You are what you eat...
While walking through the airport, I began my usual routine of people watching while waiting for my plane. After getting my Starbucks, I sat down and looked at the many faces in the food court.
While many people passed, a family eating together caught my attention. The dad was obese. The mom was obese. And their two children? Obese. I watched the parents as they stuffed their faces with french fries, and as their children, who appeared to be around the ages of six to nine, gulped down their Cokes.
This made me wonder: is feeding your child unhealthy food a form of child abuse?
I realize this article may be offensive to some parents. I realize I may push some buttons. My intention is to not be disrespectful, but simply explore the implications of filling children’s bodies with food that is harmful to their health.
The children I saw at the airport had obviously gone to McDonald’s more than once in their life. Their eating behaviors had become engrained within and it was obvious their parents had issues with food, as well.
And to be honest, the thought that crossed my mind was: Just because the parents choose to be unhealthy, doesn’t mean they should teach their children the same eating patterns.
I don’t believe ignorance about food is the reason why parents seem to continue feeing their children processed junk. We know Burger King isn’t good for us. We know that Coke is filled with sugar.
We know that not being physically active is unhealthy. So, what is stopping parents from helping their children make good decisions concerning food?
According to the Center of Disease Control, over 17% of children are overweight or obese. That is triple the rate from just one generation ago.
In 1968, 60% of kids were active in sport activities every day. That number is now 20%. These kids aren’t getting fat on their own. Children are getting help from their parents.
I do realize that many parents cannot afford to buy healthy food, since much of the processed foods are considerably less expensive.
However, I refuse to buy into the notion that all parents of obese children don’t have the means to provide healthier meals. And, for the parents that don’t? That is another issue aside with government regulations that have made healthy food more and more expensive.
Dr. David Ludwig, recently wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association and set off a firestorm when suggesting that parents of obese children should lose custody.
He believes intervention is necessary when nothing else has worked. While some have called this belief extreme, I don’t believe is he totally unjustified in his remarks.
Child obesity is dangerous. And, if parents lose their children because of undernourishment, how is over-nourishment any different?
Several problems in a child’s physical, mental, and psychological health can take place when he or she is obese. A study found that being overweight increased the risk of children being bullied by 63 percent.
In another survey, overweight and obese children tend to rate their quality of life as low as those of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Take into consideration all the physical problems of orthopaedic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, neurological, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes, digestive issues and cardiovascular difficulties.
These physical problems can sometimes be very hard to reverse and eating patterns are even harder to change when one has been taught to eat a particular way since childbirth.
Pregnant mothers are responsible for what they put in their bodies during their pregnancy, whether they want to take that responsibility or not.
Parents aren’t totally to blame, however. Society has let children down and the government has let children down, as well, through passing laws that have inevitably made it harder for people to afford or have access to healthy food.
However, parents buy the food they put in their homes and also are responsible for the habits they teach them. Realizing this fact could possibly help parents make more conscious choices for their children concerning food.
Who is more to blame?
Parents, the government, our society or no one at all?
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Great article, Anya! While I think that “child abuse” might be a strong word to use, there is definitely something unfit about a parent who is unwilling to provide healthy food for their child. Healthy foo is more expensive. But, eating fast food isn’t exactly cheap either. Value meals at mcdonalds that include fries and a drink are over $5. Multiply that times a family of 4 and that’s 20 dollars for a family of four. You can buy chicken to grill, veggies to steam and some pasta to boil for under $20 or less for a family of four for dinner if you know how to shop at a grocery store. And there will even be leftovers for lunch the next day if you eat the correct portions! The whole “healthy is more expensive” mentality is just an excuse to be lazy and not be bothered with cooking. I guess my point is that it isn’t really money that’s the issue, it’s laziness. Since my fiancé and I decided to stopping eating at resteraunts (except for maybe a “date night” once or twice a month) we’ve actually been able to save alot more money on food costs. Cooking at home takes more planning and alot of budgeting, but once you make the effort, it’s worth it for your health and your pocketbook.
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Great point!
erikdolnack
Well I think that eating is more than just one’s “diet”, but is a behavior, right? We learn many our behaviors from our parents. I don’t think it’s genetic, as much as learned behaviors that make for obese children.
Yes, some individuals have more predisposition to have more fatty tissue on their bodies than others, and others also genetically have higher metabolism than others, most obesity is not genetic. Most obesity is an issue of unhealthy habits and behaviors.
It’s worth observing in the article above that the parents of the obese children were also eating McDonald’s food right along with their children. They weren’t feeding the kids Happy Meals and then going somewhere else for healthier food themselves. Had they done so, that might constitute “child abuse” more likely, and seem more deliberate.
Should there be laws that try to correct bad parenting? And how exactly do we (as a society) all agree on what exactly is “good” parenting? Islamic parents could easily vote to claim that raising one’s child as anything other than a Muslim is “child abuse”. (For all we know, such a law might very well exist, and be enforced in Arabic nations such as among the Taliban in Afghanistan). How far does society take this argument?
If there was better education in schools, as well as regulations against the open advertising and marketing of these unhealthy corporate food companies, we’d likely see better results than trying to legislate parenting in this country.