Raising bi-cultural children

Our children were born in Michigan and Indiana, raised in America for a few years and in France for a few years.

Moving between these 2 countries shaped their relationship with food in ways we could not have predicted.

In the United States, food is everywhere - fast, convenient and designed to fit into busy lives.

Junk food is easy to find, easy to choose and easy to accept. When it is sold everywhere, it quietly becomes normal.

In a child’s mind, if something is available at every corner, it must be okay to eat.

(It goes without saying that people paid to market these food items are very persuasive and awfully good at their job and making these products attractive to younger kids is not helping).

In France, the choice was different.. Not necessarily easier but clearer. Food labels include a visible grade from A to E indicating the nutritional quality of what is being bought. There are also Apps that allow the consumer to scan a product and immediately show the rating.

Information is part of the decision, not something you have to search for.

French authorities closely regulate what can be sold too. Many additives, food coloring and ingredients commonly found in America are simply not allowed to be sold.

Nowadays, Europe is bringing some new laws that permit other European countries to sell products in France, that didn’t follow the same care in production. But this is not the purpose of this section.

I am not saying that people make always the right choice when it comes to what is in their plate but it seems that they have more tools to do so.

What matters is still how parents teach their kids what is good and make sense to put in the plate.

Does it mean that our kids - now adults and leaving in America - are making the right choice all the time?….. 😅