Tough And Izquierdo Summary

In this article, Paugh and Izquierdo wanted to understand mealtime interactions among dual-earner middle class families in Los Angeles, California. Paugh and Izquierdo’s main question is does the definition parents match with the term healthy match or not match up during mealtime interactions with their families. They wanted to understand the conflicts between parents and children over eating practices and if children are meeting the correct eating expectations. They examine food interactions to understand why parents have a constant struggle of getting their children to eat healthy food when their parents say they model a healthy lifestyle. Paugh and Izquierdo’s analysis shows the problems parents face and the compromises they make at the dinner table with their children. …show more content…
Paugh and Izquierdo looked at a study carried out by Oshs, Pontecorvo, and Fasulo and found out that Americans focus on nutritional lessons to get children to eat healthy food, but they also use this food as a reward, like dessert. Paugh and Izquierdo also looked at Wiggin’s study which highlighted the importance of examining family interactions about food and eating. This article analyzes everyday interactions at dinnertime and it shows that children negotiate and bargain for the unhealthy food that they would rather eat. In Paugh and Izquierdo’s research, they found that parents believe healthiness as eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and managing stress. Some parents stay they model a healthy lifestyle whereas some parents blame themselves for not doing a well enough job of modeling healthiness due to their busy lives. The case studies show what the family perceive is healthy and then the actual dinnertime interactions captures if they follow their healthy ways