Fines for child obesity

[RC K9]

You guys are still confusing eating healthy and eating organic. It's not the same!

 

Isn't it? You may be surprised how nutrient deficient foods you think are healthy, really are.

[Ramsey]

Eating healthy is expensive. Fining people on a low income for a fat kid makes a whole lotta sense.

 

My main problem with this statement as an obese child and then adult is; bigger portions are more expensive than smaller portions. I swear everyone in my family thinks no one eats enough and we cant let it go to waste.

[Mensan]

My main problem with this statement as an obese child and then adult is; bigger portions are more expensive than smaller portions. I swear everyone in my family thinks no one eats enough and we cant let it go to waste.

 

If people eat smaller portions of garbage then they can be skinny and malnourished instead of fat and malnourished.

[RC K9]

If people eat smaller portions of garbage then they can be skinny and malnourished instead of fat and malnourished.

 

Troof

 

Portions of food is only one side of the issue. Another side is quality of the food.

[SpaceGhost]

It's really simple, I have 2 healthy non-obese kids, we do not allow sugar/crap snacks/drinks/meals. Computer time is limited. They are mostly drinking water when thirsty. The adults in the house set an example, the Wife and I run and attend a gym. The kids see us come home and ask what we did, and they want to exercise too, I have them do sit ups and pushups and jumping jacks and other simple stuff. My 7 year old daughter attends an early school program for running, 1 hour each week before school. In the spring I will run a school 5k with her. This is the goal of the year long program. In the warm months kids play outside and are in sports.

 

We do not shop at Trader Joe's or Whole foods, we shop Meijer, Kroger, Big Bird, and Costco. We have cut way back on red meat, and eat chicken and turkey. Don't get me wrong, we still have deserts/chips/cookies for the kids as a "Special" for rewards. We order pizza occasionally as a family treat cheat meal. We are not nazis. But being active and putting in the TIME is what is needed. SO many parents just give them pop and junk to pacify the kids to get them out of their hair.

[Wease]

It's really simple, I have 2 healthy non-obese kids, we do not allow sugar/crap snacks/drinks/meals. Computer time is limited. They are mostly drinking water when thirsty. The adults in the house set an example, the Wife and I run and attend a gym. The kids see us come home and ask what we did, and they want to exercise too, I have them do sit ups and pushups and jumping jacks and other simple stuff. My 7 year old daughter attends an early school program for running, 1 hour each week before school. In the spring I will run a school 5k with her. This is the goal of the year long program. In the warm months kids play outside and are in sports.

 

We do not shop at Trader Joe's or Whole foods, we shop Meijer, Kroger, Big Bird, and Costco. We have cut way back on red meat, and eat chicken and turkey. Don't get me wrong, we still have deserts/chips/cookies for the kids as a "Special" for rewards. We order pizza occasionally as a family treat cheat meal. We are not nazis. But being active and putting in the TIME is what is needed. SO many parents just give them pop and junk to pacify the kids to get them out of their hair.

 

I read this whole thread, ready to type something out and here it is, the last post. Thanks for basically saying what I was going to say.

 

My wife and I do a lot of the same things you mentioned here with our kids.

 

To me, it's not about "eating healthy" or "eating organic". It's about getting your kids to be active. I'm in my 40's now, and can eat a lot of different food and amounts. But I'm also really active in the gym and with ice hockey, etc. So I might eat a shit lunch, but I'm also working it off later on.

 

Your kids also usually only follow the example their parents set. If they see you eat like shit and lay around, guess what they want to do, or think they should do. My 4 year old wants to be out on the gym floor with me...

[ImUrOBGYN]

It's really simple, I have 2 healthy non-obese kids, we do not allow sugar/crap snacks/drinks/meals. Computer time is limited. They are mostly drinking water when thirsty. The adults in the house set an example, the Wife and I run and attend a gym. The kids see us come home and ask what we did, and they want to exercise too, I have them do sit ups and pushups and jumping jacks and other simple stuff. My 7 year old daughter attends an early school program for running, 1 hour each week before school. In the spring I will run a school 5k with her. This is the goal of the year long program. In the warm months kids play outside and are in sports.

 

We do not shop at Trader Joe's or Whole foods, we shop Meijer, Kroger, Big Bird, and Costco. We have cut way back on red meat, and eat chicken and turkey. Don't get me wrong, we still have deserts/chips/cookies for the kids as a "Special" for rewards. We order pizza occasionally as a family treat cheat meal. We are not nazis. But being active and putting in the TIME is what is needed. SO many parents just give them pop and junk to pacify the kids to get them out of their hair.

I commend you. However, many of you don't live like those we're truly speaking of here. Many of these parents are working all day and often multiple jobs. Many of these households are also single parents with even less to no time for anything "extracurricular", so to speak. On top of this, many families are uneducated or mis-educated in regards to their nutritional needs. Shit, in just my lifetime, in a country that is supposed to be advanced, I've had to relearn just what is nutritionally correct more than once! Throughout the years, even had I followed the accepted FDA guidelines, I'd have been eating unhealthy. Shit, we can't even get dog food right! We shouldn't be surprised.

[ImUrOBGYN]

Log this into My Fitness Pal. You have 13% Protein, 41% carbs, 45% fats. You also only used 984 calories, far below what a man should be eating. Is there a sauce on your pasta?

 

White bread is NOT healthy. Rice and potatoes are NOT healthy. Pasta is NOT healthy. A lot of the examples in this thread are of the things that poor people eat, almost exlusively, and that's why they are unhealthy. People who spend more eat some of those same items, but not exclusively, and not in the same amounts.

 

In addition, processed foods are almost always cheaper. Find fresh chicken, by weight, that is cheaper than chicken nuggets or the garbage full of preservatives. The same goes for hot dogs. The same goes for frozen sides (i.e., french fries, tater tots, etc.).

 

You guys gave examples of meals that should be CHEAPER than the things unhealthy people eat. A box of Hamburger Helper is $0.77. Kraft Mac 'N Cheese is super cheap too. For every meal you post that is "cheap", understand that people who can't afford much will buy what is cheap, and in addition, easy (a different problem).

 

I can't speak to what it costs for these items, or the healthy options, in Puerto Rico.

Nail on the head. Especially, this: "For every meal you post that is "cheap", understand that people who can't afford much will buy what is cheap, and in addition, easy (a different problem)."

 

Something I really haven't seen considered in this thread is time. Ease of preparation especially for large families and the time needed to not only shop "healthy" but prepare "healthy" meals, teach healthy habits as well as leading by example are things not easily accomplished for reasons I touched on in my above post.

[RC K9]

I am not even kidding here. My wife has asked our 3yr old son if he wants fruit snacks, or cucumbers for a snack. He flat out got excited and said cucumber. I can't tell you how many times he asks for carrots for a bed time snack. We don't allow him to have a whole lot of "candy" ever, which is fine because he is happy eating vegetables and some fruits as snack.

[RC K9]

Nail on the head. Especially, this: "For every meal you post that is "cheap", understand that people who can't afford much will buy what is cheap, and in addition, easy (a different problem)."

 

Something I really haven't seen considered in this thread is time. Ease of preparation especially for large families and the time needed to not only shop "healthy" but prepare "healthy" meals, teach healthy habits as well as leading by example are things not easily accomplished for reasons I touched on in my above post.

 

Some people don't know and some people don't want to know.

 

I'll never forget when I lived on E North Broadway right by Cleveland and I would shop at that kroger right there. I used to wonder why poor people were so fat. Then you take a quick look in their grocery carts and the answer is clear. White bread, twinkies, bologna, hot dogs, 400 frozen tv "dinners", kraft singles, etc. No fresh produce, no boneless skinless chicken breasts...

 

Then once when my wife and I were shopping, there was this lady that I kid you not, was the size of that mom off honey boo boo, and her two teenage daughters that were much smaller and one of the duahgters picks up a family size pack of ho ho's. the mom goes, "Put that back and get the smaller box, we don't need the family size." And My wife and I look at each other and think, "YOU DON"T NEED ANY SIZE! What the heck is wrong with you?"

 

I like to think if I am ever on government assistance, I would utilize those resources to buy healthier food. Better quality food, and train your body to control portions.

 

This is not me hating on poor people, we were poor when I was a kid. It just seems like, again, lack of education either because knowledge has not yet reached them, or they don't want to know.