Being a parent is a challenging job. You always strive to make the best decisions for your children, but external forces often conspire against you. For instance, you want your kids to develop a healthy diet so they can grow up to have long, disease-free, and productive lives. However, the food industry is actively working to undermine your efforts. It’s tough to combat the food industry because they have substantial resources that you, as a parent, likely don’t have. Nevertheless, understanding their tactics can be a valuable starting point.

There aren’t many recent statistics on how the food industry markets to children. Most of the studies conducted are nearly a decade old, which means they don’t even consider the significance of online and social media marketing that children encounter daily.

Here, however, are some statistics provided by the Prevention Institute:

The Marketing

• The food and beverage industry spends approximately $2 billion per year marketing to children.
• The fast-food industry spends more than $5 million every day, marketing unhealthy foods to children.
• Kids watch an average of over 10-16 food-related television ads every day (averaging 4,000 per year).
• Nearly all (98 percent) of food advertisements viewed by children are for products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. Most (79 percent) are low in fiber. 

The Effects

• Nearly 40% of children’s diets come from added sugars and unhealthy fats. 
• Only 21% of youth ages 6-19 eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• A mere 12% of grains consumed by children are whole.
• One study found that when children were exposed to television content with food advertising, they consumed 45 percent more food than children exposed to content with non-food advertising.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children encounter approximately 40,000 ads annually across various media platforms, with a significant portion … around half … being for food-related products. Out of these 20,000 food ads, which constitute approximately 55 daily exposures, less than 3% are dedicated to promoting healthy food options.

While television ads constitute a relatively small percentage of the total food ads children encounter, their influence is considerable. For instance, a daily 80-minute viewing of cartoons exposes children to over 800 ads for fast food restaurants in a year.

 How Parents Can Level the Playing Field

The first step in ensuring children have a healthy diet is to lead by example. Children are naturally inclined to imitate adults, so the most significant action parents can take to create a healthy nutritional environment is to eat the right foods in front of them. Since parents cannot be present with their children 24 hours a day, a good example can be set at the family dinner table each night. By serving healthy foods at home and eating together as a family, children can observe their parents eating healthier foods like fruits, vegetables, and beans.

Other tips include:

• Praise choices that are healthy – When children choose fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or low-fat dairy as a snack, let them know they’ve made the right choice.
• Get kids involved in cooking – When kids help in the kitchen, they’re more likely to eat what they’ve helped to make. It also gives parents time to teach their children the benefits of healthy eating. 
• Stock-up on healthy foods – Younger children can only eat what is in the house! Keep fruit visible and keep nuts or granola around on which to snack. 
• Steer kids toward healthy options – If you only have healthful foods at home it will be easy to offer tortilla chips instead of potato chips or to redirect their attention away from candy and toward a sweet fruit like strawberries or mangoes.      
• Don’t put restrictions on junk food – Nothing is more tempting to a child than something they feel is forbidden. Once a week, make a healthy pizza and let them know that moderation in eating junk food is the key. 

Additionally, Today’s Parent magazine suggests avoiding ads whenever possible. With ad-blockers and ad-free streaming services, shielding your kids from ads is easier than it’s ever been. They also suggest talking to kids about the role of advertising, addressing specific ads whenever possible. Another suggestion is to ask your children questions like, “Do you think real athletes drink sports drinks?” and “Do you think (whoever they admire) eats a lot of fast food?” 

The most crucial food tip is to prioritize nutrition above all else. Remember, food is essential for our well-being and survival. Instead of viewing it as a mere chore to be done three times a day, approach it with a deeper understanding of its role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As your children grow older, they will greatly appreciate your guidance and the positive impact it will have on their lives, ensuring they lead illness-free and fulfilling lives.