are parents and family at fault for obese kids?

Whispered

Electric Sex Pants wrote: »

I understand what you are saying but the real problem is still whats on the plate in the first place, if the plate is full of vegetables and some good quality meat then you can pretty much eat all you want of it, especially veg. However when the plate is full of processed crap and carbs then that is where the "eat everything on your plate" attitude becomes a problem.

I think you're right in saying that what is on the plate is the most important consideration but I also think that no matter what is there, kids shouldn't be forced to clear a plate. I know this is anecdotal, I hate one certain veg and I know it stems back to being forced to eat it. I reckon loads of us would have similar It's a good idea to allow a child learn how to regulate their own appetite and forcing them to eat when they're not hungry only teaches them not to listen to their bodies satiety cues.

I'm not for a second suggesting that the uneaten food is wasted btw. If my fella won't eat the food is put into the fridge for later and offered again when he is hungry.

Similarly if he clears his plate and asks for more he will be given more no matter how much he had eaten. Their appetites tend to be much more sensitive than ours and change daily depending on their levels of activity and sleep, growth spurts etc.

I'm no expert on the subject so it's just an opinion but I think that offering your child healthy, fresh food, then trusting them to get on with it, would be the ideal.

Latatian

I think that if you make children think that they have to clear their plate rather than eating slowly and listening to hunger signals, sure, you're not going to make them fat immediately on plates of veg. But as an adult you're in a lot of situations where you have a plate put in front of you, not filled with vegetables, not portioned by yourself, and you need to learn how to eat as much of it as you need and then stop.

I struggled with that not because I was feeling greedy, but because I knew it was 'wasteful' and 'rude' not to eat what was given to me when eating out and to be grateful for it. I'm someone who is short and needs few calories, so if I am out in a friend's house, a restaurant, any of the other situations where you are served a plate of food rather than serving yourself, I need to have that habit of stopping. I don't have it: I find it difficult to stop if I've eaten less than 2/3 of the food I'm given, which is often still too much. And while I am working on it I wish I just had it drilled into me in the first place that it's not wasteful to not-eat the food on your plate that someone else served you, it's wasteful of them to serve you too much.

And we didn't even have that rule in place at home, as kids it only came into play when you were served food when out.
It might not be causing a problem now but it could be setting them up for problems in the future.

Chickarooney

Kids in general shouldn't be made to clear plates.

OK, you will always have the odd stubborn child who refuses to eat what you've given them, but they tend to be kids who've been given chicken nuggets and chips from age 2 and so that's all they now want.

Give them healthy food from the start and that's all they'll know.

Making a child finish a plate full of food when they're no longer hungry is stopping them from realising that you should stop eating when full. We then try to drill that into adults later on in life. "Eat when hungry, stop when full" trying to retrain their brains from what they were taught all through childhood.

OldRio

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Alright, so suggestions have included taking a hike and picking fruit, foward planning and making meals on days off. If both parents work full time, get home at 6 and therefore have about 2 hours before the kids need to be in bed, when is all this meal preparation, hiking and forward planning going to be done? On the weekends? I guess if your spending all weekend cooking for the week and shopping, there wouldn't be much time for that hike, or any other form of physical activity.

Those who are saying that healthy meal preparation isn't a chore clearly don't have a family who they provide regular meals for. It's certainly a chore and I imagine when you're tired and frazzled after a day's work, the kids are hungry, whiny and tired, the chipper looks like a pretty good option as opposed to getting straight into chopping vegetables the minute you get in the door and spending the next hour making dinner.

THIS is what is wrong with society today.

micar

My sister is a secondary school teacher in a girls school.

She cannot get over the amount of over weight kids in her school.

Went through the local paper. Had some pictures of kids at their confirmation. Again, large number of fat kids.

Purely diet and lack of exercise.

People see plenty of kids being active.

Seems to me that these kids participate in multiple sports.....running, soccer, gaa, swimming and rugby

Sheep in a field

If sweets and all that bad food are used as a reward it can develop bad habits.

If parents struggle with their weight then these habits may also be passed on.

There should be compulsory weighing every week. A scale can connect to wifi these days. The scale could be linked to a government database of people's weights. Fines could be issued where deemed to be overweight, this could be contested if proof that the weight was due to a high muscle percentage rather than body fat.

Alternatively a compulsory six monthly weigh in at your local garda station. Arrested at the spot if deemed to be overweight with a consulation with a diet/nutrition/fitness expert with compulsory monthly weigh in's after this. If weight not coming down fines and ultimately in some cases prison sentences should be issued.

Judge Trudy

Snacking is a huge issue with young children and beyond. I regularly take my child to my local parent and child group. Petit filous or other sugary yogurts, chocolate biscuits, sugar laden 'fruit water', packets of Skips, jaffa cakes etc are the snacks of choice. You would see children eating 4-5 snacks in the space of 90 minutes and it hasn't even got to lunch time yet. You would rarely see children with rice cakes or fresh fruit. Some parents introduce far too much sugar and salt into their children's diet far too early on. It's highly addictive stuff.

Then there's the junk food festivals of every special occasion such as birthday parties, communions, confirmations etc that are just an excuse to gourge on as much junk food as possible.

It just really disgusts me the absolute crap that parents feed their children. It's the norm now and I've had to fight with some people not to feed my child junk at every opportunity. Sometimes I feel guilty that I don't feed my daughter junk, that's how normal it has become. We need to get back go basics with home cooking, cut out the snacking and see treats as a treat that are to be consumed and enjoyed every now and again. I really don't want to see the condition of the next generation's health going by this one and how many extremely unhealthy people I'm seeing.

osarusan

Sheep in a field wrote: »

There should be compulsory weighing every week. A scale can connect to wifi these days. The scale could be linked to a government database of people's weights. Fines could be issued where deemed to be overweight, this could be contested if proof that the weight was due to a high muscle percentage rather than body fat.

Alternatively a compulsory six monthly weigh in at your local garda station. Arrested at the spot if deemed to be overweight with a consulation with a diet/nutrition/fitness expert with compulsory monthly weigh in's after this. If weight not coming down fines and ultimately in some cases prison sentences should be issued.

:pac:







:eek:

xzanti

It's not what they're eating. It's what they're washing it down with.

"I can't understand why he's so heavy"... while plonking out a big glass of coke.

really?

meeeeh

Judge Trudy wrote: »

You would rarely see children with rice cakes or fresh fruit.

I wouldn't be exactly fan of rice cakes. They taste of styrofoam and contain very high levels of arsenic. They are overprocessd rubbish and as such shouldn't be advertised as healthy option for kids.

http://qz.com/437630/your-rice-cakes-are-full-of-arsenic-says-the-german-government/

Keane2baMused

meeeeh wrote: »

I wouldn't be exactly fan of rice cakes. They taste of styrofoam and contain very high levels of arsenic. They are overprocessd rubbish and as such shouldn't be advertised as healthy option for kids.

http://qz.com/437630/your-rice-cakes-are-full-of-arsenic-says-the-german-government/

Agreed. Corn or oat cakes are a better option.

Electric Sex Pants

xzanti wrote: »

It's not what they're eating. It's what they're washing it down with.

"I can't understand why he's so heavy"... while plonking out a big glass of coke.

really?

Its both!! Water and full fat milk should be the ONLY drinks that kids are having. And even the milk should be used conservatively. There may be an exception to be made for home made fruit juice (made by yourself using a juicer). Anything else is just loaded with sugars and artificial colours.

The world has gone so safety crazy with kids safety to the point where some schools have banned running in the playground, yet there is no regulation with regards to what parents are feeding their kids.

Electric Sex Pants

OldRio wrote: »

THIS is what is wrong with society today.

Exactly, lazy parents who are full of excuses. Its not like its their childrens health they are dealing with.

Judge Trudy

meeeeh wrote: »

I wouldn't be exactly fan of rice cakes. They taste of styrofoam and contain very high levels of arsenic. They are overprocessd rubbish and as such shouldn't be advertised as healthy option for kids.

http://qz.com/437630/your-rice-cakes-are-full-of-arsenic-says-the-german-government/

Not all rice cakes are bad. Organic salt free rice cakes with a thin spread of hummus are fine. My point was that if you're to give your child a snack out of a packet, why not give them the healthier option, better than a packet of Skips.

edbrez

Kids should be given a bag of plain mixed nuts every week.

meeeeh

Judge Trudy wrote: »

Not all rice cakes are bad. Organic salt free rice cakes with a thin spread of hummus are fine. My point was that if you're to give your child a snack out of a packet, why not give them the healthier option, better than a packet of Skips.

As far as I know it makes f all difference to arsenic levels weather the cakes are organic or not. I doubt you would do much damage with either but I also doubt they are that much healthier than cracker and cheese. Only crackers are nicer.

Anyway my point is that there is no need to go all evangelical about food either. Even the healthy foods can be a bit less healthy than we think. And sometimes feeding kids isn't a straight forward task either and I dont think we failed as parents if homemade guacamole is not their favorite food.

mohawk

edbrez wrote: »

Kids should be given a bag of plain mixed nuts every week.

They all seem to be allergic to them.

Maireadio

meeeeh wrote: »

I wouldn't be exactly fan of rice cakes. They taste of styrofoam and contain very high levels of arsenic. They are overprocessd rubbish and as such shouldn't be advertised as healthy option for kids.

And even when it comes to fruit and veg, it should be more weighted towards vegetables due to the much lower sugar content.

Electric Sex Pants wrote: »

Its both!! Water and full fat milk should be the ONLY drinks that kids are having. And even the milk should be used conservatively. There may be an exception to be made for home made fruit juice (made by yourself using a juicer).

I think a small glass of not-from-concentrate or freshly squeezed juice a few times a week is fine.

Judge Trudy wrote: »

Not all rice cakes are bad. Organic salt free rice cakes with a thin spread of hummus are fine.

The salt isn't really the issue. They are high GI, refined carb rubbish. And are so very unpalatable. Give me crudites with a full-fat dip any day. Much healthier and a way more satiating snack. And I loved crudites as a childer, and I'm also someone who likes her sweet stuff. Kids are more adventurous than people give them credit for.

alan partridge aha

edbrez wrote: »

Sugar.

Is that you Ray

rsh118

Sometimes it's noones fault. I was an absolute porker because I was off into the larder at every opportunity, would have a couple of servings of tea and taught myself how to cook young so I could make myself more ****e.

My parents certainly couldn't have stopped me and I certainly didn't get an easy ride growing up!

rsh118

Sometimes it's noones fault. I was an absolute porker because I was off into the larder at every opportunity, would have a couple of servings of tea and taught myself how to cook young so I could make myself more ****e.

My parents certainly couldn't have stopped me and I certainly didn't get an easy ride growing up!

Andy From Sligo

Some parents need to lead by example. You can't be lecturing to kids of 10,11,12, teenagers about eating healthily if your a parent that is massively overweight and pigging out on unhealthy fattening food yourself

melissak

fima wrote: »

He does love her.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder. Do you know what it is?

There are studies that suggest that what is taken for fas can be caused by chromosomal damage to sperm from heavy drinking especially when coupled with cocaine abuse. Just a thought to ponder.

Sapphire

Melissa, do you have a link for that?

Keane2baMused

Sapphire wrote: »

Melissa, do you have a link for that?

There is truth to it. I studied the research within cognitive and developmental psychology.

Specifically in relation to paternal cocaine use, this has potential to have as devastating an affect as drug/alcohol abuse during pregnancy even.Cocaine binds to sperm thus can create developmental abnormalities at conception.

Having said that I'm not sure what MelissaK was getting to in her post.

melissak

Keane2baMused wrote: »

There is truth to it. I studied the research within cognitive and developmental psychology.

Specifically in relation to paternal cocaine use, this has potential to have as devastating an affect as drug/alcohol abuse during pregnancy even.Cocaine binds to sperm thus can create developmental abnormalities at conception.

Having said that I'm not sure what MelissaK was getting to in her post.

That it is not necessarily the mothers fault. Just read this in a magazine recently and thought it might give men pause for thought.

Wanderer2010

Whatever about the reasons behind the obesity epidemic, when people say that overweight kids face bullying, I cannot help but question this. Look at the statistics: a massive amount of kids these days are overweight and obese. It stands to reason then that a lot of kids in any given class are also overweight or obese. So who are the kids being bullied by? Fat kids bullying other fat kids? Obese kids bullying other obese kids. Being a slim kid is actually the exception rather than the rule these days so I say: Who is doing the bullying??

melissak

meeeeh wrote: »

As far as I know it makes f all difference to arsenic levels weather the cakes are organic or not. I doubt you would do much damage with either but I also doubt they are that much healthier than cracker and cheese. Only crackers are nicer.

Anyway my point is that there is no need to go all evangelical about food either. Even the healthy foods can be a bit less healthy than we think. And sometimes feeding kids isn't a straight forward task either and I dont think we failed as parents if homemade guacamole is not their favorite food.

Why is there arsenic in rice cakes. They taste like Styrofoam anyway. I think they are rank

Keane2baMused

Out of a class of 30 (aged 7-8) children in my sons class not even one of them has a little extra weight, they are all very slight!

Almost all of the children are involved in sport of some kind or dancing. PE is twice per week (they would like more) and they also do extra walks weather permitting (they had them out for a full hour walk last week)

The school has a healthy eating policy which seems to be rolled out in most schools now and the kids look forward to treat Friday! I cannot fathom the idea of children getting crisps and chocolate as a daily thing.

Interestingly enough though I was researching schools for my baby girl and on one schools 'healthy' eating policy they list cereal bars as a suggested food. Enough said there.

melissak

Keane2baMused wrote: »

Out of a class of 30 (aged 7-8) children in my sons class not even one of them has a little extra weight, they are all very slight!

Almost all of the children are involved in sport of some kind or dancing. PE is twice per week (they would like more) and they also do extra walks weather permitting (they had them out for a full hour walk last week)

The school has a healthy eating policy which seems to be rolled out in most schools now and the kids look forward to treat Friday! I cannot fathom the idea of children getting crisps and chocolate as a daily thing.

Interestingly enough though I was researching schools for my baby girl and on one schools 'healthy' eating policy they list cereal bars as a suggested food. Enough said there.

The same in my kids school. No overweight kids at all that I have spotted. They all do sports etc though.