Rise of Childhood Obesity

[Danoz]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/12/moh.kids.cardiac.problems.obesity/index.html

What can be done about this? I tend to think the vast majority of the problem is with parents. While I was quite the computer kid in high school, I also played football and spent a significant amount of time outdoors. More importantly, the food I ate was dictated by my father (a chef) who made sure most of our meals were healthy for growing boys.

What's going on here?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

 

[John Picard]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

Yep. One of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. That, and eating habits. I remember when "the fat kid" was a rarity in school, whereas now, it's the norm.

 

[Geckothan]

It's all the Facetubing and Youbooking, vidya games and TV. Kids can have fun without leaving the comfort of their chairs. Also, the tons of processed, cheap, unhealthy but convenient crap that people eat today contributes to the problem as well.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

Yep. One of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. That, and eating habits. I remember when "the fat kid" was a rarity in school, whereas now, it's the norm.

It's all the Facetubing and Youbooking, vidya games and TV. Kids can have fun without leaving the comfort of their chairs. Also, the tons of processed, cheap, unhealthy but convenient crap that people eat today contributes to the problem as well.

Yup. Horrible eating habits combined with a sedentary lifestyle have produced a deadly mix. While I do not favor regulating food to force people to eat better, I do think we simply accept HFCS as a substitute for sugar when it has serious metabolic effects that are vastly different from how cane sugar works. And this is primarily done to benefit Midwestern corn farmers, who get nice subsidies for it.

Regardless of the effects on the farming industry, I believe we should phase out HFCS as a sweetener, and go to cane or beet sugar. If it skyrockets the price of soda, I couldn't really give a shit. People need to drink less of that anyway.

I am not the best eater in the world, living alone, but I do try to avoid the really awful stuff. My wife cooks every day for the kids, and they also play outside at least five days a week. The two oldest are 5 and 2 and neither has ever had any kind of weight problem. They also aren't allowed to drink soda, and junk food of any kind is a very rare treat.

I've had weight issues since I was a teenager, spurred on by various medications, and it's taken me a while to really get that under control and start getting it down. Well, actually, losing my job started me on getting my weight down. But I have been sticking with that, trying to eat better and exercise more. I am otherwise healthy and don't really suffer any ill effects, but I'd rather not wait until I do in order to do something about it.

The cut-and-dried of this problem, however, is that the worst foods are cheap and ample. Eating right is expensive. Most people have no sense of portion control. And many things are marked as "reduced fat" or "low fat" in order to deceive people into thinking they are healthy--but all they did was replace the fat with calories!

The problem is manifold, but changes in business practices, government policies, and consumer attitudes would be necessary to fix it.

 

[Michael Chris]

I don't really know for most kids. I was kind of an exception growing up. I was definitely obese, and I really think that keeping kids healthy is absolutely crucial to their development.

 

[Danoz]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

Yep. One of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. That, and eating habits. I remember when "the fat kid" was a rarity in school, whereas now, it's the norm.

It's all the Facetubing and Youbooking, vidya games and TV. Kids can have fun without leaving the comfort of their chairs. Also, the tons of processed, cheap, unhealthy but convenient crap that people eat today contributes to the problem as well.

Yup. Horrible eating habits combined with a sedentary lifestyle have produced a deadly mix. While I do not favor regulating food to force people to eat better, I do think we simply accept HFCS as a substitute for sugar when it has serious metabolic effects that are vastly different from how cane sugar works. And this is primarily done to benefit Midwestern corn farmers, who get nice subsidies for it.

Regardless of the effects on the farming industry, I believe we should phase out HFCS as a sweetener, and go to cane or beet sugar. If it skyrockets the price of soda, I couldn't really give a shit. People need to drink less of that anyway.

I am not the best eater in the world, living alone, but I do try to avoid the really awful stuff. My wife cooks every day for the kids, and they also play outside at least five days a week. The two oldest are 5 and 2 and neither has ever had any kind of weight problem. They also aren't allowed to drink soda, and junk food of any kind is a very rare treat.

I've had weight issues since I was a teenager, spurred on by various medications, and it's taken me a while to really get that under control and start getting it down. Well, actually, losing my job started me on getting my weight down. But I have been sticking with that, trying to eat better and exercise more. I am otherwise healthy and don't really suffer any ill effects, but I'd rather not wait until I do in order to do something about it.

The cut-and-dried of this problem, however, is that the worst foods are cheap and ample. Eating right is expensive. Most people have no sense of portion control. And many things are marked as "reduced fat" or "low fat" in order to deceive people into thinking they are healthy--but all they did was replace the fat with calories!

The problem is manifold, but changes in business practices, government policies, and consumer attitudes would be necessary to fix it.

I guess that's true, but I find that pasta, rice, lean chicken and veggies aren't really that expensive. I'm going to make a few pounds of gnocchi this weekend to freeze, I am pretty excited .

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I eat a lot of the things you just mentioned, Danoz, and you're right--however, there is the perception that pasta will make you fat, because of the carbs it contains. I know people who insist on never eating pasta because they are convinced it will make them fat. Of course, they don't eat much of anything else, either...

If we would stop subsidizing corn and red meat, the prices of those would go up to something a bit more prohibitive and people would be forced to look at (healthier) alternatives.

 

[Geckothan]

The cut-and-dried of this problem, however, is that the worst foods are cheap and ample. Eating right is expensive. Most people have no sense of portion control. And many things are marked as "reduced fat" or "low fat" in order to deceive people into thinking they are healthy--but all they did was replace the fat with calories!

Eating healthily isn't expensive at all in terms of vegetables/fruit. It's almost free to grow your own if you've got a big enough garden. Keeping your own livestock is quite expensive and requires lots of space though.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The cut-and-dried of this problem, however, is that the worst foods are cheap and ample. Eating right is expensive. Most people have no sense of portion control. And many things are marked as "reduced fat" or "low fat" in order to deceive people into thinking they are healthy--but all they did was replace the fat with calories!

Eating healthily isn't expensive at all in terms of vegetables/fruit. It's almost free to grow your own if you've got a big enough garden. Keeping your own livestock is quite expensive and requires lots of space though.

There are many places where it is impractical to have your own garden. And fresh produce is pretty pricey in the Midwest, because most of it has to be imported from elsewhere. I notice produce is considerably cheaper here on the east coast.

 

[kimc]

^ I'm in the midwest and recently discovered outdoor farmer's markets as a cheaper place to buy fresh food. Unfortunately, that's over with for the next several months but I'll be back there the first weekend in April when they open again.

 

[StolenThunder]

A small positive: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/03/child-obesity-levelling-off

Pretty miserable situation though, and incredibly hard to manage.

 

[John Picard]

The cut-and-dried of this problem, however, is that the worst foods are cheap and ample. Eating right is expensive. Most people have no sense of portion control. And many things are marked as "reduced fat" or "low fat" in order to deceive people into thinking they are healthy--but all they did was replace the fat with calories!

Eating healthily isn't expensive at all in terms of vegetables/fruit. It's almost free to grow your own if you've got a big enough garden. Keeping your own livestock is quite expensive and requires lots of space though.

There are many places where it is impractical to have your own garden. And fresh produce is pretty pricey in the Midwest, because most of it has to be imported from elsewhere. I notice produce is considerably cheaper here on the east coast.

Say what? I grew up on the border of Illinois/Wisconsin. You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a produce stand of any kind. Here, in Oklahoma, the stores sell cut down corncobs in a package of 4 for an outrageous price of $3; whereas "in the day" we'd buy an entire bushel for $6 that would last at least 3 weeks.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Bad eating habits- junk is cheap, people don't take time to plan, shop for, and cook healthy meals; plus lack of exercise. And many schools have cut out recess, meaning kids get out to play less. Kids don't play outside anymore- they sit on their butts with video games.

HFCS in everything doesn't help matters. It's cheap, and therefore we consume more of it. Sugar is more expensive- when soft drinks were all still made with cane sugar, we didn't drink as much.

 

[Gertch]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

Yes. And GM foods.

Let's also not forget the wanky schools that forbid dodgeball, capture the flag and other physical games during recess and phys ed.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

High
Fructose
Corn
Syrup

It is not the entire problem, but it is a huge part of it.

Yes. And GM foods.

Let's also not forget the wanky schools that forbid dodgeball, capture the flag and other physical games during recess and phys ed.

What do GM foods have to do with it? Is their nutritional value substantially different?

 

[Kestra]

Say what? I grew up on the border of Illinois/Wisconsin. You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a produce stand of any kind. Here, in Oklahoma, the stores sell cut down corncobs in a package of 4 for an outrageous price of $3; whereas "in the day" we'd buy an entire bushel for $6 that would last at least 3 weeks.

I'm fairly certain this is dependent on where you live. Illinois is a large state, and the midwest is even larger. I could string together many dead cats to swing around and I would not be hitting any produce stands.

Yes, that's right. Now you're picturing me swinging around a chain of dead cats. Deal with it.

 

[Holdfast]

What's going on here?

People will mention lots of socioeconomic & cultural variables, but really it boils down to one thing: time.

It takes time to educate yourself about healthy eating.
It takes time to educate your children about them.
It takes time to train your children to eat healthily.
It takes time to do exercise and encourage/force your children to exercise.
It takes time to make them lunch rather than give them money to buy it themselves.
It takes time to compare prices in a shop and pick the cheapest, while still buying healthily.
It takes time to cook at home.

I could go on, but the basic point is obvious. People don't want to spend the necessary time to eat healthily or ensure their children eat healthily.

It's laziness, really, because all the information is easily and widely accessible for virtually no cost and there's no-one in the country who doesn't know on an intuitive level that fast-food is probably more unhealthy than a carrot and it might be worth learning more about the differences.

It's an open question why people don't want to spend the time on this, but my thought is simply that there are easier, less time consuming alternatives, and people, like rivers, will naturally end up on the path of least resistance.

 

[RoJoHen]

Say what? I grew up on the border of Illinois/Wisconsin. You couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a produce stand of any kind. Here, in Oklahoma, the stores sell cut down corncobs in a package of 4 for an outrageous price of $3; whereas "in the day" we'd buy an entire bushel for $6 that would last at least 3 weeks.

I'm fairly certain this is dependent on where you live. Illinois is a large state, and the midwest is even larger. I could string together many dead cats to swing around and I would not be hitting any produce stands.

Yes, that's right. Now you're picturing me swinging around a chain of dead cats. Deal with it.

Indeed.

And Illinois is becoming more and more crowded. All the farms, especially in northern Illinois, are quickly being taken over by subdivisions and strip malls.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

What's going on here?

People will mention lots of socioeconomic & cultural variables, but really it boils down to one thing: time.

It takes time to educate yourself about healthy eating.
It takes time to educate your children about them.
It takes time to train your children to eat healthily.
It takes time to do exercise and encourage/force your children to exercise.
It takes time to make them lunch rather than give them money to buy it themselves.
It takes time to compare prices in a shop and pick the cheapest, while still buying healthily.
It takes time to cook at home.

I could go on, but the basic point is obvious. People don't want to spend the necessary time to eat healthily or ensure their children eat healthily.

It's laziness, really, because all the information is easily and widely accessible for virtually no cost and there's no-one in the country who doesn't know on an intuitive level that fast-food is probably more unhealthy than a carrot and it might be worth learning more about the differences.

It's an open question why people don't want to spend the time on this, but my thought is simply that there are easier, less time consuming alternatives, and people, like rivers, will naturally end up on the path of least resistance.

I'm surprised it took this many posts to get to the "fatties are lazy" argument.