Strollerderby
Healthy Eating Campaigns Dying on the Vine
Childhood obesity rates in kids ages 6-11 have quadrupled since the ’70s, and show no signs of slowing down. With the odds stacked against kids voluntarily choosing fresh food options, parental guidance is the driving force in keeping kids healthy. But unfortunately, their own lack of food education, combined with the fact that junk food is cheap and readily available (not to mention heavily marketed) to kids, and often times tastes better, means that fruits and veggies are not even an afterthought to fast food families.
Last year, a federal program “introducing” fruits and veggies to 5th graders failed miserably because “they didn’t like the taste.” In Pennsylvania, school administrators were giving away prizes for fruit and veggie eaters, who, when the prizes were no longer available, went right back to their crappy eating habits. And kids who reported that they were “eating better” and exercising actually showed no change whatsoever in blood pressure or body size.
But with the federal government refusing to curb advertising campaigns geared towards kids, and feeding them cheap, highly processed and flavorless foods in schools, kids today show no signs of getting healthier. Good thing they have free universal health care to depend on later in life! Oh. Wait…
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5 Comments
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amProblem is – overweight kids comes from overweight parents.
There are plenty of parents who think Apple-flavored soda is considered a fruit.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amDISGUSTING !
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amOMG! Do we all need to go back to the farm to live? I feel so bad for those little ones in the picture. I don’t know how I did it but my kids were not chubs when they were little. However, “large” women run in the family and I can’t stop that genetics stuff. I wish I could. We were all skinny kids too. People have just GOT to get this healthy eating thing under control. Our kids will die before we do if we don’t. That guy on Dr. Phil’s House of Hate is 700 pounds. Why would the parents let that happen?
RachelZ commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amWait, you mean I shouldn’t be giving the baby Doritos?
What’s an apple?
cryitout commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amHey, would you please stop displaying my baby pictures!
The problem with highly processed foods is that they are definitely not flavorless. I figure I have until my daughter turns 3 before her diet consists mainly of Doritos and Mountain Dew. Until then, it’s apples. Lots and lots of friggin apples.
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