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.

[Piffle]

I agree that basic food education and preparation of simple but nutritious meals are vital in school.
I have really encouraged my ds (12) to cook - he can hand make pasta and do carbonara sauce, make sticky spare ribs, make a casserole etc
He had a load of friends around the other day and they were wanting some snacks so ds digs out the hummous and breadsticks
Not one of the 3 other boys knew what hummous was. I though hummous was really ordinary common stuff, we eat tons of it.
I am going to train to become a dietitian and wim to work with uneducated parents in order to improve their diets.
I really really am deadly passionate about food making a difference to kids lives.

[Bozza]

Oh no - I am now feeling guilty for allowing my kids to have one petits filous a day. I buy these because they are full fat and without artificial additives and not a character. I realise they have lots of sugar in, but as Bugsy says about the cereals - on petits filous a day is not going to make them obese. They have them for breakfast after a bowl of ready brek/weetabix/porridge - these along with bran flakes and rice krispies (usually stocked for cooking with) are the only cereals on offer. Ordering my shopping today - maybe I should look at what is on offer in the virtual yoghurt aisle...

[cathyspam]

DH and I are both overweight and have been since childhood so I am constantly worried about what to feed DS's. I think they have a pretty healthy diet with lots of home cooked food and fruit/veg but am always shocked by what other people feed them when babysitting - my Dad and MIL let them constantly snack on chocolate bisciuts etc and I had a huge fall out with my Aunty (who is not the brightest!) She gave DS1 white chocolate before he was weaned and make him really sick! A few months later and after a 'chat' she gave hime takeaway curry and gave him diahorrea! Followed another 'chat' then she had him again and let him drink a whole can of pepsi and he was up all night throwing up! This caused a bit of a fall out and she doesnt get to watch him anymore. I wonder why her 14 year old daughter is obese and has terrible health?

[uwila]

Children learn more from we do than what we say. The best thing we can do for our children's eating habits is to sit down with them and lead by example.

If one parent is having a bag of crisps and the other is telling the child to eat her carrots, of course the child will be thinging, hmmm thinkI'd rather have some crisps?

I think government and NHS can play role in teaching children nutritious habits. But once we are adults we are responsible for our own good/bad habits. And as parents we are most certainly responsible for our childrens' diets.

[Bugsy2]

I definitely believe in trying to set an example. I eat the same stuff as my children. Not every item of food in my house is completely healthy, we do have nasty chocolate mini rolls, jammy dodgers, petit filous and a few other things like that. However, they make up a tiny percentage of my children's diet and they both know that I don't eat them because I think they are unhealthy.
I know myself if I buy chocolate, sweets, crisps etc etc, then I'll eat it. I have no willpower! So if I don't have it in the house, I can't eat it & neither can the children. So simple!

[FairyMum]

I so rarely see obese children. Isn't this obesity epidemic slightly exaggerated?

Imagine poor Jamie Oliver's kids. They can never eat a bag of crisp in public....

[uwila]

I don't know. I know some fatties. And they are that way because they eat crap and don't exercise.

[Bozza]

That was my point at the beginning fairymum - according to the stats on average in a class of 30 children 4 will be obese.

bugsy - I am with you on the lack of willpower....

[spidermama]

I think shit food should be banned from supermarkets.

[uwila]

And I think it's ironic that NHS hospitals serve absolute crap to their patients. Hypocracy anyone????

I think schools should serve nutritious foods, Hospitals and doctors should encourage nutritious eating in overweight patients, advertising of junk food should not target children. And kid's food that contains nutrasweet should have a big fat health warning on the front.

Okay, getting off my soapbox now....

[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?

[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.

[Piffle]

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

[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.

[Bozza]

Caligula

[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.

[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?)

[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!

[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 ...)

[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...

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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