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).

Children’s meals in restaurants need a overhaul. Would be a start.

I think its the fact that kids are staying inside so much maybe due to the weather ?

When i first moved here i was living in a family area i was very supriced that i never heard kids playing outside with each other . They were families with kids at aimilar ages and they didnt seem to know each other . Where i come from those kids would definately be playing outside together each day after school.

People have forgotten or don't seem to care that chicken nuggets, burgers and pizza are junk food. Some kids get variations of this everyday with the excuse that it's all my kids will eat.

The answer is to load every meal with vegetables and be persistent.

In some European countries eating habits involve far more vegetables/fruit with every meal and for snacks and involve cooking food from scratch. They also do more exercise at school etc.

However Obesity and poverty are closely linked and the wealth-poverty divide in Britain is ever increasing!

There is a big eating culture coming over from the US. Every show has people shovelling food down their mouths with forks - not eating properly with a knife & fork
This
I was listening to a report on the radio recently about this and how it is also having a negative impact in other european countries their kids are getting fatter now too

The food on children’s menus wouldn’t be diastrously bad if eating out was just an occasional treat but it isn’t. And you see supermarkets offering free kids meals at after school times too.

Just back from France. No 'kids meals' in restaurants. Just the same food served to adults but smaller portion sizes

We so need this here. I have 2 Dds one 11 one 7 and dd1 really doesn't want the embarrassment of having to share her dinner every time we go out for a meal. She wants to he able to choose what she has without having to base it on what dd2 likes.

It's nice for kids to have their own meals yet unless you want to order the kids crap, sit there dividing up your meals between the four of you or buying an adult meal and wasting half you are screwed.

I also blame face book. It seems to be the thing to post pictures of kids sat in front of enormous pizzas and sundaes that would feed a family of four while everyone posts about how delicious it all looks and how much fun it is. No one ever says " shouldn't you all be sharing that mate"

What ever happened to those little silver metal bowls with 2 small scoops of ice cream and a wafer?

" I think its the fact that kids are staying inside so much maybe due to the weather ? "

sorry but that is just pure silly. We all played out, and guess what , it doesn't rain every day, despite popular perceptions.

I think a lot of adults just go into denial about their children being overweight too - no idea why
But when parents do admit it people make assumptions about them. As is demonstrated on this thread. It must be junk food, fizzy drinks, poverty, takeaways, lack of cooking skills, not understanding nutrition, helicopter parenting etc etc.

Snacking.... yes I believe this

We can't sit in the cinema for a film of 2 hours without a mountain of food...coke/popcorn/pic n mix

Can't shop without the coffee/cake

Bowling without burger/coke/chips

Mums in playgrounds with changing bag full of snacks

Theme parks....ice cream vans/burger places

Swimming pools with vending machines full of chocolate

Soft play offering juice/cafeteria food

In each scenario there's often a token fruit basket with shrunken looking apples there which nobody buys or cares about

I think the fact a lot of people live in flats now has a effect on the amount kids play out. In my DS class at school we are one of few who have a garden. When his friends come to tea he always wants to play out but his friends don't.

No mom

Sugar is now in everything.... even savoury food. I'm not saying 'sugar' as in a packet of sweets

No, Run, read the data:

iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Briefing_The%20Fat%20Lie.pdf

Note this conclusion : All the evidenc eindicates that per capitac onsumption of sugar, salt, fat and calories has been falling in Britain for decades. Per capita sugar consumption has fallen by 16 per cent since 1992 and per capita calorie consumption has fallen by 21 per cent since 1974.

Food consumption is also supported by the government. We don't pay a fair price for our food- so we can afford more than we need.

Fast food joints/supermarkets employ lots of their staff on a minimum age to keep costs low. The government then supports those families with working family benefits. If we paid a fair price for food, employees could be paid a living wage and reliance on benefits would reduce (in theory)

Coffee culture. Since when did we need coffee to get round a supermarket (Waitrose) or on the journey to work.

Food is seen a treat- so takeaway coffee is a little treat etc

When we went out shopping my parents never bought anything food or drink related! They had the argument ‘ I can make a cuppa at home and make a sandwich or cook dinner’
( I did have a miserable childhood but I was whippet thin!) 😀

Coffee culture.

But the obesity problem is not greatest in those parts of the population paying £5 for a coffee confectionary drink.

mom you believe some author but I believe what my eyes see and what my food tastes like

Must mix in a different society or something, most of the kids I know are skinny - my own age 15/17 are "normal" BMI 19/20.5, their friends are all similar. They are very into healthy lifestyles and meet up down the park to have a run or a cycle and do not eat at McDonalds etc, they are all into the vegetarian/vegan/raw foods - not many fast food places do those.

Currently Southern European kids are the fattest in Europe according to recent studies. UK is close second.

Not surprisingly, Scandinavian kids have the healthiest diets. They eat lot of fish and vegetables. Also interesting that Irish kids are quite slim. We probably should do what they are doing.

Snacking, when we were children a snack was a slice of apple..we had breakfast, lunch and tea...and maybe a slice of homemade cake and squash after school..One made on Saturday to last the week , looking back slices were thin as there were 3 adults and 2 children and 1 cake lol..

Larger portions, plates are bigger..pasta bowls...We had meals bulked out with veg...small portion meat...lots of veg boiled to a pulp the Sunday joint lasted until Wed rather like the MN chicken

Both parents having to work full time to keep a roof over their heads so less meals cooked from scratch.

Parents are more neurotic about kids playing outside. Add to that small gardens ...The new houses being built opposite...9 houses on space of 4 (2 semi blocks), gardens no more than 15 ft long certainly not big enough to run in...we played out only coming in for meals...riding bikes...running around...mass games of football..when was the last time you saw 20-30 kids all playing together without an adult supervising?

Kids ferried everywhere in cars. More cars on road so less safe for DC to get out on bikes..

Takeaways were once or twice a year, a greasy spoon café same (on holiday)

Eating out in a restaurant only special occasions...think I did that once when I was 17 when DM married..

My DGC go regularly for Chinese/Indian/Italian their DM carries snacks in her bag...they are never 'hungry'...so far not overweight children but who knows as they grow..

Has anyone noticed how much babies and toddlers are fed these days , my kids are big now but we have friends who have babies / toddlers and I have noticed that they seem to feed them all the time , sometimes I think to just keep them quiet .Its like one meal runs into the other(by the way I dont live in the UK but in Germany)
Also saw a thread here recently where many didn't think it essential that kids could ride bikes! I couldn't believe it.that is just a sign that many kids are just not outdoors enough.

I think a lot of adults just go into denial about their children being overweight too - no idea why

Yes, people are in denial because most likely they are overweight themselves and what is a normal weight for a child is skewed.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43838655

Definitely recommend the Britain's Fat Fight for anyone who didn't see it

Agree with a pp who said that eating is now a “hobby” as opposed to a necessity.

I think above all snacks are to blame. When I was a child (70s) there was simply no concept of eating between meals, except for maybe an ice cream on high days and holidays or the odd chocolate bar. Potato crisps were eaten at parties, and they were in a bowl. You didn’t scoff an entire family pack of Doritos in one sitting. And we didn’t drink anything, either! Some water if you were really gasping, or (disgusting) watery orange squash.

And in the fridge was only food that was a component of first principles dinners; there was nothing you could eat instantly, and if you did you would have been in severe trouble as it was that night’s dinner.

Agree that European countries are hot on our tail. In Italy children and young people are getting porkier: lack of movement and increased snacking.

I read on another thread that one mner puts fruit on the table and no one is allowed a dessert unless they eat a piece of fruit first.

I thought it was a great idea.