Childhood Obesity Report Calls For Government Regulations

[Revmitchell]

A newly released report by the Institute for Medicine and the National Research Council details strategies for local governments to combat what it calls an epidemic of childhood obesity, including enacting zoning and land-use regulations that would “restrict fast food establishments near school grounds and public playgrounds.”


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[Crabtownboy]

A newly released report by the Institute for Medicine and the National Research Council details strategies for local governments to combat what it calls an epidemic of childhood obesity, including enacting zoning and land-use regulations that would “restrict fast food establishments near school grounds and public playgrounds.”


More Here

Children today are the first generation in our history who are not expected to live as long as their parents .... and it stems from poor dietary habits resulting in overweight and obese children. Type II diabetes is for all practical purposes pandemic and it is all preventable. Type II diabetes used to be called "adult onset disbetes" as it never occurred in children. That is no longer true.

 

[donnA]

People need to be taught how to eat properly, how to feed their children properly. Some people think that becasue they know means everyone does. Not to mention high fat high calorie foods are the cheapest foods. When people are poor they can't afford fresh fruit and vegatables. So thats two problems already.

 

[rdwhite]

Low nutritional density in many processed modern foods further exacerbates the problem. That coupled with high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, aspartame, and other garbage being put in nearly everything that is boxed, canned, or vacuum sealed. High Fructose Corn Syrup, in studies I've read, is not recognized by the body as a sugar, and thus insulin is not released to break it down. HFCS is in nearly everything that today's kids consume, even in many of the so called healthy drinks and snacks. I've read that HFCS is a thought to be a leading factor in the rise of Childhood Obesity and Diabetes.

Rather than addressing the real problems, as usual, the government uses a crisis as a means to extend its control and regulation.

 

[abcgrad94]

If the government wants to regulate fast food, they should go after the makers of that food, not the restaurants who serve it or the parents who buy it. The manufacturers are making unhealthy foods because IT SELLS. Money and greed is driving them to do it. It all boils down to the almighty dollar.

 

[Revmitchell]

If the people want to buy it and eat it let them alone.

 

[Johnv]

If the people want to buy it and eat it let them alone.

We should also refrain from presuming that just because a person frequents a fast food joint, that they're engaging in gluttony. It's possible to frequent burger joint and not be engaging in sin.

However, what Revmitchell says is true. If people want to buy food and eat it, let them. If that includes them being irresponsible and sinful gluttons, that's their right to do so.

Of course, that begs the question of whether a parent has the right to have their kids engage in gluttony. One could ponder "how fat does your kid need to be before it qualifies as abuse". It's a question worth pondering, but not one whose answer necessarily lies with government regulation, imo.

 

[rbell]

We should also refrain from presuming that just because a person frequents a fast food joint, that they're engaging in gluttony. It's possible to frequent burger joint and not be engaging in sin.

However, what Revmitchell says is true. If people want to buy food and eat it, let them. If that includes them being irresponsible and sinful gluttons, that's their right to do so.

Of course, that begs the question of whether a parent has the right to have their kids engage in gluttony. One could ponder "how fat does your kid need to be before it qualifies as abuse". It's a question worth pondering, but not one whose answer necessarily lies with government regulation, imo.

Agreed.

People need to be taught how to eat properly, how to feed their children properly. Some people think that becasue they know means everyone does. Not to mention high fat high calorie foods are the cheapest foods. When people are poor they can't afford fresh fruit and vegatables. So thats two problems already.

Donna is right. Good food costs more...but in the USA many times it's not a function of "can't afford" as much as it is value systems.

I think before someone says, "I 'can't afford' fruits and vegetables..." the questions arise:

• Do you have cable TV?
• Do you have a cell phone?
• Do you have a written budget? What are you spending on non-essential items?

Are there some folks who sincerely can't afford good foods? OF course...but not nearly as many as what is suggested by some. IMO, high-quality, healthy foods is at the tip-top of the necessities list. Go without the cell phone, cable, manicures, latest music, and fashionable clothes. Healthy food comes first. It did for us...and now that we're better off, it still comes before other non-essentials.

 

[Crabtownboy]

If the people want to buy it and eat it let them alone.

Sounds very much like a philosophy of, if people want to sin let them and leave them alone.

 

[targus]

Sounds very much like a philosophy of, if people want to sin let them and leave them alone.

You believe that eating fast food is a sin?

 

[Crabtownboy]

You believe that eating fast food is a sin?

I believe that gluttony is a sin. Do you?

I believe it is a sin for parents to allow children to overeat and become obese and harm their health. Do you?

 

[rbell]

CTB,
So, then...should the government set out to prevent us from sinning?

Think carefully about your other positions you've taken before answering...

 

[JPPT1974]

Your body is a temple bear in mind. And that God expects you to take care of your body on what you eat and how!

 

[Crabtownboy]

CTB,
So, then...should the government set out to prevent us from sinning?


Think carefully about your other positions you've taken before answering...

Do you approve of the government having policemen/women?

 

[donnA]

Agreed.



Donna is right. Good food costs more...but in the USA many times it's not a function of "can't afford" as much as it is value systems.


I think before someone says, "I 'can't afford' fruits and vegetables..." the questions arise:

• Do you have cable TV?
• Do you have a cell phone?
• Do you have a written budget? What are you spending on non-essential items?

Are there some folks who sincerely can't afford good foods? OF course...but not nearly as many as what is suggested by some. IMO, high-quality, healthy foods is at the tip-top of the necessities list. Go without the cell phone, cable, manicures, latest music, and fashionable clothes. Healthy food comes first. It did for us...and now that we're better off, it still comes before other non-essentials.

Really?
Not what I've seen and lived.
1. nope didn't have cable tv, had 1 channel
2. nope not a cell phone, not a home phone.
3. you can't have a writtenb budget when your monthly income is in the hundreds if that much.
When I talk about people who can't afford it I mean they really do not have money to buy expensive foods with, they have to buy what they can afford or go to bed hungry, not having eaten today. People whose clothes come from yard sales or free (usually churches), who struggle just for toilet paper, and soap, no fashionable clothes, no music or movies. Nothing!
How do you suggest these people buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they can barely feed themselves a week as it is buying the cheap foods?
as I keep saying, people with money have no idea.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Really?
Not what I've seen and lived.
1. nope didn't have cable tv, had 1 channel
2. nope not a cell phone, not a home phone.
3. you can't have a writtenb budget when your monthly income is in the hundreds if that much.
When I talk about people who can't afford it I mean they really do not have money to buy expensive foods with, they have to buy what they can afford or go to bed hungry, not having eaten today. People whose clothes come from yard sales or free (usually churches), who struggle just for toilet paper, and soap, no fashionable clothes, no music or movies. Nothing!
How do you suggest these people buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they can barely feed themselves a week as it is buying the cheap foods?
as I keep saying, people with money have no idea.

The least expensive food is to buy and cook from scratch. Any prepared or semi-prepared foods are much more expensive ... and it is those, the prepared and semi-prepared foods that have the most salt and sugar. Excessive salt and sugar both affect a person's health.

I expect Donna cooks from scratch.

I am wondering if fresh veggies and fruit are really more expensive. I am not sure. I do all our grocery shopping and do buy fresh, but it stretches a long way by stir frying.

Meat is a very expensive item. I use it sparingly, more for flavor than bulk. Give me a chicken breast, veggies, and rice and I can feed a lot of people.

 

[abcgrad94]

When our children were quite little, I had a choice: I could buy a pound of balogna for $.99 or a pound of chicken for $3.49. I could buy a can of green beans for $.40 or fresh beans for $1. It might seem like a small difference, but it all adds up, and when you're on a tight budget, already using coupons and sales, plus paying for unexpected medical bills, it's still hard to eat healthy.

Cooking from scratch is great, and it's what I do most of the time. Unfortunately, the cheapest "scratch" meals contain lots of starch: pasta, rice, breads, cereals, grains, etc. These carbs, while cheap, are not healthy by themselves on a constant basis.

It boils down to this: How much government control do we reall NEED in our daily lives? My guess is, a whole lot less than what we currently have!

 

[rbell]

Really?
Not what I've seen and lived.
1. nope didn't have cable tv, had 1 channel
2. nope not a cell phone, not a home phone.
3. you can't have a writtenb budget when your monthly income is in the hundreds if that much.
When I talk about people who can't afford it I mean they really do not have money to buy expensive foods with, they have to buy what they can afford or go to bed hungry, not having eaten today. People whose clothes come from yard sales or free (usually churches), who struggle just for toilet paper, and soap, no fashionable clothes, no music or movies. Nothing!
How do you suggest these people buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they can barely feed themselves a week as it is buying the cheap foods?
as I keep saying, people with money have no idea.

Donna,

At what point did I accuse you of anything? You are waaay too defensive on this subject. Any time folks attempt discussion, you get overly defensive and angry. Calm down. Honestly, not once did I refer to you, or your family, in my point. Quit taking things so personally.

As to your claim:

people with money have no idea

How do you know what others make? What allows you to assume they "have money?" Perhaps they make less than you do.

Assumptions are often times incorrect...

 

[rbell]

Do you approve of the government having policemen/women?

What on earth do police have to do with regulating what we eat?

 

[Alcott]

I've got it! Eating is part of healthcare, ain't it? Let the government feed everybody, and only the "right" kind of foods. Put Chef Boyardee and his canned Spaghetti-O's out of business and enforce the rule that it's fresh pasta made from the whites only of the eggs, or nothing. Sink Cap'n Crunch's ship permanently! Hold that tiger named Tony! Let Trix be for rabbits or for nothing! Make the Burger King into the Asparagus Princess! Ban chicken strips and stricken the chips! Go ahead and let the Pillsbury Dough Boy die of a yeast infection-- he's a Christian, so he'll rise again anyway.