Strollerderby : fast food

Girl Finds Condom in Her Happy Meal

SunnyChanel — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:30:00 GMT

This story brings a whole different meaning to the term ‘Happy Meal’. A seven-year- old girl in Fribourg, Switzerland made a shocking discovery in her McDonald’s Happy Meal. No it wasn’t a little plastic toy or extra onions on her burger, it was a condom. The prophylactic was buried among the girl’s French fires. The mom promptly called the state police and a investigation is underway to see if there was any health risk by the condom’s presence.

On a level of 1 to 10, how freaked out would you be if you found a condom in your kids' Happy Meal?

Source

Pregnant Woman Arrested For Fighting At Chuck E. Cheese

Brett Singer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township Pennsylvania was the scene of a violent altercation last week between five women and a minor, all of whom were arrested. One of the women involved was pregnant. A video of the fight was posted to YouTube but has been removed.

WGAL says that this is the 12th time this particular Chuck E. Cheese has had to call the police to calm everybody down.

Growing up in New York City, we didn't have Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't miss it because, well, the pizza sucks. But clearly those places are dangerous.

PennLive.com says that the incident continues what "police describe as a disturbing and bizarre crime trend: escalating violence among adults at a place designed for children's birthday parties."

Twelve calls to police in one year does seem like a lot. But I don’t know if I'd call it a "trend", since all of those problems were at the same place. The Susquehanna Cheesery has hired a police officer to be on site every Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully that will get the adults to behave themselves.

I've seen bad parental behavior, but nothing quite like what these articles describe. Anyone seen grown-ups behaving badly at kiddie establishments recently? Is this a trend?

Source: WGAL, WGAL again, and PennLive.com

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They Say: Schools Near Fast Food Makes Fat Kids

JeanneSager — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:09:00 GMT

Think your kids are OK as long as you keep them clear of Burger King and Taco ~~Hell~~ Bell? Guess again.

A new study says kids who attend schools within walking distance of a fast food restaurant are more likely to be obese. If they can see the golden arches, they can walk.

The study, which appears in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Public Health, looked at data from half a million kids in middle and high schools in California. It found students who attend schools near fast food restaurants eat fewer servings of vegetables and fruits, and drink far more soda than students at schools not located near fast food restaurants. By near, by the way, they mean within half a mile of the school. They cite the restaurants serve as hangouts for the kids – and with hanging out comes eating.

Before you start Google mapping the Mickey D's and Wendy's in your area to pick the best school, you might want to look at kids outside of California. The closest fast food restaurant is at least half an hour from the local school in my hometown. And we've got plenty of fat kids in my town. What we don't have much of? Sidewalks. Or kids who would have reason to walk past a fast food restaurant, or walk at all for that matter.

Living in the country might mean we're free of the fast food menace, but the need to drive everywhere and the lack of parks and playgrounds means we have a lot of sedentary children. But I dare not move - because this study shows I'm screwed either way.

The free order of fries goes to someone who can find me somewhere my kid WON'T be influenced by crappy foods

Image: FastFoodHealth.org

Source: Reuters

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Babble Talk: My Daughter Gets Her Happy Ending at McDonald's

JeanneSager — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:30:00 GMT

The first time my daughter started shrieking "happy meal," from the backseat, I didn't know what she was saying. Then I saw the giant billboard. It was Ronald hair red, with a giant golden M in the middle. That's it. "Mommy, it says happy meal!" my daughter yelled again.

Yup, marketing to kids works. So does making your business family friendly. Which is why I recognized our family in Jennifer Blaise Kramer's Bad Parent: Supersize Me. We've stopped fighting the fast food fight, and we're not apologizing.

As a working mom, I have been known to pull into the McDonald's drive through at lunchtime. With more interviews schedule for the afternoon, I can put off my craving for food, but making my daughter starve? That's what I call bad parenting. Unfortunately, I'm not the mom who has a lunchbox full of homemade health food handy when it's time to go in the morning. I'm lucky I remember to take my daughter WITH me some mornings. I keep boxes of raisins and bags of multi-grain snacks in the car to make up for my shortcomings. But when the lunch bell rings, my daughter's tummy starts a rumblin'.

I have a choice. I could stop at a "real restaurant." I could spend an hour or more sitting there while the waitresses glare at the two of us taking up a table with our meager meal, while my daughter decides she'll eat ketchup and only ketchup and I cajole her to try a little bit of chicken salad. They know my tip isn't going to be big because we didn't eat big. I could sit for 30 minutes before they take my order, another 20 before our food arrives while my daughter gets fiestier minute by hungry minute. The crayons in my purse can only keep her quiet so long, and explaining "busy kitchen" to a 3-year-old is as easy as it sounds. What about those raisins? We could, I suppose, but that would mean a full tummy - and I just order a $10 entree that I'd hope she'd eat.

Mickey D's is looking better every second. With its apple slices that one commentor on Kramer's piece protests have been peeled of all their nutritious value. Hmm. Crappy apples or making her wait an extra two hours for lunch. Not a tough decision.

Ironically, I don't eat at McDonald's myself. Not because I'm turning up my nose at the grease, but because I'm a vegetarian. But this vegetarian has found herself turning more and more toward fast food chains since I became a parent. With a dire need for caffeine and a child who likes sleeping in the backseat, I face the choice of leaving her in car care, schlepping a cranky toddler in and out of the carseat or a smooth ride through the drive through. Ronald, the King, Wendy, Dunkin' know just how I like it.

I'm comfortable with the choice because my daughter still shrieks with delight at a McDonald's sign. It's still a treat. It's still new. She still gets excited. And why shouldn't she? They have a playground and boxes of juice Mommy doesn't get to water down. They have colorful boxes for her food with pictures to pop out and mazes to draw in. And you can't forget the toys.

The places we frequent as a family, the Greek restaurant with the to-die-for spinach pie and the creamy hummus, the Chinese place with the veggie lo mein and the pork fried rice, they're the spots where Mommy and Daddy willingly fork over the small amount set aside for a young family dining out in this economy. They're her "nothing special places," like the "nothing special" yogurt she can get any morning or the "nothing special" boxes of raisins in the backseat.

It's when McDonald's fails to excite her that I'll worry about my parenting.

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Book of the Week: Eat This Not That - For Kids!

editors — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Eating out is one of life's great pleasures, but if you're anything like me, every meal out involves a hefty dose of denial. I've been a waitress. I've watched the guys in the kitchen lay a "low-fat" grilled chicken breast onto a steaming pile of lard, drop whole cups of butter into vats of "healthy" rice, and marinate "nutritious" vegetables in more oil than I have in my whole apartment -- and yet I still order the grilled chicken with rice and vegetables because it's the "healthy" option.

Of course, when it comes to my kid, I'd rather have the blinders lifted.

That's why I'm fascinated by the new Eat This Not That book, which gives a restaurant-by-restaurant run-down of the healthiest and least healthy things to order for your child. Some of the revelations are surprising: at Chick-Fil-A, the nuggets with BBQ sauce have 200 fewer calories than the Chicken Caesar wrap.In the yogurt aisle, Stonyfield O'Soy has almost 3 times as much sugar as Yoplait Kids. And that frozen pizza with Elmo on it? It actually is better than the non-Elmo variety.

Obviously this book is more useful for parents who visit restaurant chains and big grocery stores, as the corner Thai place and local gourmet market aren't listed. But even if you're a dedicated organic food hound, it's pretty eye-opening to see how many calories are actually in that Amy's frozen entree from Whole Foods. Helpful guides to lunch-packing and making square meals round out the offerings, along with lots of Denny's menu-style food photos. -- Gwynne Watkins

Eat This Not That for Kids! (Rodale 2008) is available for $11.97 on Amazon.

Book of the Week appears every other Friday. Sometimes every Friday. We’re fickle like that.

Nasty Surprise in McDonalds Burger

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Call it a Not So Happy Meal. Or a Crappy Meal. Or… oh, whatever.

A woman went to the McDonald's drive-thru and ordered a bunch of Happy Meals for her kids. When one of them bit into her cheeseburger, she got a little surprise:

In this picture, you can see the two pieces against a white piece of paper. The little yellowish spot toward the top is the cheese that was on it when my daughter pulled it out of her mouth (yak, yak). This was in her cheeseburger! She could have choked. She could have broke her braces on this. If it had been one of my younger kids, they could have easily choked. How the heck does something like this get ON the cheeseburger? I don't even know what this is. It is smooth on one side and rough on the other.

I haven't eaten at McDonald's since reading "Fast Food Nation." While I agree that the politics of beef and the way that fast food companies do business are often despicable, the most nauseating passages in the book describe how the food is handled. Obviously, something that shouldn't be there could get into any food that you didn't make yourself; I know someone who found a spider in a container of applesauce and received 10 cases of the stuff from the manufacturer. But Mickey D's food is pretty vile, so its probably better to just avoid it altogether (although the fries are really tasty; those I miss a little bit.) As one commenter on the site says, "There are many good reasons to keep away from McDonalds; this is just one of them." So: stay away for the health reasons; stay FAR away for the little "surprises" in your burger.

Image/Source: stepfamilysanctuary.com

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

More Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

Sarah Palin, Sportscaster

11 months old, 62 pounds

Dad arrested for leaving son at McDonald's (what is it about McDonald's, anyway?)

They Say: Make Lunch Fun

Airline removes life vests

Fast Food Eats Up Your Money

Madeline Holler — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:34:00 GMT

Sure, fast food isn't eating up your budget, since you don't eat it ... ever!

But apparently bagged-up, drive-thru fare takes a bigger bite out of every other family's monthly income than stuff we might consider good for kids.

According to a market research group, mothers of kids under 15 years old spend more on fast food than they do on books, music, movies and video games ... combined. What the study doesn't say is exactly what percent of the household budget.The also don't define "fast food." I mean, I'd agree my family -- with our once a week take-out habit, usually pizza -- spends according to the reported pattern, because we just don't drop a lot on the other stuff. We're big users of the library and the video games are mostly for the grown-ups.

Also in the report are spending differences according to the child's gender: girls get more clothes, boys get more video games. Not a big surprise.

Sound about right? How much fast food do you secretly feed your kids?

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Photo: mwdaily.net

Ending the Food Fight: Stopping Childhood Obesity

Cole Gamble — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:01:00 GMT

You pretty much can't turn on the tv with out hearing how fat American kids are today. Every empire must fall. In Rome, Christian was the downfall. In England it was overextension. Apparently the fall of the American Empire will be juvenile diabetes.

A new book tackles the “epidemic” of childhood obesity in our country: Ending the Food Fight by Dr. David Ludwig, who founded the Optimal Weight for Life program (OWL) at the Children's Hospital Boston. Dr. Ludwig claims success for his method comes from a low-glycemic diet.

Now, I was once a fat kid, and actually would like to have been one now when being fat doesn't seem to put you in the minority. That said, I really watch it with my kids. Not psycho “baby anorexic”, just a concern for establishing good eating habits early on. My parents let me eat whatever I wanted and convinced me the resulting fatness was genetics and nothing I could combat. I don't know about special gylcemic diets, but I do know that modeling good eating habits for your kids does more for putting them on a solid health (physical and mental) foundation than anything.

Weekly Check-Up: Skittles and Wellness

Kelly Mills — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:31:00 GMT

Maybe you heard this story: An honor student at a Connecticut middle school got busted for buying Skittles on school grounds. He was stripped of his job as class president, banned from attending an honors student dinner, and suspended for three days, later communted to one day (maybe for good behavior, like he ate an apple in front of the principal or something.) The latest breaking news is that he was cleared of the charges and had his records cleaned up. The student says he didn't know candy was contraband, though he did notice the student dealing in sweets was acting all furtive. Candy is forbidden as part of the school's wellness policy.

Ah, back in my day the schools themselves sold candy to kids at a snack bar, and I'm super glad that's a thing of the past. But this level of punishment is ridiculous, unless the Skittles came with an accompanying bag of weed and a switchblade. On the one hand, this must be an extreme example of a school taking a no-sugar policy to the nth degree, and I'd hate for folks to rise up and cry foul when the food industry and soda lobbies are working hard to push crap-food on our kids by sweetening the deal for schools (sponsoring football fields, generating revenue through soda machines, etc.) However, it does raise one point I think is key: Keep perspective on junk food so we don't lapse into hysteria. Sugar and candy and cupcakes (mmmm) are not going to make anyone "unwell" unless they are consumed in mass quanities very regularly (or you have some medical reason for not being able to eat them, of course.) We don't have to allow them to be pimped in schools, but we also don'thave to make candy a crime. Teaching our children the value of moderation and balance is far better.

The Worst Kids Meal Packs 1,200 Calories in a Bowl

Madeline Holler — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:18:00 GMT

Remember when the Center for Science in the Public Interest came out with a devastating report on movie theater popcorn? How it was loaded with calories and fat in numbers so high we could hardly imagine it?

We kept on eating it, sure, but it was also a nice tap on the shoulder that we even if we read labels in the store, we’re kind of flapping in the wind when it comes to eating outside our homes.

Then some 10 years later, we get people who want to pass laws forcing that kind of information to be available in restaurants too! But we cry out! “Idiots,” we say, “fast food is fattening! Get over it!” And then we try to order salads and stuff. Make good choices. Attempt to be a little healthier without new laws or the help of anyone.

That’s why I love stories like this, “16 Secrets Restaurants Don’t Want you to Know,” because, sure, while we know that fries are a caloric indulgence, did we know we’re feeding those hungry thighs with just a few dips of salad dressing? That our little antioxidant smoothie pick-me-up is going straight to the muffin-top and using up a huge percentage of our daily calorie needs?

Here’s a list of the 20 worst foods in America, according to Men's Health. It includes the worst kids meal of all restaurant kids meals. Any guesses? Burger and shake? No. Chicken nuggets and a big juicy Coke? No. The freaking macaroni and cheese kids meal at Macaroni Grill! (That’ll teach you to eat there!) It's like eating a box and a half of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. In one sitting. More than 1,200 calories. For a little kid.

Oddly, one of the healthiest kids meals is also there: grilled chicken, pasta and broccoli. What they don’t mention is that Macaroni Grill also doles out ice-cream with chocolate sauce with the kid’s meals too. Which, if little Aiden and Sophia had the mac ‘n’ cheese, they’re going to be rolling out to the car for sure after dessert.

I’m a label reader at the grocery store and, personally, I’d love full disclosure in chain restaurants too. Not just a little heart icon next to the menu items, but an actual number.

What about you? Prefer denial?

Kids Know McDonald's is Just Better

Karen Murphy — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:05:00 GMT

All the healthy eating in the world apparently can't undo the power of branding, even to a preschooler. A new study of 3- and 5-year olds showed that kids overwhelmingly preferred the food in the McDonald's wrapper to its identical twin in the generic wrapper. I think I'm going to be sick now.

"This study demonstrates simply and elegantly that advertising literally brainwashes young children into a baseless preference for certain food products ... Children, it seems, literally do judge a food by its cover. And they prefer the cover they know."

Does this tell us anything we don't already know? Advertising works. That's why they do it. McDonald's rots the brain even when you don't eat it. Of course, most of the kids in the study admitted to eating McDonald's "food" (I'll use the term loosely) more than once a week, and most had McDonald's toys at home. So they are quite familiar with the golden arches.

I'm guessing though that even kids like mine who eat mostly at home and don't see much TV have, by osmosis, the same branding preferences as the kids in the study. It's pervasive and inescapable. I think we'll be doing a little experiment soon to find out.

Banning Fast Food Advertising Will Not Cure Obesity

ChagHolland — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:30:00 GMT

Currently, thirty-seven percent of Malaysians are considered obese. In an effort to combat the rising obesity rates among their country's population, the Malaysian government has decided to ban all fast food advertising from children's programming.

I think this is ridiculous. If the government feels an item is detrimental to the health of its citizens, the item should be outlawed, not the advertising.

If an item can be legally sold to a certain demographic, there is no reason why that item should not be advertised to that demographic. It should be up to the individual, or in this case, the parent to decide how to process the advertisements.

There is no escaping advertising. Even if you eliminate all commercials from your children's television habits, most children's television shows are advertisements for the shows' toy lines, video games, and DVDs. Take a ten-minute drive around town and you're bound to run across at least one fast food restaurant.

So what can you do to fight the endless barrage of advertising? Educate your children. Tell them fast food is unhealthy. Instill good eating habits. If you don't want your children eating fast food, don't take them to a fast food restaurant.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think the United States should follow Malaysia's lead or should we should leave these decisions to the individual?

McDonalds and Shrek Eat Your Kid's Brain

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:59:00 GMT

Don't you hate it when something as obvious as a McDonald's campaign promoting Shrek the Third succeeds in transforming a simple outing to Playland into your 2 year old asking about for another chance to push the burp button on "the guy?" No? Well, then you're probably much too busy cooking healthful veggie-filled meals. My kids? They eat at McDonalds.

But nevermind all the beef recalls and the concerns about childhood obesity. What really gets me is all the Happy Meal Marketing. I doubt George Lucas knew what he was starting, back when he turned heads by creating a whole product line from Star Wars.

Now we have that damn Shrek. You know the one. The "movie for kids" that's really just an excuse for parents to embrace their inner teenager and tell fart jokes? Well, the promotion is working. And McDonalds is laughing all the way to the bank.

Shrek Continues Health Campaign With...Happy Meals?

Patti — Sat, 19 May 2007 19:35:00 GMT

If you were shaking your head when you found out that the US Department of Health and Human Services had enlisted Shrek as a mascot, you'll be rolling your eyes right out of their sockets when you hear about how Shrek and McDonald's are teaming up to promote "healthy" Happy Meals. Shrek and his pals are pushing the items that McDonalds has added over the years as a sop to the pressure they've been under for marketing such garbage to families—the apple slices (with corn syrupalicious caramel dip), the water, the so-called-chicken nuggets.

This week I played hardcore investigative journalist, and I pulled up to the McDonald's drive-thru and ordered four Happy Meals (two for my kids, two for Strollerderby blogger Alisyn's kids). I'm happy to report that despite reports to the contrary, Happy Meals are still utter shite. Nobody forced apples on me or even offered them; I was able to obtain fries with no problems. And the milk was not only chocolate, but the plastic bottles had a special Shrek label on it. And the straws were also Shrek-green. And the toys talk, and in fact, one of them burps. See the lengths I'll go to in order to get to the bottom of things?

You're welcome.

Fast Food Joints Get Healthier, So You Don't Have to Feel (As) Bad

Alisyn — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:01:00 GMT

Did you know that Burger King recently announced that it was only going to buy and serve humanely raised and slaughtered animals? Me either. Did you know that KFC and Taco Bell recently followed through on their promise to eliminate trans fats from their menus? Me either! But I know it's good news.

Quick-serve chains around the country—from McDonald's to Subway to Chick-Fil-A to Starbucks—are finally paying attention to what scientists and health experts have been saying for years: that you don't have to sacrifice taste for nutrition. First they got rid of that horrible styrofoam packaging, then they started serving grilled chicken sandwiches and salads (some even serve veggie burgers!), and now they're kicking trans fats to the curb. Fast food is getting positively modern! Can serving serving antibiotic/hormone-free meat and dairy be next? (Fingers crossed.)

I am not above feeding my kids fast food from time to time, but if a healthier option were as quick and convenient as the McDonald's drive-thru, I'd gladly go out of my way to grab it (I'm thinking Whole Foods needed a drive-thru, like, yesterday.) I try to pick the healthiest fast food options, but that's not enough to make me feel good about eating there. So it's good to know everyone from Ronald McDonald to The King is thinking about how to change that. The will is there —now they just need to find the way.

(Via Quick Serve Kids, a fabulous parenting blog for "guiding kids through the fast food world.")

"Organicize Me": Michael Stusser Goes Organic For One Month

JasonAvant — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:15:00 GMT

Some of you may know Michael Stusser from his work over at ParentMap; he authored "The Accidental Parent", a column detailing his experience marrying the love of his life - who,as it turned out, had twin 10-year-old girls. His Sebastian Junger-esque courage firmly established, Stusser recently took up a challenge that many of us would shirk from. He spent the month of January eating and drinking only certified organic foods and beverages. Hilarity ensues, along with a thoughtful assessment of the benefits and challenges of eating au natural.

For those new to the world of organic foods, Stusser provides a primer on what makes a product "organic". He then points out that the definition is a bit nebulous - there's a big difference between "organic" and "natural", and to meet USDA standards, 95% of the ingredients need to be organic (the other 5% can, for instance, be De-Con RoachProof). Of course, there's a political aspect to organics, but Stusser points out that organic farms are not the Trotskyist Paradise that one might think - and, indeed, organic food may be a bit bourgeois, as Stusser sees a 58% increase in the cost of his family's monthly groceries.

Along with the serious stuff, Stusser points out the lighter side of his conversion ("Luckily, I discovered an organic vodka called Square One"). And even if you decide that those Jeno's Pizza Rolls are too goddamn tasty to give up, Stusser thinks that one can actually eat in a healthier and more environmentally responsible way. Now, speaking of organic vodka...

Junk Food Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity. In Other News, Pope is Catholic.

JasonAvant — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:00:00 GMT

The third California Childhood Obesity Conference kicked off on Tuesday, the 23rd, and experts agree that marketing plays a big (and insidious) role in shaping kids' dietary habits. I was going to hold off on writing about this particular article until after the PR guys from McDonald's, Kellogg's, et al. put out statements questioning the validity of statements made by those speakers while defending their products ("But we also sell yogurt!"). There's just something exhilarating about people who are so nefariously intent on denying reality; putting a delusionary spin on matters of life and death is so vile and sad you just have to laugh.

And yes, childhood obesity is a matter of life and death. The study highlighted in the O.C. Register article indicates that 1 in 4 Orange County children are overweight; we all know that young children who are obese have a much higher chance of developing serious and potentially life-shortening health problems.

What's worth repeating is that like Joe Camel before him, Ronald McDonald wants your kids to become addicts; put on the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, or any Saturday morning cartoon show and you'll be inundated with fast food and sugar-laden cereal ads. None of which talk about the downside of eating that shit (Mayor McGreasetrap or Tony the Triple-bypass Tiger, anyone?).

Look, I enjoy the occasional big-ass bowl of Cap'n Crunch as much as the next guy. But I'm a grownup. The article raises an excellent point - young children can't differentiate between the program and the commercial. One expert recommends sitting down with your kids and talking about the differences between the two (good luck with that if your kid likes to watch old Transformers cartoons). In my house, we've devised another solution. The DVR. We don't let the kid watch "live" TV; we record the shows, then when he watches them, we fast forward through the commercials (bonus: we get to control what shows he watches, and how long he gets to spend watching them. Plus with the DVR, I can now record 24 while watching Heroes. Thus my life is fulfilled.) Our cable company charges an additional $10 a month; chump change compared to what we'd end up spending on insulin.

Back Away From The Big Mac: Weaning Your Family From Fast Food

Patti — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:00:00 GMT

Full disclosure: Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me didn't completely turn me off of fast food. They did help encourage me to dial my consumption back a notch, and they did make me appreciate living in a region that has In N Out Burger, but we still get the odd Happy Meal now and then, and as the rainy season impends, we'll probably be logging some time at the Play Place (whither the indoor playspaces in the Bay Area? Why so few and far between? But that's another post).

That said, I plan menus weekly and I cook dinner pretty much from scratch almost every night of the month. That said, I'm a stay at home parent, I don't have kids old enough to have a heavy schedule of events in the late afternoon and evening (or, at their ages, any schedule at all), so it's hard for me to get my head around a calendar so busy that I feel I have no choice but to go out for fast food five nights a week. Yet such busy parents exist, and actually have to write for advice to get out of their ruts. And the expert's answer is, well, DUH, don't do it so much.

I'd have taken my response a little further. What, you can't make a stack of (fresh-ground, sugarfree) peanut butter and (natural all-fruit) jelly (on whole grain bread) to bring along? You don't have a crock pot? You can't cook up a pot of spaghetti sauce or chili on Sunday afternoon and freeze half of it for Thursday? You're the only living person in North America who has somehow avoided knowledge of Rachael Ray? Get a wok! Have big salads for dinner! Freakin' Taco Night, lady! It takes five minutes to open a can of beans and heat it! Save your damn dinner, at least most of the time! Yes, your kids' sports activities are important and it's great that they're active, but one of the most crucial jobs we have as parents is to provide our children with healthy and nutritious food. If your schedule prevents you from providing a basic need, you need to revisit it!

"Skip the fries and ask for extra lettuce and tomato" is practically giving this mother a pass to carry on as she's been doing, despite the rational advice that preceeds it. Those kids are still going to be eating food laced with high-fructose corn syrup every night, and they're athletes. They need to be eating healthy foods. Fast food, if it must be anything at all to your family, is a treat or a last resort. It's not what's for dinner.

Supersizing China: New Statistics Say Chinese Kids Packing on Pounds

MetroDad — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:52:00 GMT

I've been traveling to China on business for the past 12 years and every year when I return, it seems that the people have gotten both larger and taller. Anecdotally speaking, the common thinking was that this was a sign of China's growing economy. Now, in the first comprehensive study of China's growing obesity rate, the Chinese Ministry of Health has uncovered some astounding results.

New figures show that urban Chinese boys age 6 are 2.5 inches taller and 6.6 pounds heavier on average than Chinese city boys 30 years ago! In less than a generation, China has gone from an era of widespread famine and an underweight citizenship to an age of bountiful food and a burgeoning obesity problem. Even more astounding is the fact that much of this has occurred in the past ten years!

Bigger children are a source of pride and proof of prosperity for many Chinese. Many of this generation's children had parents who grew up struggling to find a daily meal. Therefore, although the Chinese government plans to embark on an anti-obesity campaign, many Chinese parents still adhere to the old adage that, "a fat child is a healthy child." Contrast this to America's obsession with thinness and it makes an interesting comparison (as Chris Rock once said, "We got so much food in America, we're allergic to food. Allergic to food! Hungry people ain't allergic to shit. You think anyone in Rwanda's got a fuckin' lactose intolerance?!")

Experts at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention are clearly linking the growing childhood obesity rate to the increased prevalence of American-style fast food. Over the past 10 years, McDonalds and KFC have literally opened hundreds of outlets in China. Naturally, both chains state that they seek to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle. However, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that they are partly to blame. After all, look what happened in Okinawa!

Kids Are Never Too Sick For A Double-Cheeseburger

Dad Gone Mad — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:00:00 GMT

We all know that fast food joints are purveyors of the most disgusting, shit-infested slop around. That's why I was so shocked by this article, which tell us that more than 20% of the nation's children's hospitals have welcomed fast food restaurants into their lobbies. According to the story, at least 59 of the nation's 250 children's hospitals have fast-food restaurants. McDonald's, the Adolf Hitler of nutrition, is in 30 U.S. hospitals.

If 17 percent of U.S. children are considered obese, and if that obesity is at least partially related to "heavy consumption of calorie-laden fatty fast food," what possible justification could there be for bringing that shit into a hospital for children? Furthermore, sick kids need nutrition to get better. How well are the hospitals treating these poor little guys if they are implicitly telling them, "Yeah, eat as much of that crap as you like. Hell, go ahead and Super-Size it if you want to."

But there is even a more disturbing dimension to this story. By permitting fast food restaurants to exist in a bona fide medical environment, hospitals deliver the message to their patients that eating shit-infested burgers and fried schnauzer tacos is a perfectly healthy diet. After all, they wouldn't put something dangerous to our health in a children's hospital, would they? Would they?

Julie Pesch, a spokeshole for Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said the hospital chose to install a McDonald's many years ago as a special treat for sick kids going through difficult treatment. That, dear lady, is utter horseshit. You did it for the cash.

[NOTE: Post edited to remove...um, delicate references. - Editor]