Childhood Obesity

[speedymama]

Just read \link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4756370.stm\this} and I must be missing something. Surely what a child eats is the responsibility of its parents? Unless you live in a cave 1000 metres beneath the earth's surface, how can you not know that too much junk food is bad for your overall health? How can you not know that a diet containing fruit and vegetables along with protein and carbohydrate sources is much healthier than a diet laden with processed saturated fat, processed refine sugars and far too much salt?
Isn't time that people stopped blaming everything on the government and accept responsibility for their own actions? Most of the meals that a child will eat will be in the home so the responsibility for their diet is with the parents. Fortunately, it appears that schools are starting to address the nutrition in the meals that they provide thanks to Jaime Oliver. Time for parents to do the same. There is plenty of free information in the library, health clinics, doctor's surgery, internet, TV, even the supermarket's free magazines are getting in on the act. In my opinion, too many people can't be bothered to feed their children properly. Please note that this is my personal opinion and it is based on what I have witnessed in my own extended family plus with friends and acquaintances.

[joelalie]

Hi,

new here so apologies for resurrecting an old post and then waffling on for ages...

I am not sure that my idea of eating well would square with everyone else's. I think that balance is what it's all about. I have a kitchen crammed with meat/fish/veg/fruit/pasta/rice and I usually cook from scratch for my kids. I also have oven chips and sausages in the freezer for use in emergencies - they would always have fresh veg with that. Usual snacks are fruit/cheese/ crackers /smoked sausage/ham/nuts.

However I also have chocolate biscuits and crisps in the house for school lunchboxes and other times as well. They got to MacD's on Friday's after school and they are also occasionnally allowed sweets or chocolate.

it seems to me that the think that gets lost in this debate is that moderation is the key. My children (especially DS#1) could eat for England....most of their diet is fresh home-cooked conventionally healthy food but on top of that they have a small amount of junky stuff. As far as I can see as long as the bulk of their diet is 'good' does it really matter if the extra bit is 'bad'? I don't agonise about what my children eat, I just feed them what seems to be a sensible balanced diet and similar to the one I had as a child. I teach them about nutrition and that there are no bad foods, just a bad diet. They also know that exercise is essential to stay healthy and happy.

So far all my children are very tall and slim and full of energy. Maybe I'll be proved wrong when they grow up to be fat, spotty, unhealthy adults but I don't think so.

I feel very strongly that it's the parent's responsibility to ensure their children eat well. But maybe everyone tends to follow their parent's habits and if they happen to be bad that's the example they will follow.

Kate

[WigWamBam]

A lot of people are very rude to obese people, ime - they think you're either thick or deaf so either way they can say what they like!

There is quite a lot of pressure to lose weight for health reasons, and an awful lot of people think that it's easy enough to do - eat less, move more. And it is - but it's not always the food that needs addressing. With me it's more emotional, it's my head that needs sorting out, not my diet. I know I'm eating the wrong things when I binge, I know it's hurting my body to eat them; common sense says that stopping should be easy but it isn't.

I do want to break the cycle with dd, and I have been careful not to make my issues with food obvious to her. I am trying to teach her that we eat to live, not the other way round - lessons taught early will hopefully be learned well.

[Piffle]

Thats very frank and quite brave of you WigWam.
Do you feel now with all the media pressure to force yourself to lose the weight for your health now as well?
I wonder a lot because my mother is very very rude about obese people and while I do realise that people (almost always) choose what to eat and thus the blame for their size can be laid firmly at their door... BUT For people who have psychological issues around food (and as former bulimic I have plenty of issues too btw) I wonder how easy it is to access the help needed?
I mean knowing what to do is one thing, take smokers for instance...It's complex indeed, but well done for making changes to the cycle WWB :)

[WigWamBam]

It's not always the case that obese families have obese children. I'm obese, dh is large, but I am more than aware of what constitutes healthy eating - probably more so than some slimmer women I know. Because I am aware of the health issues around being overweight I am very careful with what I feed my dd (and no, I don't eat crisps while she eats carrot sticks) and she is a perfectly healthy weight for her height. It is probably more important to me that she has a healthy diet and stays within a normal weight range than it would be if I were within the normal range myself. I'm also very careful to make sure that exercise is seen as normal in this house - we walk to school, we go walking for pleasure as a family, dd has grown up walking everywhere rather than being chauffered around.

What I chose to eat is my responsibility, and it's my own fault that I'm the size I am - it goes back a long way though. Until dd is old enough to be buying and preparing food for herself, it's also my responsibility to make sure that she eats well and healthily - the blame for obese children lies firmly at the feet of their parents.

[MrsBigD]

I like cake :)

[donnie]

it is definitely the responsibility of the parents - the problem is when the parents themselves are stupid and think skittle sweets are a serving of fruit etc.
People seem more and more inclined to absolve themselves from responsibility for anything and 'blame the government' whenever something goes wrong. Pathetic.
As for the poster who mentioned a 20 stone 12 year old on 'this morning' - my jaw dropped in horror at that.Who buys the shit being shovelled down his throat? who pays for it? who is in a position to monitor it?

HIS PARENTS

I sometimes feel people should basically be left to their own devices - let them eat cake! ( and indeed McDonalds!)

[uwila]

Note to self: learn to bloody type.

[uwila]

Ah, pizza tip: puree carrots and spinach, ad on top of cheese (if pixxa ready made) then add more cheese to hide it. Che will not be able to pick it off. If you make the pizza from scratch just add pureed veg to tomatoe sauce.

[MrsBigD]

[cowers away from Uwila] didn't say I was fat, just stated I'm a bit on the heavy side 1.60m/69kg is too heavy

dd will only have pizza with tomatoe and cheese anything else gets picked off :) so probably not all that unhealthy. But there are chicken nuggest etc, which I am currently phasing out in favour of plain chicken, fish etc. dd still eats it... douzed in tomatoe sauce LOL

[uwila]

Interesting, Compo. But, who drives those promotions. It is the food companies or the stores that sell them. I'm generally for free market, but I do agree in this case that advertising should be regulate. A bit like we don't market scotch to ten year olds. We should stop marketing crapp food to them as well.

[compo]

I think the supermarkets have a big part to play in this. They always have all the junk food on special offer, cheap as chips, and the healthy veg etc is never on offer. People would rather pay 99p for a pizza and shove it in the oven than buy all the ingredients for a nutritriuos roast dinner for example

[uwila]

MrsBigD, if you keep telling people that you are fat I'm going to beat you up... and then buy you a mirror.

People, she is NOT fat. HAven't met her DH, though. So he might be.

I don't think that giving junk food is a bad thing. It's how much you give that builds bad habits. For example, DD is allowed what ever kind of cookie she wants. But not until after she has eaten her breakfast and her lunch. I don't give white bread. I insist she have at least one serving of veg and one fruit every day.

And, pizza, depending on what you put on it, can be healthful. Lots of good veg can be stashed under that cheese.

[MrsBigD]

haven't had a chance to read the whole thread properly but do agree it's the parents responsibility.

Both dh and I are on the heavy side (dh more so) and junk (chocolate in my case) is defo to blame. Though I do cook dinners and always have veg and/or salad.

Funnily enough dd is skinny as! And from the few things that caught my eye I'm guilty of giving her junk... she gets chocolate rice crispies (she calls them scooby muslie) for breakfast but then again very often she just has a joghurt. Also she loves those chocolate cereal straws but she actually only uses them to slurp up the milk! ds then chomps that down after he's had his toast.

Pizza's are allowed for the kids, I personally don't like them. However I have noticed that if I cook a meal from scratch, no matter how basic, dd will dig in more than prefab stuff. I'm so glad I now have time to prepare dinners!

Also guilty of giving very small quantities of coke to dd... it started as a bribe to make her eat! I know not ideal but we were desperate for her to grow and put on a little bit of weight (she's 4yo and weighs 12kg!) and she always was so despreate to try mama's favourite drink...

On the other hand she devours fresh fruit and veggies, tomatoes, cucumbers and the like. Ds used to, but now he seems to prefer plain baguette, cheese, ham and MEAT oh and still likes cucumbers. And of course chocolate but he doesn't get all that much.

I shall now go and hang my head in shame

[flutterbee]

OK I haven't read all of this but feel very strongly about the subject so here goes.

There is no need for any child to be obese/over weight if a child is either of these then the blame lies with the parents and no one else.

To blame the government for this is just the biggest load of rubbish I have ever heard yet again we are trying to lay the failings of parents at the feet of someone else.

It is not difficult or expensive to ensure that your children remain a healthy weight, a balanced diet and excersize now last time I checked the balanced diet can be bought for a little as any junk food, it doesn't have to be organic or in fancy packaging just good old fashioned food, and I am sure that no one is going to try and tell me that it costs anything to excersize.

The problem we have is that people are LAZY people can not be bothered to prepare and cook proper food anymore (although there are quicker ways to cook healthy food now if you have a bit more money) and people can't be bothered to get of there backsides and go for a walk our kids learn from this and that is why they end up sat indoors playing video games etc.

We take the easy route and no government can be to blame for this, yes there may be some really stupid people around who don't know what a healthy diet is but those people will be about one in every couple of thousand. Do not believe that every fat person is uneducated because that is just not true.

I am very very fat and I am to blame for this no one else, I am taking steps to change this and my son will never ever become over weight whilst I am responsible for his diet and excersize.

It really is very easy.

Rant over.

[Filyjonk]

Have skimmed this but-

No, not everyone realises that garbage in = ADHD, getting fat etc.

I was til very recently a benefits advisor. (now SAHM) Specialised in sickness/disability claims. There is a meal preparation test for one of these benefits. The test is, basically, could you cook a main meal from scratch using fresh ingredients.

I'd say a good percentage of my clients actually did not know how to do this, ignoring any disability they had. Not so many older people (a few older men whose wives/mothers had always done it) but loads of younger people. In fact, I often had to start "Do you know how to cook?".

Supermarkets want us to eat processed crap. It is cheaper for them to make and store and sell, it has more value added. A lot of people either have little confidence, or are stretched to their limits, either way they end up trusting the supermarkets. Ie, it can't be that bad for us or they wouldn't sell it.

[Piffle]

Sugar is a saint among additives nowadays comapred with all the e numbers and sweeteners
With good dental hygiene and moderation, sweets are fine. I am quite happy to let my kids have sweets.
But Coke - Not under my jurisdication and ds 12 is that informed about it, he'll not touch anything fizzy at all!
We figure if 95% of our diet is sensible and healthy then the other 5% can be what one desires :)No way would I put turkey twizzlers and coke in a desire category
Gu chocolate souffles however are another matter entirely - I'd sell my soul down the river Styx for them...

[NotQuiteCockney]

But I suspect some people don't realise that Skittles etc are rubbish! I bet the thought is: if this stuff was that bad, would the government let them sell it?

(Had a strange conversation with one of the guys who works at DS1's school today, about how he likes a "man's breakfast". I hadn't realised breakfasts were gendered ...)

[moondog]

I agree Piffle.
I don't understand how people can't get that shit in = shit out.
People think I'm mean because dd is not snarfing confectionary (it is not chocolate,just sweet fatty brown stuff that they sell for the most part in the UK).I feel like screaming 'It's you that is mean,you silly cow!'

Bozza,I don't mind a bit of sugar. Nowt wrong with it in moderation,so quit feeling guilty!

[spidermama]

I think bozza that doctors would save themselves a lot of time if only they would concentrate on diet. It's clearly not their remit though, but why do they feel so free to slag off and undermine the people who are talking about diet. (naturopaths for example?)

[spidermama]

I too lived out that fantasy. I used to buy sweets when entrusted with my own pocket money, and when I left home for London I lived on burgers. That lasted for about a year then I went vegetarian and returned to all my mum's health food values, only MORE SO!

It shows it's worth putting the work in with your own kids. Hopefully if they do rebel it won't be for long.

[Bozza]

Caligula

[Bugsy2]

Me too Caligula. I lived out my fantasy for a while, until I started piling on the pounds. I have such a sweet tooth. Have to battle with myself on a daily basis!
It is all very well hoping that doctors give us nutritional advice but firstly, they don't have time with every patient. They have 7 mins to see each patient and secondly they do give it to overweight patients and the advice is nearly always ignored. Doctors will give out diet sheets and tell patients to eat 5 portions of fruit & veg and to go for a walk and it doesn't happen in many cases. Over-eating is usually symptomatic of lots of other problems which won't just be sorted with diet sheets and advice from a GP.

[Piffle]

And they make the worst food very cheap easy to store and prepare.
GRRR

[Caligula]

When I was a kid I used to fantasise about being an adult and going to the supermarket and just buying biscuits and puddings and sweets and crappy food.

I've moved on from that fantasy now, but when I look in some shopping trolleys, it's obvious that many people haven't.

[spidermama]

I agree uwila. I don't think I've ever had a doctor mention diet during a consultation with either me or my kids. Madness. They only seem to train in pharmaseuticals, ignoring possible root causes and prevention technicques. Then when we seek advise from, eg naturopaths who will look at dietary factors, the medical proffesion scorns us and the alternative pratctitioners. Who's really mad?