Childhood Obesity: Is it abuse?

Hi Everyone,


This morning I was watching the Today Show, and there is a group of experts that talks about "Hot Topics". One of the topics today was Childhood Obesity. The question was, "Should children be taken away from their family for overfeeding them?"  One of the "experts" said she felt they should be taken away; it is the same as not feeding your children or abusing them. Another said it is such a hard topic, since it is not really the same thing as child abuse unless they are forcing the kids to eat too much. The third expert, in my opinion, hit it out of the park. She felt that instead of the government stepping in and putting these kids into a broken system, why don't they get in front of the real problem. I agree with a statement she made: "Why don't places offer a dollar menu of healthy food?"

Here are some of my thoughts on the issue, and I would love to hear yours:

This issue goes so much deeper; it not just about overeating. Most of the time obese children have obese parents, and it is their unhealthy habits that the kids follow. When I was 198 pounds and saw the path that I was on I thought about my girls. I asked myself,  "Do I want them to have the same health problems and body image issues?" You all know the answer was NO. I had to make the changes; we all know it is the mother, the wife, that guides the family. So I had to be strong if things were going to change. I started with what we ate; we tried the make the right choices.

I know a few things about how hard it is to change. One thing is buying fresh, organic produce, meat, and chicken. It can be very expensive!! So I can't always buy it; I only buy it on sale. Another thing that is hard is time - who has it these days?  So when grocery shopping and you see a processed frozen meal that only takes 20 minute to cook in the microwave, not to mention how cheap it is - this appeals to a lot of people. Also, exercise for most Americans is really not something they want to do, so they don't. All of these factors are making it easier to become obese, and I am sure you can think of other factors too.

Another thing the "experts" spoke about were school lunches needing to be healthier for our kids.
This is a gray area for the kids today, again!  My kids buy lunch at school, healthy or not. We look at the menu to see what they want to eat and usually they choose chicken nuggets, strips, patties, any form of processed chicken. So I make sure the next meal is not processed. More work for me!

The snacks are not much better, my kids' choices:
Ice Cream: sandwiches, on a stick, and push pops
Chips: "Baked" -  the school thinks this is a good choice (it's not; read the label if you can)
Cheeze-itz: - reduced fat - again filled with chemicals
Smartfood Popcorn: not bad, but again, I think it is reduced fat
Fruit: apples, oranges, bananas - all good, but really, what kid is going for fruit with the other choices there?
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies: ok, but is the batter pre-packaged or from scratch? I don't know about you, but I don't consider them all that healthy.

An area they didn't talk about was activities for kids. I think kids should be involved in activities, however I don't think that will stop obesity.

So do I think the government should step in to help stomp out Childhood Obesity?? If they help, yes, but not by taking them away from their families. Maybe they need to look at the food industry and what the chemicals are doing to our bodies. Are these chemicals causing the country's healthcare problems? Cancer is on the rise, as well as Heart Disease & Diabetes. I just read an article about how diet soda makes you fat. I have said this for awhile: it is better to have the "real" stuff in moderation than to overdo it with foods that are chemically changed.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Click Comments below