Why are kids obese??
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Very true but there are sometimes very busy parents out there that dont always have the time to cook.
I don't buy this. I work 12 hour days most days, and still manage to cook us dinner pretty much every night. It's not that hard to cook fresh food.
To the OP, I think it's more about sedentary lifestyles than it is about food. We've grown more and more 'protective' of our children, and consequently they play out less, are less physically active, and spend more time plugged into electronica.0 -
If you keep lots of healthy choices in the house and limit junk, kids will eat the healthy stuff gladly. My three kids love plain popcorn, turkey pepperoni, all fruits, all veggies, and lean meats. Sure, they'll eat the junk if that is what we have, but it is never a problem to say tonight for dinner we are having baked chicken, lima beans, and brown rice.
People are lazy and don't want to hear their kids complain and whine. My kids don't drink sodas except for special events, which occur maybe once every month or two. I know plenty of people who give their toddlers Coke and then don't understand why the kids are hyper and fat.0 -
Too many calories ... Not enough exercise.0
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Many parents think they don't have time to make healthy home-cooked meals so they feed their kids junk instead. Fact it, it's cheaper and easier to make homecooked stuff than you might think, especially if you have a slow cooker and/or cook in bulk. I make huge batches of bolognese with veg hidden in the sauce, and then freeze individual portions, either as it is, or as individual lasagnes, and do the same with chillis, curries, stews and soups. It's the easiest thing in the world to pull a portion each out of the freezer in the morning to defrost and then whack it in the oven to heat up for dinner. And if all three of us want different things, there's no bother in defrosting three completely different meals - all I have to do is add the pasta or rice or whatever. It takes no time at all. I also make my own chicken nuggests made with actual chunks of chicken, dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and then rolled in breadcrumbs. I then freeze them as they are and bake them with a little low-cal spray oil. Much better than the reconstituted "chopped shaped chicken" crap that comes in packets, and I can season them to our own tastes too. I usually add a few herbs and maybe a touch of paprika ot the coating - it's delish. Fish takes only a few minutes to cook, and is great to keep in the freezer - you just take it out of the freezer in the morning and by dinner time it's defrosted and ready to pop in the oven or to poach in a little milk, or however you like to cook it.
If paernts educated themselves about food and led by example, there wouldn't be nearly so many fat kids. There wouldn't be so many fat adults either. I'm trying to re-educated myself about food choices and teach my son to make healthy choices by leading by example. I want him to grow up with it being natural to him.
We also encourage him to be very active - we walk EVERYWHERE (honestly, he's 3.5 years old and thinks nothing of a 3-5 mile hike!). Kicking a ball about in the park, racing in the garden, doing drama workshops - it all adds up. He has fun and burns off some of that energy - he sure does sleep at night! I figure if we instil an active, healthy lifestyle in him from the very beginning, he stands a much better chance of keeping it up as he'll know no other way.
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Part of it is with more obese adults reproducing, the more they pass down their genes that predispose their children to also becoming obese. Also obese parents are choosing the wrong foods to feed their children, making their children obese as well.0
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Wow, never saw so many perfect people in one place before....0
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Because their terrible parents fatten them up because they think that **** is cute. It's aboot as cute as a naked old man.0
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I don't think the answer is the same for every kid. I think it's just like adults, different reasons for different people.
I have two kids, one is very thin, was underweight at one point. The other, battling at the top of the weight chart but has thinned out as a teen, but still has to watch the weight/food.
I didn't parent either one differently. I breastfed both of them. Tried to get them to try different foods (thin child is pickier by far!)
The only thing I have noticed is that snacks are offered to small children in so many different contexts...it's as if you could eat all day as a little kid. Even choir practice had a snack at one point! Soccer, snack. Scouts, snack.
My thinner child actually doesn't eat as healthfully as my other child. So thinner isn't always healthier either.0 -
Why are kids obese? Because their parents are. Apples don't fall far from the tree, and if mom and dad are sitting on their bums and eating a bag of Doritos in front of the TV, most likely, the kids are thinkin' that's normal. It starts and ends in the home.0
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Burgers are tastier too. Just sayin.0
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Cooking at home is cheaper than both of those options. Just sayin'.
Very true but there are sometimes very busy parents out there that dont always have the time to cook.
Or in my cuzns case... shes a single mom that DONT know how to cook...
Except for throwing stuff in the microwave or oven.
Poor kids. "/
The beauty of cooking is that it is pretty darn easy to learn how to cook.
Unless you're someone like me who can't read measurements even when they have measuring spoons/cups at their disposal. I'm 22 and all I can cook is pre-packaged chicken soup. I made gumbo once but my mother pre-measured and cut everything (I'm also not good with knives) and gave me instructions the whole process.
Point being, not everyone can cook, not everyone has the TIME to cook, and if you have a major picky eater (for example my cousin who only ate cut up hot dogs and ketchup for half a decade) then it's just easier to crab something from a restaurant or something frozen and hope for the best. Not to say it's a good choice to make but I don't recall a contract when you get pregnant stating you must feed your children healthy things 24/7.0 -
You are a bad parent if you let your children play outside and don't have an eye directly on them 24/7. Seriously, go on a parenting forum and tell people you let your kid ride its bike around the neighborhood and see how quickly you're run off. So it's the pedos making our kids fat.
Why are kids obese?
Because parents have NO understanding of statistics and risk (hint - your fat kid is a bajillion times more likely to die of a heart attack aged 40 than be kidnapped or sexually abused as a child) and are more worried about what people on an internet forum think, than they are about having physically and mentally well adjusted children.0 -
Why are kids obese? Because their parents are. Apples don't fall far from the tree, and if mom and dad are sitting on their bums and eating a bag of Doritos in front of the TV, most likely, the kids are thinkin' that's normal. It starts and ends in the home.
Not always true. I had a best friend who was overweight and her younger sister was overweight. Both parents were of healthy weight for their heights. Yes junk food was kept in the house but that was a matter of spoiling the younger child who demanded these things. Nearly every meal they had was home cooked and far healthier than I had but the mother didn't work so she had the time to make better things. But really you don't have to have the habit yourself for your children to pick it up. If your kid sees another kid eating a twinkie, they may want one too. If your kid goes to a friend's house to sleep over and the family eats junk, they may want it too. Other people can just as easily influence them.0 -
It's partly the lack of physical activity, kids don't go and play outside anymore, at least not like they did when I was a kid. I remember spending my youth cycling around, walking in the bush and building big fortresses in there, I was always outside. We didn't have play dates, I would just knock on my friends doors and go "can __ come out and play?"
With food choice s- sometimes ignorance on the parents part (people don't understand calories in vs calories out particularly well, and there's SO much misinformation out there with regards to nutrition), and sometimes it's just laziness on the parents part.
By the way, I was an obese teenager and it was nothing my parents did or didn't do. I was depressed and ate food for comfort. They always cooked healthy home cooked meals, and encouraged me to play sports, but I was unhappy.0 -
Kids AND Adults are obese because of that mentality.
You can MAKE a salad for cheaper than $4.99....
Cook with raw ingredients.0 -
Or just eat raw ingredients. Are people really that stupid or lazy that they cannot wash a few pieces of vegetable matter under the tap and add a few nuts? *shrug* Maybe they are that stupid or lazy!You can MAKE a salad for cheaper than $4.99....
Cook with raw ingredients.
Should people who are really that stupid and lazy really breed?0 -
It is really sad because I see little kids who are shopping in the adult sizes because they are to big for children/jr, breathing hard when walking a short distance. It is the parents fault becuase they are the ones who buy the food and feed the children. I remember when I was a kid you didn't see any fat kids becuase everyone was outside playing, your pusnishment was to stay in the house. Now days kids think going outside to play is punishment it really is so sad.0
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Because some people who have kids are too selfish or weak to deny their children unhealthy foods or they overfeed them for whatever reason. Ignorance I guess ..0
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It's not always that kids are sedentary/not active enough. Sometimes kids just consume too many (low quality) calories to make up for it, even if they are active on the ideal level. I've had weight issues since I was 8 and it was purely a problem with food. My brother and I (twins) were very active as kids. I was a swimmer; he was in karate. We were always outside riding our bikes or running around outside with friends. Our school was big on keeping students active - we had recess, walked to the park often, and played outside nearly every day after school in the school's yard when the weather allowed. My brother and I were still overweight - not severely, but enough that we were aware of the fact that we were bigger than other kids.
Our problem was that we had a dad who tried too hard to be our friend, rather than our parent. He said "yes" too much, and that included when it came to food. We ate whatever we wanted and however much we wanted. My mom was more of a parent and always tried to get us to eat right, but it's hard to do that when the other parent isn't on the same page and the kids have that one parent who they can go to for a guaranteed "yes". Of course, being kids, we didn't have a solid concept of "junk food" or what eating too much does to your body, or even what "eating too much" meant. Even if we did, we were young kids and most kids only care about the here and now, so we probably wouldn't have cared.
So, yes, activity level is the problem for some kids, but it can also be a matter of parents not caring enough about the quality and quantity of their children's food. It's probably more often a combination of both eating habits and activity level. It's a fact that kids today are both exercising too little AND eating too much of the wrong foods.0 -
Wow, never saw so many perfect people in one place before....
Defensive much?0 -
My youngest just turned 5 and is so picky. He takes after me I guess. I can barely get the child to eat anything other than nuggets, fries, ramen noodles, or garlic bread. He loves carrots and celery...grapes, apples....so that's good. I just wish he'd try regular food without such a struggle. I've heard many people say their children went through the nuggets/fries stage. He starts school this fall. Afraid his packed lunch will consist of a fruit snack, carrots, celery, and grapes. He won't eat regular bread, so sandwiches are out of the picture. Anyone with picky little ones?
I myself was a really picky eater. I still am. I didn't really open up to more foods until the past few years... so most of my life so far I've been uber picky. My favorite food of choice was also chicken fingers and fries. I still love it. :laugh: I know sometimes for me I didn't like foods because of certain textures/the way it looked or smelled. For example pork. My parents always used to use shake and bake breading mix and I just do not like eating it. I thought I hated pork for the longest time until we tried something new, a marinade- not breading-and I love eating it. Whats regular bread? You could try different kinds? I grew up on wheat/whole grain bread only to realize all my friends had white. I refuse to eat anything on white bread, I can't stand it. I think it again goes back to texture, everything is just so soggy on white bread among other things. Doubt this helped, but I thought I'd give my own two cents.
Thanks,
Yeah I have tried different types. That's why he loves garlic bread. He'll tear that stuff up. However, I've never really heard anyone making sandwiches out of garlic bread?? Maybe I guess. I finally got him to try ham during Thanksgiving and he will finally eat that but once again not on bread. I guess that's not a bad thing since bread really isn't the healthiest thing for you. Also, we've tricked him with turkey saying it's "chicken" lol ...that's worked so far. I know it'll take time....it's just being patient that is hard sometimes.0 -
My kids eat the same things and my 11 year old is 71lbs and my 9 year old is 92lbs. My son has a very high metabolism and can eat whatever he wants (if I let him) and barely gains an ouch. My daughter eats more healthy foods than any of us and is overweight. My kids have a nice balance of outside/inside play and watching TV or playing the wii. I have taken my daughter to the doctor and a nutritionist. They say she has a slow metabolism and she needs to avoid foods with sugars and high in fat (duh). I don't understand how each of my kids can be SO different! I am working with my daughter to watch her food intake and to be more active but it's frustrating as a parent to see your two children and one is so thin and the other is not and yet they do the same things.
I understand the frustration you are talking about, I have friends with 3 kids, all eat the same, activities very similar and one is a little overweight, slow metoblism too. I do think there is a difference though in your child being a little chubby but still healthy and active and eats good and exercises or your child being obese and can barely climb a flight of stairs because of their sedentary lifestyle and eating junk all the time.0 -
My kids eat the same things and my 11 year old is 71lbs and my 9 year old is 92lbs. My son has a very high metabolism and can eat whatever he wants (if I let him) and barely gains an ouch. My daughter eats more healthy foods than any of us and is overweight. My kids have a nice balance of outside/inside play and watching TV or playing the wii. I have taken my daughter to the doctor and a nutritionist. They say she has a slow metabolism and she needs to avoid foods with sugars and high in fat (duh). I don't understand how each of my kids can be SO different! I am working with my daughter to watch her food intake and to be more active but it's frustrating as a parent to see your two children and one is so thin and the other is not and yet they do the same things.
I understand the frustration you are talking about, I have friends with 3 kids, all eat the same, activities very similar and one is a little overweight, slow metoblism too. I do think there is a difference though in your child being a little chubby but still healthy and active and eats good and exercises or your child being obese and can barely climb a flight of stairs because of their sedentary lifestyle and eating junk all the time.
I am going through the same thing. My son is 12 and my daughter is 8. Both weigh 100lbs. My son has the metabolism of my husband....eat all damned day and nothing! My daughter is not so lucky. Same diet, same activity. Just overweight. Her doctors have not worried about it since she is very tall for her age. Still, I persisited to ask if there was something I could be doing for her. No suggestions! We have started going to a nutritionist together. I want her to be healthy, but feel beautiful, too! I won't have some smart a**ed kid define beauty for her. I0 -
I think the real question is "Why aren't kids obese?".. Considering there are more obese children than there are healthy, right???
Just kidding.... My mom was single parent, worked full time, had three kids.
We were all VERY healthy children.
Cook meals, quit ordering out.
If they don't like what you put in from of them, don't give them ****ing option instead... Put it on the counter and if they're hungry enough, they'll eat it.
How about no more ****ing electronics either!
Get your *kitten* outside and playing some sports with your children.0 -
Kids eat what their parents feed them. I guarantee that 90% of the time, the obese child has obese parents.
this!0
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