saw incredible results health and weight-wise (I lost 30kg in about 4 months), I decided to also look closely into my son’s diet.
Before then, quite honestly, I was just going with what I thought was the norm when it comes to feeding him. At this point though, one thing changed the game for me – asking why!
Why was I giving my son some of these foods we considered ‘cool’?
Wait! Why were they even considered ‘cool’ in the first place? Who made them ‘cool’?
Why did I feed my son more of what came out of a pack (think cereal, noodles, sausages and other processed foods) as opposed to foods that came straight from the farm?
Why was my son drinking more juices and fizzy drinks than water?
Wait, where did the term ‘breakfast cereal’ come from?
Why couldn’t I give my son rice, beans, or yam for breakfast instead of cereal?
Hey, what if I gave him water only instead of any other drink in his lunch box?
Speaking of lunch box, what if, for snacks, we swapped all the biscuits for fruits only?
Why was I spending more on junk food in the content of his party pack than other non-food options?
Oh goodness! I didn’t just act any more, I asked myself why before acting and that changed the entire game.
They were such disruptive thoughts and as I leaned in, I started to unearth alternatives that were not only good for the now health of my kids, but also future-proofed them against this global health crisis that is unfolding daily. Of course, this has also helped my pocket as I became a smarter buyer.
It’s been about 9 years since I started to think differently about what and why I fed my kids and the results have been phenomenal, the biggest being practically absent trips to the hospital for one illness or the other.
I will be back next week, but let me leave my fellow moms with one disruptive set of thoughts – Why not ‘water only’? Why not ‘water only’ in your kids’ school lunch box? And taking it a disruptive step further, why not ‘water only’ served at your kids’ next birthday party?
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