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I never really thought about this. Red Rooster is often my go to meal when I am completely disorganised and find myself out later than I expect to be and kids that really want dinner ... we usually do a family roast meal. It never occured to me about the flavour enhancers. I knew it wasn't healthy but I thought we were making a healthier choice than other fast food restaurants. Apparently not. Thanks for sharing that ... very interesting :think:.:
BLS. My 6 month old had pasta, meatballs in tomato sauce, carrot and broccoli for dinner and a wedge of pear for dessert. Just like the 2yo and 3.5yo. The current allergy guidelines do not suggest delayed introduction of anything after the age of 6 months. So when you start them on food you start them on anything and everything. Unless there is a family history to consider.:
Me...who cares? It's not my child. I can hardly biartch and moan over people not respecting my choices to Homebirth and breastfeed and attachment and gentle parent if I'm not respecting other peoples parenting choices :dunno: Who am I to judge them, really? It's not me that has that child, that needs to feed and care for them. I'll be doing that for MY child. Similar to how I would feel p!ssy with someone telling me my child is 'missing out' for not being allowed certain things, Ofcorse others will feel similarly for being told their kids shouldn't be eating this or that. Does not affect me. I actually love seeing kids at maccas, they're usually having a good time with their families :)
Heck, I'm too busy with my little tornado to even notice what other's are putting in their kids mouths. Anyhoo, I'm guilty of giving DD macca's. She gotten so fussy and somedays gets through a day by only eating a couple of spoons of cereal, a small bit of cheese and a bit of an apple, if that. So if I can tempt her to eat something extra by offering a couple of nuggets or chips I'll do it.
People must be horrified when I am out with DD then.
But its funny that the people that know DD know how amazing her diet is. She eats bowls of veges and fruit. I actually have to hide fruit behind stuff in the fridge as if she knows its there she wants it. We did BLS from 6mths and she eats everything. Whatever we dish up, she wants (normally though she wants what is on my plate).
I think its funny the foods that are listed as junk. Yes they are sometimes or occasionally foods but have you ever thought about how high in sugar a box of saltanas is or a musli bar or those kids yoghurts? As earlier posters said, all in moderation.
Oh and I am known to go to Maccas and get a cup of iced water for DD simply because DD LOVES drinking out of the maccas cup/straw combo. People might look at her in her pram thinking is that child drinking coke and probably judge me but I know its water and I dont think I need to walk around with a sign on it saying WATER ONLY just to stop others judging me.
I also think its funny that It would be perfectly acceptable to give my child a muffin with some butter and an egg but wrap it up in a maccas wrapper and you become a terrible mother.
I think a lot of people are jumping on the "let's not judge" bandwagon and yes, in A LOT of circumstances it is not helpful or wise to judge.
But, on the other hand, when you feel judged by your peers it can lead you to make better decisions. I was a smoker when I got pregnant. I wanted to give up because obviously it would be better for my baby. Because, I was 'only' a light smoker (five a day max which went down to about two per day when pregnant), I never felt that overwhelming motivation to do so for health reasons. What DID push me over the line was really not wanting to be standing outside my office dragging on a fag with my pregnant belly and copping the judgement from people.
Now if I take my kids to Maccas once in a blue moon, if I cop looks from people, it is not going to worry me. Really. If I'm taking there a lot to the point that the staff in there recognise me as a regular then feeling some disapproval from them would make me think more about what I'm doing. The same if I fill my supermarket trolley with lots of sugary, junky crap and I cop looks from other shoppers or checkout chicks.
So let's not all jump on the "let's not judge" bandwagon willy nilly. Sometimes feeling judged can be a good thing.
And another thing :)
I think the "it's a first world problem, how trivial" take on things has some truth BUT so is the entire BB site. Ooooooh, which health model should I go for - ob, midwifery, shared care, home birth when a lot of the world's women would be grateful for any health care in birth. Should I send my children to public or private school? Should I choose the Bugaboo or the City Jogger? BB is based on first world problems so don't let's start trying to say that childhood obesity and what people eat is too trivial to be discussed as that strikes me as a tad hypocritical.
I do understand what what you're saying fionas and in part I agree. Personally though, I don't particularly like feeling judged, especially for such trivial things. For myself, there are situations were feeling judged is helpful, like the smoking. I was exactly the same. But, in also saying that, that feeling of judgement may not be helpful to someone else. Does that make sense? Not really :):
totally get what you're saying loulabelle. And in this PARTICULAR instance where the OP doesn't know the circumstances, I don't think it's helpful either. But I guess my more general point would be that childhood obesity (and obesity in general) is on the rise. Common sense would tell us that everyone sitting in Maccas is not doing it a an occasional treat - I don't think Macca's business model is based on this. And common sense would also tell us that if you start giving very young kids junk, you're less likely to be giving them a healthy diet later. Obviously there are exceptions to this. And everyone on BB seems to be an exception :)
Giving junk food to kids on a regular basis (I'm talking several times per week), is becoming very acceptable as just a part of normal life. Have a look around your local shopping centre food courts. There are seriously obese parents sitting at Maccas and other fast food places giving their kids junk and making kids who have little choice over what goes into their mouths, obese too. I think that's a disgrace. I couldn't care less what adults eat. I used to be overweight/obese too, I don't make a judgement call on what weight someone is (unless they start complaning about their weight which I think is just about the dullest topic of conversation that anyone could inflict on me). But personally if those parents cop a few stares when they do so and their embarrassment leads to them making better food choices, well, I reckon that's a good thing.
There are some real problems. People in general eat too much and most of that is unhealthy. Children are growing up obese, because parents are growing obese and passing their bad habits onto their children. I can understand why people would be concerned.
Having said that.
My first child only ever got completely healthy unprocessed foods until she was at least one, even then it was only the odd 'treat' (like a small egg for easter). Everyone in the household was eating the same food.
Number two came along and suddenly Macca's was introduced and other junk foods. Although we did go the healthier options while we went to maccas orginally (apple slices instead of fries) things 'evolve' with two kids pestering. So the choices got worse. The amount of not so healthy food increased. The bulk of their diet (ie, what they ate at home) was still very healthy: probably about 90%.
Number three came along. I am sad to say that he's fist food was a milky way - curtesy of his sharing and caring brother. Number three was 4mths old at the time. He has had alot of 'junk food' from a very young age. He was eating Happy meals under the age of one. We also tend to have alot more unhealthy options in the house nowdays (ie, easy-mac, 2 minute noodles) because they are the quick easy options, when there is no time or patience left at the end of the day for a 'real' meal (or for when mummy is too busy throwing up because of morning sickness to really give a crap what her kids are eating). The majority of the food they eat is still fresh fruit and vege, milk or water, grainy breads (we rarely buy anything but the grainiest) and airpopped popcorn - probably about 70% of their diet 'most' of the time.
When DH disappears for a couple of weeks with the army, we can literally eat take-away 5 nights out of seven (Macca's for 3 of those nights, because it has a play area). We try to order healthier things at least most of the time, when that is the case (ie, salad's) but it isn't always possible.
My point is that I am certainly not perfect, I don't pretend to be. Throwing stones in glass houses and all that jazz. But I try to ensure that the majority of the food they are eating is healthy a majority of the time
I know ALL about healthy food and 'sometimes' foods, good health guidelines, etc. It is part of my job - I work for Weight Watchers. Sometimes it is easy to eat healthily. Sometimes it is not. In terms of Obesity, Portion control is usually the biggest issue. Many people who believe they eat healthily and never have take-away actually eat some of the most unhealthy foods. Many 'healthy weight' people eat foods that are 'worse' then other obese people, and they think it is OK because they are a 'healthy weight'.
Moderation is the key. And while it is not 'ideal' for babies to be eating 'crap' - we don't live in an ideal world. I try not to judge others for what they are eating or for what they are feeding their kids. If they come to me for help, or are 'open' to learning I am happy to sit down with anyone and disscuss food and what our ideals should be. But I try not to judge, certainly not on what they happen to be eating in that moment. Perfection is non-existant, but it is what the person is doing a majority of the time that is the key.
Although it does make me sad to see the obese children out there, with their (more often then not) obese parents. Because these parents are lacking the tools, the knowledge and the support to be healthy for themselves, there is no way they can pass those things onto their children. And their children are going to grow up thinking it is 'normal' and the cycle will be perpetuated with their own children. It is sad for the children, and it is sad for the parents (who often truely do not know any different). I see it as a flaw in society, not the individual.
I get parents bringing their children as young as 13yrs old to sign up as a member at Weight Watchers, and it is sad to see these young people here, but I am thrilled to see them also, because their parents have recognised their own lack of knowledge, or their simple inability to pass along their knowledge to their offspring. Often the younger members do alot better then the older generations - because they don't have to unlearn as many bad habits formed over as many years. The government really should be bringing in a proper and consistantly administrated healthy and nutrition program into the school system - something that forms a part of the regular routine like maths or english.
Take-away is not the SOLE problem, nor would I even say it is one of the biggest. Just have an honest think everyone, about exactly how many items go into your trolley that are in packages....
(sorry, that ramble turned out longer then I expected).
Great post misty and I agree with 90% of what you say.
I agree that the government should initiate a health campaign but I wouldn't target it at schools. I think all too often we say that kids need help in choosing healthier foods. I believe food choices start at home. The vast majority of meals children eat are at home still and lunchboxes are packed by parents. Even if we educate kids, it will be undone if their parents put crap in their shopping trolley.
So, if I was in government, I would basically start a campaign similar to what Weight Watchers do. A website, TV ads, booklet drops showing people what a healthy foods is and what a healthy portion size is (because even if you eat quite healthy food you can still be overweight if your portion size is too big). And healthy, quick recipes that don't cost the earth.
Sadly I think imho I think the various one sized fits all diets, marketed by various companies who are making large profits; or even the one recommended by Dieticians is also to blame for the obesity epidemic.
The truth is some people are more suited to eating eggs for breakfast, rather than eating more carbohydrates.
#firstworldproblems:
It's just a joke - don't read too much into it. No-one said it was trivial or not worthy of discussion.
Goodo.
bother to this thread....I'm suffering a severe case of CBF's on the meal front, but it's guilted me into digging out some moderately healthy food instead of rolling out a toasted cheese sandwich for DS1. Better get on with it spose - lookout veggies, here I come...
Id just like to point out (from research done for my nursing degree on nutrition, children and physical activity) that thinking diet is the only precursor to obesity is ridiculous. The complete lack of exercise in daily life is probably more detrimental. The amount of people who take lifts when perfectly able to take stairs or escalators is amazing, same goes for those who troll carparks for park spots closer to the doors than having to hike across the carpark on their perfectly useful legs. I cant imagine they make much effort for exercise, especially for their children.
That said, I think the Government needs to step up more when it comes to children and diet/exercise. Extracurricular sport for children is ridiculously expensive these days, especially when you have more than one or two children to put into it. Not to mention work hours becoming longer and longer which means less time for sport lessons or spending time outside with the kids. The price of groceries just keeps going up and up and sometimes I think it becomes easier or cheaper to buy take away or processed foods instead of cooking from scratch or as close to scratch as you can get.
How many of you have or plan to have your kids in organised sporting lessons? How many of you cook from scratch instead of buying processed foods like frozen vegies, premade sauces and the like? Those two things can be just as bad as taking your kids to Maccas for a happy meal.
Freya, yes we make sauces from scratch and we even eat salad without any dressing and we eat fresh whenever we can but that's not to say there isn't a bag of frozen vegies in the freezer. Yes I agree that lack exercise is a major contribution to obesity but I don't think anyone has suggested that eating junk food is the 'only' precursor, if someone did suggest that than your call of that being ridiculous would be fair enough.
I'd like to ask how many of you feel like ***** after you have fish and chips, a big mac or greasy KFC? How many of you feel like crap after eating a slice of cake loaded up with sugar or even a chocolate bar for that matter. How many of you feel like crap after drinking soft drink? Our bodies just aren't made to be able to deal with this type of 'abuse'. Imagine how a babies body feels when they are given these things?
I usually feel hideous after eating Maccas Cheeseburgers...but thats usually because i'm ridiculously hungover.
I don't think anyone is saying that it's ok to give junk to kids all the time, I thikn everyone is saying don't judge till you know the facts, I think everyone is saying that healthy food is best.
Most people seem to just be repeating what others have said and it's going round and round in cicles don't you think??