Parents let their kids eat trash?

RGv2

And yeah, I could have 1 soda or shirley temple if we went out to eat, but it was a treat, not the norm. It wasn't stocked at home. My parents taught me balance and I don't see many parents doing that anymore.

I still bartend sometimes to help out a friend with a restaurant. It makes me so disgusted and sad when parents allow their kid to drink 4 sodas or Shirley Temples over the course of a meal and let them order something with no veggies or any real nutritional value. They don't seem to realize what a disadvantage they are putting their kids at by doing this.

So you know that's how they eat at home then by seeing it in a restaurant.

Good call.

RGv2

There were times as a child that I'm sure I resented that my parents only offered me healthy, balanced choices, as opposed to the crap my friends were eating, but those same friends will tell me now they wish their parents had done the same, and the fact that my parents cared about my health allowed me to lead an active, healthy childhood and be an active, healthy adult, who is capable of making good food choices.

Most of my friends from growing up whose parents allowed them to eat junk are now overweight to obese, even if they were thin kids, and struggling to try to find some sort of healthy balance. Many already have some serious health issues/ limitations at 30 years old.

That's because they weren't taught moderation.

ssmithbowman

I know its been said, but it bears repeating here:

FAT IS NOT EVIL.
FAT IS A NECESSARY NUTRIENT.
CHILDREN NEED FAT FOR BRAIN GROWTH.
DO NOT PUT SMALL CHILDREN ON LOW FAT DIETS!!

While I'm as big an enemy of the "oh, just dip it in Ranch" movement as the next foodie? The fat in that ranch dressing makes the fat-soluble vitamins in the veggies its covering usable by your body. Even grownups shouldn't be trying to eat nonfat everything, and every time you eat a nonfat salad dressing and congratulate yourself on your wonderful nutrition, you're literally peeing away a bunch of vitally important micronutrients because they need to be eaten with fat for your body to absorb them.

all correct except really you're more pooping them away because they don't even have a chance to make it to the blood stream and get processed into the urine.

JustJennie1

When kids in restaurants are screaming for whatever reason usually as their already embarrassed parents usher them out of earshot, it is because they are learning the rules, don't have a good handle on their emotions yet, and etc. When grown women are whining on the internet about everything all the time in the most negative and obnoxious ways repeatedly and calling little kids who are still in the learning curve "obnoxious" it is because they are

Then take them to a restaurant that accommodates families. Don't take them to the fancy place that couples are going to because you wanted a night out and your babysitter bagged on you. And I would LOVE to be at a restaurant where a parent ushers the unruly child out but they never do.

I don't go to restaurants geared towards families for that reason. In fact my husband and I were walking into a restaurant that we had never been to but heard good things about, heard about a million screaming children and walked right back out. When we're at a nice place and the waitress is steering us towards a table that has small children seated there we ask that they please sit us some place else. Why? Because I KNOW that while your child is being nice right now they're going to act up and run around and scream and pitch a fit while you sit there and sip your wine and think it's "darling". I don't need to have my nice, relaxing dinner ruined nor do I need to have your child come stand next to me or peer over the booth at me while I'm eating while you laugh and coo about how adorable he/she is.

leahgoldgirl

And yeah, I could have 1 soda or shirley temple if we went out to eat, but it was a treat, not the norm. It wasn't stocked at home. My parents taught me balance and I don't see many parents doing that anymore.

I still bartend sometimes to help out a friend with a restaurant. It makes me so disgusted and sad when parents allow their kid to drink 4 sodas or Shirley Temples over the course of a meal and let them order something with no veggies or any real nutritional value. They don't seem to realize what a disadvantage they are putting their kids at by doing this.

So you know that's how they eat at home then by seeing it in a restaurant.

Good call.

It's never okay, not even out to eat at a restaurant, as a treat, to allow a child to drink that many empty calories/ consume that much sugar. I'm not at all confident that a parent that allows that is very careful about what their kids eat the other 90% of the time, or has a thorough understanding of moderation, especially since most the kids who come in who are allowed to order that many sodas, are already overweight or obese. The kids who are allowed to order one prior to switching to water and get a "fun" meal with a veggie on the side, are usually a healthy weight. It does translate.

RGv2

And yeah, I could have 1 soda or shirley temple if we went out to eat, but it was a treat, not the norm. It wasn't stocked at home. My parents taught me balance and I don't see many parents doing that anymore.

I still bartend sometimes to help out a friend with a restaurant. It makes me so disgusted and sad when parents allow their kid to drink 4 sodas or Shirley Temples over the course of a meal and let them order something with no veggies or any real nutritional value. They don't seem to realize what a disadvantage they are putting their kids at by doing this.

So you know that's how they eat at home then by seeing it in a restaurant.

Good call.

It's never okay, not even out to eat at a restaurant, as a treat, to allow a child to drink that many empty calories/ consume that much sugar. I'm not at all confident that a parent that allows that is very careful about what their kids eat the other 90% of the time, or has a thorough understanding of moderation, especially since most the kids who come in who are allowed to order that many sodas, are already overweight or obese. The kids who are allowed to order one prior to switching to water and get a "fun" meal with a veggie on the side, are usually a healthy weight. It does translate.

Weird, my kid is actually of healthy weight (even a touch below). He must be a special snowflake. :yawn:

I wish I had a pic of him and his footlong corn dog from Sunday...I'm legitimately angry at myself for not clicking one.

leahgoldgirl

And yeah, I could have 1 soda or shirley temple if we went out to eat, but it was a treat, not the norm. It wasn't stocked at home. My parents taught me balance and I don't see many parents doing that anymore.

I still bartend sometimes to help out a friend with a restaurant. It makes me so disgusted and sad when parents allow their kid to drink 4 sodas or Shirley Temples over the course of a meal and let them order something with no veggies or any real nutritional value. They don't seem to realize what a disadvantage they are putting their kids at by doing this.

So you know that's how they eat at home then by seeing it in a restaurant.

Good call.

It's never okay, not even out to eat at a restaurant, as a treat, to allow a child to drink that many empty calories/ consume that much sugar. I'm not at all confident that a parent that allows that is very careful about what their kids eat the other 90% of the time, or has a thorough understanding of moderation, especially since most the kids who come in who are allowed to order that many sodas, are already overweight or obese. The kids who are allowed to order one prior to switching to water and get a "fun" meal with a veggie on the side, are usually a healthy weight. It does translate.

Weird, my kid is actually of healthy weight (even a touch below). He must be a special snowflake. :yawn:

Again, not to argue, but I know plenty of kids who could drink soda all day, everyday growing up and not gain a single pound. Heck, had I been allowed to do so, I would have been one of those kids. The difference is, since I grew up with only the occasional soda and small treats during a day that was 90% healthy food, I am an adult that is a healthy weight and body composition. The kids that grew up eating whatever they wanted because they could do so and not gain weight and therefore their parents didn't see an issue with them drinking a 2 liter bottle of soda everyday, are now overweight-obese and/or unhealthy. Weight is a concern, but it isn't the only concern, or even the main concern, in allowing your child to drink 5 sodas during one hour long dinner.

Beckyloo80

My kids have no problem eating what I eat. They love veggies, they love fish, they love quinoa.... but they are still kids.... so every once in a while, I take my kids to McDonalds and let them have a treat (no soda allowed). How do you know that isn't what those parents were doing? Just because they ate like that when you saw, doesn't always mean they eat like that all the time. Plus if you have picky eaters, what they WILL eat willingly is a stretch... so you tend to give them what you know they will eat so they don't starve,,,,,

How about you just worry about what your kids eat when you have them.

RGv2

Again, not to argue, but I know plenty of kids who could drink soda all day, everyday growing up and not gain a single pound. Heck, had I been allowed to do so, I would have been one of those kids. The difference is, since I grew up with only the occasional soda and small treats during a day that was 90% healthy food, I am an adult that is a healthy weight and body composition. The kids that grew up eating whatever they wanted because they could do so and not gain weight and therefore their parents didn't see an issue with them drinking a 2 liter bottle of soda everyday, are now overweight-obese and/or unhealthy. Weight is a concern, but it isn't the only concern, or even the main concern, in allowing your child to drink 5 sodas during one hour long dinner.

5 sodas in an hour isn't moderation. That's what I teach my kids. Your OP spoke nothing of moderation, but cutting the food all together, unless I read it wrong.

RobTheGourmet

Despite hurt feelings, this is plainly obvious easily verifiable as on Avg to be absolute truth, in a world of Propaganda driven marketing from birth to death and world records in obesity and obesity complications.

Just look at merging markets with Corporations shifting production and market audiences such as Mexico and China now on the rise and Mexico taking a close 2nd.

even France is on the rise all directly tied to very highly processed foods and market targeting directed at young children. There is no possible way to deny the fact that parents are feeding their kids junk ( bad highly processed foods ) the average has gone up massively.

http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html ( some trends of a small dip however possibly tied to the economy )
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/jama_highlights_final_data_source_added_011013.pdf - ( 1998 - 2010 )

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends/global-obesity-trends-in-children/
( Harvard paper on trends )

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278864/ ( US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health )

I do not think the topic word choice was wise, however this is a serious issue and one which is driven by short term profit and capitalistic greed.

Foods being designed to be addictive lab made designer foods where the aroma, color and taste and even texture is lab made to be desired they have lobbyists and marketing budgets in the trillions targeting very young children and schools.

It is not simply a parental problem but a complex mixture of problems stemming from the propaganda driven corporations for short term profit, pushing in many cases what they market as "healthy" and "nourishing" but are loaded with sodium, fat and sugar often times in many forms to avoid the ingredient list since each sugar can be labeled separate.

This sets up kids ( including myself ) into an adulthood of brand recognition and so called brand loyalty such as Nestlé and Yum! Brands, and many others who own thousands of other companies selling us nearly anything we buy and marketing hard for more and more share globally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yum!_Brands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé

http://www.globalresearch.ca/giant-food-corporations-work-hand-in-glove-with-corrupt-government-agencies-to-dish-up-cheap-unhealthy-food/5324525

good visual - http://blog.allisonsgourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/mapsmall1.jpg

therainandthunder

It's not trash. It's food.

leahgoldgirl

Again, not to argue, but I know plenty of kids who could drink soda all day, everyday growing up and not gain a single pound. Heck, had I been allowed to do so, I would have been one of those kids. The difference is, since I grew up with only the occasional soda and small treats during a day that was 90% healthy food, I am an adult that is a healthy weight and body composition. The kids that grew up eating whatever they wanted because they could do so and not gain weight and therefore their parents didn't see an issue with them drinking a 2 liter bottle of soda everyday, are now overweight-obese and/or unhealthy. Weight is a concern, but it isn't the only concern, or even the main concern, in allowing your child to drink 5 sodas during one hour long dinner.

5 sodas in an hour isn't moderation. That's what I teach my kids. Your OP spoke nothing of moderation, but cutting the food all together, unless I read it wrong.

You read it wrong.

I commented on bar tending and being saddened by parents that allowed their child to drink 5 sodas or shirley temple's in one meal. Above that I said that I was allowed a soda as a kid, when we went out, as a treat, and I can understand a parent allowing their child that type of indulgence.

I also commented in my original post that my lunch included cookies (along with a healthy snack and main course), I ate dessert after dinner and we had the occasional pizza night, but that overall we were healthy. I mentioned balance (synonymous with moderation) at least 3 times.

This is what happens when people decide they are going to be offended before fully reading, which is why I should not have posted on such a sensitive topic.

I don't believe in putting kids on low fat diets and it's not how I was raised either. I still eat a high fat diet, but it's 80-90% healthy fats. I don't believe that you should deprive kids of brownies, ice cream and burgers, but I do believe they should be treats and not the norm. I also feel they should be quality and not from McDonalds or store brought.

Brownies, burgers, chicken fingers, cookies, etc are really not that bad in moderation, if they are made at home, or by a responsible restaurant.

Soda - well, I don't think that any popular soda brand is okay for consumption by anyone, but the natural sodas, with real sugar, no caffeine (what 5 year old needs caffeine) and actual fruit juice, those I can get behind as a treat. If your kid wants a coke once every month when you go out to eat, go for it, but one a day.... that amount even, is too much for me to consider moderation. One natural soda, sure, but coke, sprite, etc.... not so much. When I see kids drinking 5 in one sitting, I don't feel like I am making an ill informed judgement as to how responsible their parents are when it comes to food.

c_tap77

My parents tried to feed my sister and I very healthy foods when we were little. In fact, I have always liked broccoli, green beans, peas, milk (not chocolate milk either). I do remember going to school though and all of the other kids picked on me and called me weird because I liked to eat these things and would rather have them than the french fries---so I started eating the french fries and drinking the soda because I didn't want to be bullied anymore because of the things I was eating--no 7 year old wants to be "the weird veggie eating kid"

Now I wish I had just not cared what my peers said and stuck to the healthy things I liked in the first place because then I wouldn't be addicted to some of the crap that led me to being the size I am now.

My parents kept my sister and I away from too much TV (we mostly watched VHS tapes or educational programming without commercials to tempt us) and we played outside and were both involved in too many activities to count (my parents were those super parents who tried to get their kids involved in everything so we could figure out what we liked). When we did go out to eat we were allowed to eat what we wanted--but we only went out to eat when we were on vacation.

To this day, my best friend and husband still tease me because we still come across those childhood junkfood "staples" that I've never tried---most recently---cotton candy.

But even with all of my parents good intentions I still went to high school and to college and moved out on my own and made poor eating choices and now I'm overweight---and trying to fix that.

I'm not a parent so I'm in no position to look at those who are and try to figure out why they make the choices they do regarding their children. But from what I do see with my friends who are parents, the best you can do sometimes is try to steer your kids in the right direction when it comes to food by making them try all of the healthy things and finding the healthy items they do like. No matter how healthy kids eat generally--they're always going to want to eat the crappy stuff whether it be from peer pressure just because it's yummy so it's about teaching them the right way to approach eating and letting them make some choices on their own as they get older.

tamheath

I don't have kids, but I can't imagine kids are all that complaint with healthy eating. I'd definitely mind your own business on this one.

Amen! On the rare occasions we go out to eat, if my 14 yr old, awesome shape football player son wants a cheeseburger, fries and a shake: guess what: he gets it. And if my skinny little 4 yr old granddaughter wants chicken nuggets and fries, she gets them. Doesn't mean they eat that crap all the time. And yep: while they're eating that crap I may still opt for a salad - or may not. But who cares? I don't usually give a rat's a** what others restaurant patrons are eating. i worry about my own plate.

MistyEE

Sometimes you have to give a little to please the child and trust me, it is better to give then deal with some of those wild, no stopping for an hour tantrums.

This is why it is so controversial...Better for who? Sorry, but unless they are literally banging their heads on the floor - tantrums are a natural part of growing up. Dealing with tantrums is part of parenting, and teaching your child how to respectfully express themselves goes a lot further than just placating.

markovicj

When we're at home, the majority of the food our kids eat is healthy - no treats during the week, one or two on the weekends.

We rarely eat out and, when we do, it's a treat! Most of the time I eat heatlhy in restaurants as well, but I agree that part of the fun for kids is the "treat" of eating in a restaurant and getting to eat foods you don't normally get at home.

It's important to us to teach our kids moderation and be able to self-manage - choosing healthy foods most of the time, but enjoying indulgences from time to time for balance.

MelsAuntie

When kids in restaurants are screaming for whatever reason usually as their already embarrassed parents usher them out of earshot, it is because they are learning the rules, don't have a good handle on their emotions yet, and etc. When grown women are whining on the internet about everything all the time in the most negative and obnoxious ways repeatedly and calling little kids who are still in the learning curve "obnoxious" it is because they are

Then take them to a restaurant that accommodates families. Don't take them to the fancy place that couples are going to because you wanted a night out and your babysitter bagged on you. And I would LOVE to be at a restaurant where a parent ushers the unruly child out but they never do.

I don't go to restaurants geared towards families for that reason. In fact my husband and I were walking into a restaurant that we had never been to but heard good things about, heard about a million screaming children and walked right back out. When we're at a nice place and the waitress is steering us towards a table that has small children seated there we ask that they please sit us some place else. Why? Because I KNOW that while your child is being nice right now they're going to act up and run around and scream and pitch a fit while you sit there and sip your wine and think it's "darling". I don't need to have my nice, relaxing dinner ruined nor do I need to have your child come stand next to me or peer over the booth at me while I'm eating while you laugh and coo about how adorable he/she is.
[/quote






THIS. It is so true. I've gotten up and reseated myself across the restaurant because a couple with four or five young kids sat down at the next table. People think their children are so cute and everyone should want them around...this is rarely the case. One time on a plane I had a two or three year old sitting behind me that kept kicking my seat non-stop...I turned around and politely told the parent that if their little troll did not stop kicking my seat I was going to reach around and slap him. That did the job]

megalin9

I don't think anybody is disagreeing that fried foods or loads of carbs or Mickey D's or whatever so-and-so labels as "junk" isn't healthy when consumed as one's primary diet, and I think most of us are agreeing that these things, in moderation as a treat, do not equate to an unhealthy child, nor do they automatically result in an obese adult. These things as part of a nutritious diet are not inherently evil.

It's the judgment that someone could assume a child is unhealthy, that their parents only feed them junk, and that they are doomed for morbid obesity by one restaurant experience, one grocery store experience, etc., that some of us are getting so defensive about. You simply don't know what the frick you're talking about and have no place to judge.

Additionally, just because you did "all the right things" by breastfeeding, introducing veggies first, and offered your child healthier options from your own plate as he has gotten older does not mean that he doesn't have a mind and opinion and taste buds of his own. While all of those things are good and will set your child up for better eating habits, it's not a guarantee that they will NOT be picky eaters. Until you have dealt with a picky eater, you cannot judge. Really, you can't judge at all.

So to all these holier-than-thou parents who did all the right things and now have perfect children who willingly eat all the nutritious food who think they know what's best for MY child or someone else's, I say again to get off your high horse.

c_tap77

When kids in restaurants are screaming for whatever reason usually as their already embarrassed parents usher them out of earshot, it is because they are learning the rules, don't have a good handle on their emotions yet, and etc. When grown women are whining on the internet about everything all the time in the most negative and obnoxious ways repeatedly and calling little kids who are still in the learning curve "obnoxious" it is because they are

Then take them to a restaurant that accommodates families. Don't take them to the fancy place that couples are going to because you wanted a night out and your babysitter bagged on you. And I would LOVE to be at a restaurant where a parent ushers the unruly child out but they never do.

I don't go to restaurants geared towards families for that reason. In fact my husband and I were walking into a restaurant that we had never been to but heard good things about, heard about a million screaming children and walked right back out. When we're at a nice place and the waitress is steering us towards a table that has small children seated there we ask that they please sit us some place else. Why? Because I KNOW that while your child is being nice right now they're going to act up and run around and scream and pitch a fit while you sit there and sip your wine and think it's "darling". I don't need to have my nice, relaxing dinner ruined nor do I need to have your child come stand next to me or peer over the booth at me while I'm eating while you laugh and coo about how adorable he/she is.
[/quote






THIS. It is so true. I've gotten up and reseated myself across the restaurant because a couple with four or five young kids sat down at the next table. People think their children are so cute and everyone should want them around...this is rarely the case. One time on a plane I had a two or three year old sitting behind me that kept kicking my seat non-stop...I turned around and politely told the parent that if their little troll did not stop kicking my seat I was going to reach around and slap him. That did the job]

AMEN!

I don't have kids but I was a nanny, and I have all the respect in the world for parents and everything they put up with, but don't bring them to the nice restaurants and let them scream and ruin my dinner. If your sitter bailed on you or you didn't have one in the first place, I'm sorry. That sucks, but those are the sacrifices you have to make when you become a parent. This is the exact reason my husband and I are making the choice to not have children for awhile.

Although to be fair I think restaurants should accept some responsibility here. If you are not a family-oriented establishment, you should be politely asking patrons with screaming children to either quiet them or leave. That family may not come back to your restaurant again, but by letting them scream I bet your restaurant is losing more business because the people who don't have kids or hired a sitter do not want want date night interrupted in that way.

Gana1017

This exact subject makes me so damn irritated! I swear people think that it is child abuse if you feed your kids healthy food! And you know what?!? I hate even calling it healthy food! IT'S FOOD!! REAL DAMN FOOD!! The garbage that most people feed their kids is disgusting!! I have people judge me all the time because my kids eat what I eat...vegetables, proteins, low sugar. They think that I am being unfair to my kids and that I'm not feeding them real food. I love how people think that hot dogs, cookies, candy, pizza, etc is a great diet for kids. To me, FEEDING YOUR KIDS THAT CRAP IS ABUSE!! Sorry! Had to rant..I was having this exact discussion with someone today because they said they couldn't diet because they couldn't feed their kids diet food!!! What exactly is diet food?? Are you talking vegetables, fiber, good oils/fats, lean meats? Because that is real food!! GRRRR

AMEN! All these posts are irritating me as well. Food is not a treat! Junk food is not an essential part of childhood! Also, if you are offended by the OP question is because deep down you feel guilty for feeding your kids trash.