Why are British kids fat?

[VogueVVague]

So time, two parents working, low budget/cost - all these things can result in ready meals being served up etc. but that still doesnt explain why, compared to the rest of Europe, our kids are the fattest.

So whats the reason?

Is it political?
Cultural?

Something must have changed for us and mot the rest of Europe in the past 50 years (doubt kids before 1960 were chunky).

Every single on this thread has "normal" size kids and enjoys tutting at others

They love the moral.highground and the faux outrage (won't anyone think of the children!)

I only know about 2 obese kids, out of the 100 or so I know

Sometimes I wonder what people get so worked up about

Such a sense of selfrighteousness on this thread!

What is the answer though? Supermarkets won’t stop selling unhealthy food and people won’t stop buying it. Governments can only do so much.

how is it self righteous to not overfeed your kids? It's pretty basic parenting isn't it?

Not just a British problem, most of the world has an issue with obesity. I firmly believe it’s following the creation of fast food.

The answer is to let people be, and eat what they eat.

No hectoring, no lecturing, no shaming

And how will that stop obesity?

Peanut you are joking aren't you? NHS at breaking point? It is all our responsibility to get on top of this problem.

I'm suspicious of how children are encouraged to have snacks at every opportunity. When DD was at home on her school holidays, she never needed a mid-morning snack but her school insisted I supplied one during term-time.

When I've got a bit overweight, it's cutting out snacks that has got me back down to my normal weight.

We've also lost sight of the value of straightforward playing. We used to spend ages playing a mixture of the old playground games, games we'd made up and the odd game of rounders. Now it's either organised sports, which not all children get much out of, or video games. People tend to be less tolerant of children playing too, with arsey neighbours' unrealistic desire for silence trumping childrens' need to let off steam. I'm not talking about teens booting footballs against cars either, I'm on about primary aged kids making a bit of noise playing a daft game in the garden before teatime.

Parents in denial: My kids aren’t fat, but one was flagged as obese in reception. We took a long hard look and realised we were rewarding her with food and she was constantly snacking. Changed how she ate and she is now normal to thin. Have heard so so many other parents (often at gym or dance or swimming where you can actually see the rolls of chub) getting angry after theyve been told the same and saying the usual ‘big boned/puppy fat/muscle /they’re so active blah blah blah. And then buy them a bag of sweets at the end of the activity. Yeah - one hour of beginner gymnastics aged 5 isn’t going to burn off that massive bag of crisps...

'I can only assume it comes from a place of being ashamed and wanting some reassurance?'

Maybe they are happy as they are, not everyone obsesses about food the way MNers do.

Maybe people with weight issues need to pay for their own insurance then. NhS needs overhaul anyway.

Most overeating is a choice, people are not helpless victims of advertising.

If that was the case, why isn't obesity at 100%

It's choices. People are free to decide what they eat and how much. It is then their own responsibility to deal with the consequences.

I don't think that BMI calculators are a accurate measurement. Kids are generally getting bigger, so many seem much taller than my generation.
I rarely see an obese child, I see some chunky, but not obese.
My own DS comes out as obese on the BMI calculator but since 6 weeks old he's been on the top centiles for weight, he's 4 and weighs almost 4 stone, but he is also almost 4ft, wears age 7 clothes and has size 12 feet. When he gets to school and they weigh him he will be marked as obese, yet he's tall and thin!

Sure it is a worldwide problem but I’d say it is particularly bad in the UK. I’m from Scandinavia and the children are noticeably thinner there and have better teeth for sure—

It’s too easy to blame people as the sole
Source

It’s a huge societal issue and people are only one part of the jigsaw

I agree with everything here - we can’t just fix this by blaming fat people !

It’s a deep grained issue and needs to be treated in the same way we addressed smoking . Education , taxes , and directly intervening with the businesses that sell us this shit

It’s not easy

A GP will tell you straight how bad Smoking is . We need the same bluntness for obesity

'Peanut you are joking aren't you? NHS at breaking point? It is all our responsibility to get on top of this problem.

The NHS is not 'at breaking point' because of this, it is because it's being strangled for funds and there are more and more and more people living longer and longer with complex health problems. Shaming, taxing, nannying might work with some vices like smoking and alcohol, but the thing about food is everyone has to eat.

The acceptability of 'oven foods' and kids food. They eat sausages chips and peas or fish fingers, broccoli and beans etc. You do not get that with other cultures. It's cheaper to buy veg from the market and in bulk carbs and make it yourself but we are a lazy nation. I'm 23 and shocked at many friends who live off of ready meals, oven foods and processed shit. Learn to cook, it's not hard.

The also don't walk anywhere anymore because nothing is local or parents are rushed.

We are snakaholics. Kids don't need snacks. Maybe some nuts after school or an apple but not anything more.

Also people say lots of takeaways in poor areas but takeaways are ££££, I could do 4 days of b,l and d for 2 adults or buy one takeaway.

I cook from scratch. No fizzy drinks. No crisps or biscuits in house. Limited sweets. Never fry anything. Never have chips or 'beige' food. Puddings = yogurt and fruit. My child is overweight. I'm not in denial.

When I dig deeper to find out why, I discover school allow sweets to be distributed for every birthday, event or fair. Dinner ladies happily dole out double servings of puddings, cubs give out goodies at the drop of a hat and well- meaning friends and relatives offer goodies as a matter of course.

Everywhere I look 'bad' food is distributed. It's really, really hard to prevent your child eating crap.

Excessive snacking. It's common to see kids in push chairs snacking and drinking fluids that aren't water or milk then it continues into adolescence where the kids can buy energy drinks and cheap crap from shops then into adulthood where restaurant meals are often 1000 calories plus before drinks.

Junk food is cheap and they provide a nice weather proof place to eat and drink.

'Maybe people with weight issues need to pay for their own insurance then. NhS needs overhaul anyway.'

Get real!

Takeaways in poor areas tend to be cheap. Much cheaper than cooking it yourself.

Its a v interesting debate. Im from across the pond and people walk& cycle a lot more. Lunch is a round of sandwiches& yoghurt and fruit.
Crisp& cereal aisles are tiny compared to here plus till areas arent stocked up with every large chocolate bar going.
Also water& milk for drinks and what is it with the crisps everyday obsession?

Across the pond you eat healthier? are you actually joking?

@lemonysnicket the takeaways in the poorest part of town here sell chicken and chips for £1.99, so cheap.