Food Politics

“Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston who directs the Center on Media and Child Health, said that with media use so ubiquitous, it was time to stop arguing over whether it was good or bad and accept it as part of children’s environment, ‘like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat.’”

Did you know we were supposed to stop arguing over whether the foods kids eat are good or bad? I thought that was still on the table. This guy’s just made your life a lot easier!

[...] in Daily life, Education, Health, Science at 10:57 am by LeisureGuy Marion Nestle at Food Politics: I keep saying that you don’t need complicated theories to explain childhood obesity.  Just [...]

Maybe kids are always hungry because the foods we’re feeding them are devoid of nutrients (sugar, grain, sugar, grain) aren’t actually satisfying their hunger.

Gets back to: are children growing because they’re eating, or eating because they’re growing.

Give ‘em some real fat and real protein and some nutrient dense veggies and cut the processed carbs (sorry Ms. Steinhauer, your baked goods aren’t helping) and you won’t have this issue.

Well, not surprising when playing a video game replaces physical activity nowadays. What happened to going outside for a walk, riding a bike (not a Wii bike..!), or learning to play a real game that requires skill and physical movement and coordination. I don’t get it. I got the first Nintendo unit that came out as a gift when I was middle school, and sold it to a friend within 6 months. It was boring…I just don’t get the fascination. Real life activity, and the world awaiting you everyday outside your door is so much more interesting. It will be interesting to see the health assessments and emotional sensibilities of these digital kids as they grow into adults.

I read the snack article, and it’s true, Americans have increasingly supplemented the healthy diet with tons and tons of unhealthy snacks. Kids expect snacks for almost all good deeds they do, at almost all sports games, and of course in school and at home. Kids who are always snacking at a young age will carry this habit into adulthood. Particularly when people reach adulthood, it’s not always healthy snacks that they reach for. Instead, mindless eating causes people to reach for the chips and other empty calorie filled junk.

Of course there’s the issue of what kids are choosing to eat, or what their parents are choosing for them to have access to, but there’s also the fact that most parents don’t feel safe letting their kids outside anymore. In fact, some parents who do are being visited by social services for possible neglect! There are some huge and seemingly insurmountable societal issues at hand. How do we get back to making “outside time” the norm? Are any communities having successful programs or initiatives that reverse this depressing and insidious trend?

Please share! I could use some happy stories!

[...] “No wonder kids are gaining weight.” But they aren’t, see above. (Where’s that sarc-mark when you need it? [...]

@Jennifer

I share your alarm. There are a number of children in my immediate neighborhood, but the only reason I know that is that I occasionally see them being strapped into their car seats. The play set in the back yard gets only very occasional use. One man told me (with the greatest pride) that he walks around the block “every day, but the kids won’t go most of the time”. This is a very safe area with a parkway running through it; lots of trees, good sidewalks. The only walkers are older people with dogs. I see a few families in the summer, but the child is always in a stroller–not walking–even if he/she is four or five years old!

When my youngest child (now 23) played soccer, I was assigned to bring “juice and snack”. I brought a jug of water and some sliced apples. Needless to say I was told off and accused of being “cheap” and “uncaring” (as though I had refused aid to starving third world children).

None of these trends show signs of abating. Younger parents have now grown up this way themselves. I have floated the idea of “walking groups” (adult escorts to organized groups of children to walk to school) and have read about a few communities doing this, but it has become a status symbol to drop the kids at school or bus stop in the SUV, so I don’t see this becoming widespread.

The odd thing is that many of these children are NOT fat–yet.

Curious.

I wonder if there would be such tsking and finger wagging if kids spent as much time reading books and studying. Both sedentary activities which would predispose to blubbery fatness.

Methinks there’s always a lot of puritanical moralizing in these ‘studies’.

Be careful to separate the ‘preaching’ and ‘soapboxing’ from the actual science and facts.

People can’t even visit the doctor these days without snacking in the exam room. I recently had a patient’s wife and son break out a large bag of chips and 2 sodas and start eating/drinking while I was trying to examine the patient. I had to ask them to please stop crunching the chips so I could hear the man’s heart with a stethoscope.

kids r fat?! what, this is a revelation ? look @ their parents ! 4 heavens sake almost 70% of america is fat. we dont need more programs or govt help. we need people 2 care enough about their own health & the health of their families 2 make proper decisions. only then will they ignore the rampant stupidity,hypocrisy & propaganda they r bombarded with every day. we all live in the same world. some people care about health & fitness,workout regularly,& r always seeking 2 improve their diets & learn more. other people make excuses & eat crap because “it tastes good”,just like children. how can they possibly teach their kids anything about health & nutrition-they bhave like kids themselves. if this country was really serious about obesity we would hav mandatory nutrition education startin in grade school,& half the crap that is served in school cafeterias would b in the garbage where it blongs. i kno 4 a fact that hot dogs,chips,cold-cuts,candy cereal & sugar infused breakfast bars r served in my area. what part of healthy nutrition is this ?! mandatory nutrition education by committed people is an idea whose time has come. who cares if u kno about the middle ages if u dont even kno how 2 eat. which 1 of these is goin 2 keep u alive?!

Okay – Now everyone has complained and commented. Let’s look for some solid behaviors to support parents who may need help:
1) kids need protein before they walk out the door in the morning. Eggs and toast or a decent cereal or oatmeal.

It’s shocking how much kids eat. They have far too many snacks on top of their three meals a day.

It all comes back to the same simple stuff, doesn’t it? Eat less (and make most of it real food) and move more.

@ ET Addison: I really DO think reading & playing computer games are different. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and even today I dedicate hours and hours of every day of my life to reading, and I have never had weight problems. I couldn’t tell you why, and obviously it’s not scientific evidence, but my childhood friends who spent hours in front of the TV were always heavy. I can’t explain it, but I think sedentary activities are very often deeply psychologically different. In addition to my hours of reading, I’ve also always been active, whereas those TV-watching friends didn’t so much as walk their dogs.