There can be no doubt that families today lead very busy lives, often juggling work with school schedules and extracurricular activities. And while many discussions take place on the challenges that busy moms face, there is less of a focus on busy dads, even though they often face similar challenges as their counterparts. In fact, almost one in five (18%) children have a father as their primary caregiver, according to one stat.
No matter the family structure, it’s very clear that dads play a huge role in helping kids develop healthy eating habits. Research has shown that fathers play a huge role in their children’s development and well-being, especially concerning diet and nutrition, exercise, play, and parenting behaviors, such as reading and discipline.
Mark Elkman, one of the founders of Mighty Yum sums this up by stating, “Dads, and parents in general, are the biggest role models a kid has. You don’t hear all about nature and nurture for nothing. It is from a parent where kids learn their behaviors, their habits, their philosophies, and their ideas of right vs. wrong. If parents encourage wellness from a very young age, kids will associate that with the behavior they should implement into their lives.”
And there is perhaps no other time when kids need good influences to create healthy habits than now. Childhood obesity is an epidemic affecting the lives of millions of children around the world, and rates are especially high in the United States. Consider the following statistics:
- 3.4% of children ages 2 to 5 have obesity
- 20.3% of children ages 6 to 11 have obesity
- 21.2% of children ages 12 to 19 have obesity
One of the best ways to overcome these health challenges is to incorporate a plant-based diet into your child’s life. While it doesn’t have to be 100% plant-based, adding more fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to improve eating habits, which can reduce the risk of childhood obesity. But healthy eating is also more than just avoiding obesity. Having your kids eat healthy improves their dental health, cognitive ability, and focus. When you eat healthily, your body is thanking you all around. Eating meals full of fuel you need to get through the day and perform your best can help your kids get the most out of their days and continue to set them up for success.
With these challenges in mind and consideration for parents’ busy lives, the founders of Mighty Yum sought to create healthy meals that are quick and easy to provide, even on the go. The founders noticed a lack of healthy options when shopping for convenient meals. Sure, many quick meals are available, but they are often loaded with sugar, salt, fat, and processed meat, all of which increase health risks for children and adults alike.
As Howard Panes, co-founder of Mighty Yum says, “We realized how corrupt food has become and how dangerous it can be to form unhealthy habits at such a young age.”
And this rationale led to the creation of Mighty Yum, which offers a plant-based twist on lunch kits for families on the go. Mighty Yum meals offer superfoods in every bite, ensuring meals contain the necessary nutrients to keep kids healthy. On top of the nutrition, Mighty Yum products include many meals that kids love, such as turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, and pepperoni pizza.
Adding Mighty Yum meals or other plant-based meals to children’s diets can provide them with many benefits, such as:
- Providing them with the necessary nutrients they need to grow while reducing the amount of sodium, sugar, and carbohydrates they consume.
- Improving cognitive function and focus.
- Providing a steady source of the right amount of energy to prevent dramatic swings in their energy related to excessive sugary or carbohydrates.
The reality is it’s incredibly hard to make healthy choices for one’s family when the parents are constantly busy. But Mighty Yum is here to offer a more nutritious alternative to current convenience meals. And having this option is a great way to incorporate the plant-based mixture of nutrients needed to help kids mentally and physically. Mighty Yum can help reduce obesity rates and ensure that kids grow strong and eat healthy!
Featured photo Photo by Yan Krukov
