Irresponsible Advertising
Spaghetti with meatballs is as American as baseball and apple pie. Italians eat spaghetti and they eat meatballs but as two separate courses and in smaller portions than a typical restaurant serving.
It seems some restaurants will go to any lengths to attract customers. A recent ad for a local pizzeria features a young father with a huge smile and an infant holding garlic bread. Her face is covered with tomato sauce from chin to nose as if she had eating spaghetti like a pie eating contest. In front of the child is a huge tray with a few strands of spaghetti and more garlic bread.
The restaurant is promoting its affordable take-out spaghetti and meatballs with bread sticks. Leave it to Americans to promote pasta and bread sticks as an affordable, healthy meal to be fed to children let alone infants. Is it any wonder why American children grow up eating too much convenience foods, fast foods and processed foods?
Nowhere in the ad’s photo is there a hint of a salad or vegetables. Just pasta and bread made from refined white flour. A low fiber, high glycemic index meal.
Most Italians do not make a meal out of pasta. If you are feeding an infant or child pasta, introduce them to pasta with vegetables like Pasta with Cauliflower and Asparagus.