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You Feed Your Kids What?

Autor: markyoung

~ 14/06/10

DISCLAIMER

Someone once told me that if you win one thousand battles you still have a thousand enemies, whereas if you change one thousand minds you have a thousand allies.  A almost always try to write with this in mind.  But when it comes to children, nutrition, and obesity I get pretty fired up and I sometimes can’t control the things I say or write.  Today I do intend to present some factual information in an attempt to change some minds.  However, this is an area where I’m just itching to explode so consider yourself warned.

obesity-cycle 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, I think that rather than being distinct entities, obesity and being absolutely shredded are simply different points on the same continuum.  Interestingly, it seems those who only have 5 pounds to lose face many of the same types of barriers as those with 100 pounds to lose (although heavier people tend to have more).  Moreover, my interest in childhood obesity is related to the fact that children generally grow into adults and carry with them the habits and behaviours they have learned in their formative years.

 
Given these beliefs, you can see why it might upset me (read: piss me right off) when parents don’t make the effort to give their children wholesome foods and limit their consumption of various packaged non-foods.  This post is for all of those who are parents, know parents, are thinking of one day that they might be parents, or have ever heard of parents .  Before I really get into it though, here are a few points I’d like to rehash from a previous post.

 

- The only group in North America in which obesity rates are still climbing is 6-9 year olds.

 

 - 90% of obese kids have a lipid abnormility (high cholesterol or triglycerides) and 50% have hyperinsulinemia.

  

- The best predictor for adult obesity is childhood obesity.

 

- 20% of obese children are likely to have a heart attack and 15% will have Diabetes by age 38.

 

Are you following me?  More children are becoming obese, many are having trouble with their lipids and produce too much insulin, they’ll probably carry this into adulthood, and are likely to have a heart attack and/or Diabetes by the time they’re 38.  That’s a pretty rude awakening.

 

So why aren’t people doing anything about this? 

 

Unfortunately, studies have now shown that many parents are unable to accurately determine when a child is obese.  In fact, in some studies as few as 18% of parents thought their children had weight problems when they were clinically obese.  (Without having seen any studies, I’d be willing to bet that many adults fail to identify themselves as obese either).  In any case, you might expect your physician to alert you to your child’s obesity problem, but further studies have demonstrated that physicians fail as often as parents to identify weight problems in children.  So not only are kids at risk, but parents and physicians (yes, the same parents and physicians who are charged with making important decisions for the welfare of these children) don’t even know it.

 
If you’re still following me you’ll understand why it made me completely enraged when I recently heard that a doctor told his patient to “not deprive her child of sugary snacks and junk food because that might prevent the child from gaining weight”.  What makes it even worse is that this woman is now using this recommendation to justify feeding her child candy, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs.

 

Guess what this is Doc?

 

mechanically-separated-chicken

 

While the above photo looks like yummy strawberry soft-serve ice cream, it is actually mechanically separated chicken.  After the primary cuts of meat are taken from the chicken the carcass is passed through a high pressure sieve to recover the lovely substance you see above.  This is what is often used to make chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and pressed into those little blocks behind the deli counter from which we slice off cold cuts for our kids.  Basically, your kids are eating lips and assholes.  Still think this is a good idea doc?

 

But don’t worry.  Kids won’t be eating this stuff if you buy them all beef hot dogs because the nervous system tissue of cattle was getting into the meat and the fear of mad cow disease has stopped companies from processing beef this way.  Beef dogs are probably really healthy now.  I’m sure chicken nervous systems are fine too.  Either one must be full of the nutrients children need for growth.

 

But they won’t eat anything else…

 

Then, of course, on the other end there are parents who say ”I have to feed my child this because my kid won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and Twinkies”.  Really?  Does your 3 year old do the shopping in your house?  And how exactly did he or she gain a taste for these “foods” if you weren’t bringing them into the house in the first place? 

 

I have an idea!  Instead of addressing your shortcomings as a parent and making the executive decision as a parent to provide different foods in an attempt to make your child healthy you could just let your toddler dictate their intake.  After all, it isn’t the job for the parent to provide guidance when a child when the child objects or creates a fuss.  I also think three year olds should be allowed to vote and preschoolers should be allowed to drive.  After all, they must have the intellectual capacity to make these types of decisions since they are obviously able to make good choices about something as important as their own health.

 

Oh, by the way, here is a picture of the 37 ingredients that go into making a Twinkie.

 

twinkie-37-ingredients

 

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m being sarcastic and I’m flat out fed up with parents feeding their children shit because their kids “don’t like anything else”.  If you’re a parent you have been blessed with the gift of raising a child, but that comes with the responsibility of feeding your children the appropriate foods.

 

You might think I’m an extremist and that I’m probably going to deprive my child.  And if deprivation means that my daughter won’t taste McDonalds before 2 years of age (or hopefully ever) you’re absolutely right.  She’ll also be deprived of nutrient deficiencies, Diabetes, and packaged garbage disguised as food. 

 

Granted, she will have the occaisional treat like a home baked cookie or piece of candy every so often, but she won’t have a treat every day because a treat per day isn’t a treat, it’s a habit.  If you’re feeding your child junk food or sugar bars (otherwise called ”granola bars”) daily you’re neglecting your responsibility as a parent and you’re doing your child a disservice.

 

Please feel free to comment below.  If this rings true for you as well, please share this post.

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24 Comments »

  1. nice article!

    Comment by frey — June 14, 2010 @ 5:55 PM

  2. It’s a lot easier to continue a habit than to form a new one, so the more we can do right out of the gate to ensure solid habits in children, the easier we will make it for them as they advance in years. I’m all for whatever we can do to avoid putting kids behind the eight ball before they are old enough to even realize they’ve been put there.

    Comment by Dave Bokko — June 14, 2010 @ 8:15 PM

  3. Excellent post Mark, I appreciate this tremendously. There really is no nice way of putting this stuff… keep cutting the political b.s. and let the culture have it.

    Comment by Aaron Schwenzfeier — June 14, 2010 @ 8:28 PM

  4. I would love to comment!! You know I do! I totally agree with you!! However.. I do try my best to make everything my children eat healthy. It doesn’t always work out. I let busy scheduling get in the way or simple laziness. Everytime you post somthing I try to be better.. and this pic is absolutely discusting! I need to find a way to get this shit out of my house for good!

    Comment by Shannon Poel — June 14, 2010 @ 9:55 PM

  5. This royally pisses me off too. These days adults can’t control their kids’ weight or their pets’ weight not to mention their own weight. It’s pathetic! Their excuses make me sick. I don’t yet have a kid, but when I do I can guarantee you that he or she will be of healthy weight and in-shape. Too many parents are lazy and generally incompetent. If you want to screw up your own life, that’s one thing. But to screw up another’s life is unconscionable.

    Comment by Bret Contreras — June 14, 2010 @ 10:22 PM

  6. Oh Mark.

    You are dead on with the cycle of obesity. For me, I wasnt a child, but that same logic applied and is now why I weigh what I weigh. The bigger I got, the more uncomfortable and thus, the more self conscience, which lead to less movement which led to gaining more weight.

    I seriously hope that those parents can hear what you are saying and view this a helpful tip from an “ally” :)

    From someone who has not only been there, but is now struggling with the results,

    Veronica

    Comment by Veronica — June 14, 2010 @ 10:36 PM

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    Pingback by Tweets that mention Mark Young Training Systems » » You Feed Your Kids What? -- Topsy.com — June 15, 2010 @ 6:04 AM

  8. Mark: While I agree with everything you say as usual I have to play devils advocate. There are folks who have only $300. a month to feed themselves and their children. They are the ones who need the most help. They are disadvantaged, probably very discouraged, and without a doubt very depressed at their situation. That is the group of people who need to be targeted to receive help on how to nourish and nuture their children. If you or anyone you know are in a position to offer to help them I would say that is where your efforts need to be directed. Use your anger in a positive way to impact these people.

    Comment by Bonny — June 15, 2010 @ 8:21 AM

  9. An article that definitely rings true for many people these days, well said Mark.

    I’ve seen over and over parents basically acquitting themselves of any possible guilt for the situation their child is in. While working with a dietitian a few years ago, we came across cases where the parents would give their children ice cream for breakfast “because it has milk in it and the kids eat it!”. This ignorance and indifference to consequences is definitely a big hurdle that we as health practitioners face and must imperatively find ways to overcome.

    Also, building on what Bonny mentioned above, I’d add that the difficulty for these people comes in making the tough choices. We all like to have certain luxuries in life and while they can make things pleasant for a time, it’s not the long term solution. Reassuring these parents that investing in their childrens health is an investment in their future. It’s an important part of shifting their values and priorities towards less material things like their health and well-being.

    Comment by Alejandro — June 17, 2010 @ 2:53 AM

  10. Bonny,

    You make a great point about those who don’t have the money to feed their children. Unfortunately, these people do not make up the majority of those who are the problem and to make the greatest impact it is often most effective to target the majority instead of the minority. I’ve seen homes in which people feed their children garbage and suggest that healthy food is expensive when they have a plasma television, 2 SUVs, etc. In truth, we spend a smaller percentage of our income on food than we did 50 years ago. But that would be assuming that money was really the main issue…which it is not.

    And to those who can truly not afford food, I would argue that a bag of apples is more cost effective than a bag of chips, but that is just me.

    Comment by markyoung — June 20, 2010 @ 2:23 PM

  11. Kids grow up to become people like me, spending lots of time just learning about how to eat for optimal health. Now, I am looked at as being the food nazi. My wife and daughter are pudgy (see obese) and my son has ADHD. Articles like this one go right up on the fridge. Thanks! -Mark P

    Comment by mark — June 20, 2010 @ 7:59 PM

  12. Loved it! I’ll be sharing this!

    Comment by Tim — June 20, 2010 @ 10:41 PM

  13. Mark,

    Thank you for this post. The image at the top is something that should be posted in every pediatricians office.

    Its such a viscous cycle. Once the parents are overweight or obese, they pass down their bad habits to their children, and the cycle continues. I think building awareness is a good first step in putting a stop to this epidemic, but what we need more of in our field is strategies to help these parents break their own habits and start to cultivate healthy lives for themselves first and their children’s lives will improve as a result.

    I think its kind of like taking advice from an overweight trainer, you’re probably not going to listen. Kids are the same way. They’re not going to listen to mommy or daddy if they have a cheeseburger in their hand and they’re being told to eat broccoli and chicken breast then “go play outside.”

    Comment by Jaison Naiker — June 22, 2010 @ 10:45 AM

  14. It all comes back to education and accessibility. We just have to face that most parents are not aware of the basic tenents of good nutrition. Add to this the pure convenience of mass produced crud current hogging supermarket shelves and the shudderingly huge industrial agricultural juggernauts grinding away in the background – what hope do people have? There is some major work to be done. Great post Mark.

    Comment by Darren — June 22, 2010 @ 7:25 PM

  15. All good points. I work in a children’s hospital and spend some time working with our obesity program. It’s so sad. Parents need to start at a young age giving their kids healthy, unadulterated (buttered, salted, sweetened) foods so they develop a preference to those. I have a 2 year old and he does not always have a perfect diet and he does occasionally get to eat a cookie (but really prefers strawberries for “dessert”) but he has NEVER been to McDonalds and he ALWAYS has a vegetable on his plate at dinner. My husband and I both work full-time and if we can do it, so can everyone else. Frozen veggies take about 4 minutes to cook in the microwave and we never add butter or salt–they taste great without that stuff. One of my proudest moments as a mom was just a couple of weeks ago when he was lying in bed (trying stall tactics to get out of going to bed) and he said “Mommy, I want to eat more broccoli”!! It was awesome!

    To Bonny, I agree that there are SOME folks in this position of not having money to buy the more expensive, natural foods but I stand in line too often behind people who pay for the first half of their groceries (the milk, bread, cereal, cheese, etc…) with food stamps and the second half (the cookies, chips, beer, soda, etc…) with their own money and it pisses me off!

    I definitely see in my own groceries stores a swing towards more natural and organic foods on the shelves and though they are more expensive, I’m voting with my dollars for the stores to carry more of this. When more people buy them, the price will come down. Unfortunately, research on the effects of all the chemicals/preservatives/pesticides that are in our foods is lacking and when studies are published it rarely gets media coverage. We need more of that to get the public aware of what we’re ingesting and what our kids are ingesting to get a mass change of attitude on food.

    Thanks for the post, Mark!

    Comment by Kim — June 23, 2010 @ 9:06 AM

  16. [...] Mark Young asks “you feed your kids what?”  Just in case you didn’t get the message, he draws a picture, well, a flowchart actually, showing how normal people grow up to be fat people.  Then, just in case you really didn’t get the message, he digs out some photos of what reconstituted chicken looks like (hint: it’s not nice).  And then he really rubs it in by telling you what bits of the chickens they use (do chickens really have lips?). [...]

    Pingback by Don’t miss these great links! — June 24, 2010 @ 7:02 AM

  17. I Totally, Totally…AGREE!!!

    Comment by YolandaLH — June 26, 2010 @ 9:30 AM

  18. on board 100%!! This reminds me of an article I recently read, Why Have We Decided to Feed Our Kids Crap. Basically talks about the social ostracization that occurs when you stop feeding your kids like everyone else does (like crap). I think the author is right that some people sacrifice their kids’s health because they don’t want to stand out!! Just suck it up an do it, people! http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/children-why-have-we-decided-to-feed-our-kids-crap.html

    Comment by pechke — June 27, 2010 @ 11:23 AM

  19. Thanks to everyone for all the great comments on this post! I expected mutiny. :)

    Comment by markyoung — July 4, 2010 @ 12:14 PM

  20. Great article. Got it linked from my man Carson Boddicker. Will link it to my website.

    Comment by Perry Nickelston, DC, SFMA — July 5, 2010 @ 3:36 PM

  21. Thanks Dr Perry!

    Comment by markyoung — July 5, 2010 @ 9:05 PM

  22. Mark I hope you keep sending this message out there.I hear it said that depriving kids of rubbish food is to extreme and that we in the past ate this food and it never hurt us.Well in the past we were moving more and less sedentry.I would of thought that there is enough imformation on nutrition and exercise for parents to make better choices.We need people to be extreme about this issue.

    Comment by Ian Strong — August 29, 2010 @ 5:46 AM

  23. Thank you Ian! I completely agree.

    Comment by markyoung — August 29, 2010 @ 9:18 AM

  24. [...] while back I posted a blog called You Feed Your Kids What talking about the general crap that people feed their children.  In response I got a lot of great [...]

    Pingback by Mark Young Training Systems » » How to Feed Your Kids — September 10, 2010 @ 1:20 PM

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