To be shocked at the level of obesity of British children?

[MEM00]

Having recently come back from holiday I found myself really shocked by the size of so many other British kids at the resort we were at. It was mostly a mix of British, French and German families and I found it impossible to not notice the difference in the British kids compared to others. DD is 8 and I would say average sized, by no means skinny. She made friends with another girl the same age by the pool, and i'm not joking when i say the other girl must have been twice the size when they were next to each other.

Am i overthinking this? Because it really makes me worry for the future.

This isn't intended by be 'fat shaming' in any way btw.

Many British people eat complete crap. The number of teenagers I meet who live in houses where takeaways are delivered several times a week astonishes me. Many parents are lazy cooks- everything is bought processed or as takeaway to be delivered. Sugary drinks are the norm.

The size of portions is also an issue.

I am sick of hearing about how it's cheaper to buy crap food and people can't afford decent food. I agree that you can but cheap crap like 40 sausages for £2.50. But many children live on pizza, KFC, MacDonalds, delivered pizza, deliveroo rubbish night after night. Cupboards are full of crisps, biscuits, processed white bread.

It doesn't cost more to chop a few carrots and a bit of broccoli and boil/bake some potatoes to have as part of a main course, or to make a salad . People just don't do it any more. It's considered old-fashioned food and children refuse it and are given ultra-processed rubbish that can be bought ready to eat that they will eat because that's what they are used to.

We're a lazy, fat nation that can't be bothered with basic cooking.

About 10 years ago tbf. It did change the way I ate at work though, and I tended to take in sandwiches after that, or buy something from the local deli.

He got hounded because when you've not got the money to feed your family - there's nothing to budget with. And cookery is all well and good if you have the facilities/the money for fuel/the ingredients which many families at food banks do not. It was his assumption that those at food banks were there as they just lack budgeting and cookery skills. Not to mention those things were often covered at Children's centres - the ones the Tory's closed down!

It can effect eye health (just on quick read) but does it lead to glasses for children?

What kind of prescription? Eg long sighted etc or other

Not just the UK, it’s the same in Ireland.

I was born in the 50's. When I was a schoolchild

Walked or caught bus to school. No parents drove their kids there or picked them up.

NO fizzy pop except at Christmas. We drank water or milk.

Sweets not eaten every day. Perhaps once a week bought from pocket money (6d pw). Same with crisps - they were a now and then treat, certainly not every day!

No junk food. Fish & chips perhaps once a month.

No ready meals. Far too expensive and for adults not kids.

Out playing all day in dry weather.

School sports were a weekly thing, as was swimming.

We were really strapped for £££ so mum had to cook everything from scratch as it was so much cheaper..........it still is.

3 meals a day. No snacks between meals usually (see above re sweets/crisps).

I don't recall there being a fat kid in school. Ever.

Sorry but it is absolutely a failure of parenting.
Kids now have too much of the stuff that used to be an occasional treat. It is entirely down to the parents who buy the shit and/or give their kids money to buy the shit.

Most children are sugar addicted (my own dc included, despite my best efforts, so no judgment!)
If you look at breakfast, the first meal of the day that we are all told we must ensure our kids get plenty of, many are getting sugar laden cereals or toast/ other beige carbs with sugary spreads. I really try to make breakfast continental style (meat and cheese with yoghurt and fruit.) It all goes off the rails a bit after that.
My own dc are forever badgering me for sweets and biscuits. Things that were an occasional treat to me growing up are now a daily privilege for many kids. I try to limit what they have but it's hard when it's convenient to let them have snacks (especially when they come out of school hungry and need something quick before football/dancing/swimming.)
Thankfully my dc are very active and an ideal weight (for now) but I do worry that with their sugar and simple carb consumption that their metabolisms and palates will be screwed by the time they reach their teens.
I don't have any answers but I'd suggest it is largely down to diet (just as with adults- you can go to the gym every day but if you're eating processed and nutritionally deficient foods then you're going to be constantly hungry and over eating the wrong things and you will not lose fat, especially dangerous visceral fat.)
I am trying to address this by making sure they get plenty of good meat, fish and plants along with the rubbish.

That’s interesting. I used to live in quite a deprived area and saw a lot of overweight families. I live in a much wealthier area now, and see far fewer fat people. At DD’s school there are a few overweight children and families, but they really stand out as unusual. A lot of children bring packed lunches despite school dinners being free, as the parents aren’t happy with the quality of what the school provides. Essentially, only the poorer families have school dinners, and children who aren’t doing multiple (paid for) sports activities outside school. I hate to say it (having grown up poor, skinny and snackless), but money really helps with being healthy.

You're trying to make out I'm competitively undereating? How original.

Do you genuinely get these meals? And telling me that the amount you get for 2 people is just a normal size portion?

I think you either don't get them or you have a huge appetite! And nothing wrong with that if you're healthy. But for the average person the portion is very big.

I think is a recent article published that children are getting fatter and shorter due poor diet.

Yes and their jaws have changed as they’re eating softer foods.

That is a real shame. Lots of people seem to take things to heat up around me but I think the culture can be very different in different workplaces.

French supermarkets have plenty of ready meals (esp. Picard the Iceland equivalent) and processed food, but people via habit and social pressure don't eat them as much.

The only people I've seen there having ready meals are older people living alone or busy parents who bring them in to work for lunch. The idea of an entire family each eating their ready meal at dinnertime would be unthinkable.

An interesting difference too is it's more difficult to buy just a single candy bar or small bag of crisps if you're out and about- you have to buy a pack of 5 then carry the extras around. If you want a single one you have to find a tobacco shop with creepy men. Plus the general social pressure of not eating between mealtimes.

All this is slowly changing though. Bakeries have started adding sugar to their croissants and baguettes I noticed when I was there recently too.

My family … churns out a mix. My many siblings, & their kids. Two types of bodies. All kids similar in fact participate in sports.

1. skinny ones
2. Chunky monkey ( chunky until about 16, they get taller and slim)

You would sneer at my chunky monkeys and their chunky monkey cousins. Then next time you see them at age 16 you would think .. those slim Europeans ??

Context is important and you really don’t know anything except what u think you hear in Language when the kids speak?

Totally agree. It is shocking and very worrying. I live on the same street as a primary school and see hoards of kids leaving school at the end of the day when I get home from work. I'd say the majority are very clearly overweight, some are obese, balloon-like. A lot of them are handed biscuits and sweets by their parents, immediately as they leave the school gates. I'm always surprised as I thought this was widely frowned upon and known to be bad for your kids these days?

I was in primary school around 25 years ago and can't remember anyone in my class or year group being overweight at all. There were a few who were taller and generally bigger for their age, but not overweight. It's really sad things have got like this for our kids.

DH worked for a well known crisp manufacturer and the UK is unique in Europe for selling single serve bags in the quantities it does. you only tend to see them in niche shops on the mainland.

I know in adults the evidence suggests that diet is more important in weight management than exercise, but I wonder if physical activity has more of a role for children than adults…. Which obviously is also linked to poverty and parental circumstances.

I’ll put my hand up and admit that my children’s diet could use some improvements. With a busy lifestyle they eat way too many convenience foods, and there are a lot of treats and UPFs. There is a lot of fruit and veg too, but I won’t pretend they don’t overdo it on the carbs and sugar. However, DD1 (11yrs) swims 6 hours a week, does 3 hours of soccer training/competitions, 2 running squads, and a 2hr gymnastics class each week. DS1 (9yrs) plays around 9 hours of his chosen sport per week, plus 2 team sports. If they were to eat the same amount without any exercise, they would probably both be overweight. Unfortunately though, it’s bloody expensive AND relies on flexible work noting my afternoons are spent as a taxi service!

I was just coming on to quote the seanfhocal 'Is maith an tanlann an t-ocras' (hunger is the best sauce). I think that's probably gone out the window these days. There could be a bit of boredom eating going on. It is very hard for people working ft and commuting, there are only so many hours in the day. And with kids often being in childcare for long periods, it's hard to know exactly what exercise they're getting. It is an issue though.

Statistically overweight children are much more likely to be overweight adults. This is not affected by context.

The time and money argument is rubbish. Put aside 1 hour on a Sunday rather than watching TV or doom scrolling and batch cook cheap, healthy food. A lentil dahl or casserole costs a lot less to make than buying cheap chicken nuggets and chips. It then just needs heating up during the week. And sorry kids, you might have to eat the same meal two days in a row. Suck it up.

There has also been an enormous increase in picky eaters. Many parents I know make several different meals for their kids or say that one can't eat anything other than x food so shove processed food in the oven. The kid has far too much power over what he eats.

Same with exercise. Oh he couldn't possibly walk a mile to school as he'll be too tired when he gets there. Or he's 12, too young to walk unaccompanied. Rubbish. Teach them independence and resilience. Poor parenting every time (and I'm aware posters might pile in and tell me about their child's anxiety or they are too nervous/young to walk etc etc.).

But the 'single serve' bags aren't even single serve now! I sometimes get my DC some crisps at the weekend and the bags are huge. I don't want to buy a big bag of crisps that will hang around the house. Just a small one that they can eat and it's gone! I know you can get smaller packs in multipacks but again I don't want loads of packs of crisps in the house!

Growing up, my dinners would consist of things like homemade lamb, or chicken soup,liver, and homemade chips, meatballs, and spaghetti, chicken, and rice dishes. I especially loved liver, and when my mother made spicy fish. We also ate pilchards with bakes,(fried dough balls). The usual roast on a Sunday, followed by homemade apple pie, or crumble, fab! My mother was always cooking, or baking. So it was just normal to me, and seems to be how things were, when I was young.

The bags are mostly full of air tbf 😂

That’s the only way you’ll get a bag that’s not full of crumbs!!

kids when I was young (the 80’s) ate a bag of 10p toms, space raiders or frazzles. All small bag, all probably the equivalent amount of food that’s in the normal walkers crisps you get these days (and maize based so fewer calories)

See how you think it’s a small portion but in reality it’s the same 1980’s portion.