Charles Platkin 9:06 p.m. PT Feb. 12, 2017
Charles Platkin(Photo: Handout)
The other day, I noticed an interesting advertisement in a New York City subway. The ad showed an upside-down croissant with a sail inserted to make it look like a sailboat, along with the slogan, WIND IN YOUR SAILS! FREE. HEALTHY BREAKFAST IN THE CLASSROOM.
At first glance, I thought it was an advertisement for a bakery. I certainly didnt think it was going to be an ad for schoolchildren and their parents, put out by the New York City Department of Education and Share Our Strengths No Kid Hungry campaign. Both organizations offer wonderful programs and often have a positive impact on healthy eating.
Thats why I was surprised to see this ad, and wondered if it was a mistake. If they wanted to capture childrens attention with unhealthy food, wouldnt they have been better off showing an image of a doughnut? How many little kids (in the Breakfast in the Classroom program or not) actually know what a croissant is? This is one of three posters created for the program; both of the others show healthier images.
First, lets take a peek at the term healthy. Under Merriam-Websters definition of healthy youll see phrases such as free from disease or pain or beneficial to ones physical, mental or emotional state; conducive to health. Not sure a croissant fits in here.
Its not that you cant or shouldnt have the occasional croissant, but what kind of message does it send to tell children and parents that a croissant is a healthy breakfast? It can be hard enough for parents to get their kids to eat fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. But when a croissant is defined as healthy by the New York City Department of Education, its essentially a stamp of approval saying that a croissant is OK to eat whenever. And while this particular croissant may meet NYC DOE standards, the photo doesnt tell us that. The reality is that a croissant can have as many as 500-600 calories much more than a kid should eat for breakfast.
There is a plethora of research demonstrating that images of unhealthy foods stimulate unhealthy eating. A meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews demonstrated that children exposed to unhealthy food images in marketing showed a significant increase in unhealthy food consumption. How many, for example, saw that ad and thought, Wow, I could really go for a croissant right now.
The good news is that there is also strong research demonstrating that images of healthy foods can increase the consumption of healthy foods.
We reached out to several experts to get their opinions on the poster.
Watch Out for the Nag Factor: Practice the art of saying NO to your kids when they ask for unhealthy foods at the supermarket, in restaurants or at home.
Warn Kids About Unhealthy Ads Ahead of Time: Warn your kids in advance that they may be targeted by food companies and others to eat unhealthy foods. This helps to offset the marketing impact. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976102/
Photographs and Images of Healthy Foods Help: Try hanging images of fruits and vegetables in your kitchen. Change them often.
Keep Fruits and Veggies Handy: If you have lots of fruits and vegetables visible and ready to eat, you and your family will be more likely to choose them over other, less healthy foods.
Veggies First: Always offer your kids vegetables first, when theyre hungriest.
When Introducing New Foods to Your Kids, Use the Familiar Along with the New: Try to introduce new foods along with a familiar one.
Copying Behaviors: Kids mimic the eating behaviors of their parents, teachers, siblings, peers and people they see on TV and in advertisements. If you want them to eat healthier, model healthy eating.
Dont be the Diet Police: Instead of criticizing, try showing support when family members actually eat healthier foods.
Shape Your Food: Make the food look good by presenting it in familiar, fun shapes.
Eat Healthy Meals Together: Sitting down at a table (no TV) and eating meals as a family increases the likelihood that your family will eat more fruits and vegetables and decreases the consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., soda).
Charles Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and founder of DietDetective.com.
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Diet Detective: What a NYC breakfast ad can teach parents - Reno Gazette Journal
