Is junk food child abuse?

There's really no reason to believe otherwise. Then again, the big problem is that this day and age, with downright ubiquitous chemical additives and such, seemingly everything could be considered junk food. Welcome to America.

Originally posted by frugal
I actually paid him $2 to eat his brocolli the other day.

Oh jeez, please tell me you're kidding.

Originally posted by Freedom_is_Slavery

From the age of about six until adolescence, we develop the total number of fat cells that we will carry for the rest of our lives. Overweight children start developing fat cells from about the age of two, thereby increasing their total fat cells along with the likelihood of obesity in later life. This is why it's crucial that your child is a normal weight in his or her early years.

Well...that's partly true. Fat cells can increase in size and quantity throughout an individual's life, depending on the diet, of course. However, fat cells won't simply disappear. Once you get them...you're stuck with them. If you begin to burn fat and lose weight, the fat cells will undoubtedly shrink in size.

Just another reason for the government to undermine a parent's authority in the home. Careful what you wish for....

I live in Canada, am a working mom who has a home made sit-down dinner every night for my family. We have meat and vegies pretty much every day. They have a home-packed lunch, consisting of a PB sandwich, cookies, fruit, etc. The media tells us constantly here that almost 30% of kids are overweight, yet none of my children's friends are fat, nor are any of their classmates. You would think that if the number of obese kids was 30%, there would be at least one child in their classes (each class is about 25-30 kids) that is overweight?? Maybe all the fat kids are hidden??? I am a skeptic of the numbers they throw around, as well as the intent of the message.

I also bake cookies, loaves and cakes. Many of you would consider my "treats" as junk food, and I would be very upset at the idea that I am abusing my children by giving them the VERY SAME foods my granny and mom taught me how to make some 40+ years ago. Stay out of my home and kitchen, thank you very much!

On my advise it is truly only the parents let's say lack of authority and patience, I am a mother of two boys 16 and 6, I am a working mum 40 hours a week, my job is a pretty demanding office job, lots of targets, though when I come back home I prepare for my family, home cooked food, no ready meals, no deep fried things, no sugary or aspartame diet drinks, it does not take me more than 30-40 min to cook dinner, keep it simple it is cheaper, healthier and it tastes better, get your kids from an early age involved in helping preparing the meal in a playful way, I never hit my kids, and to the take-away we go maybe once a month, my children have never never been asking to buy fast-food, whenever we go shopping we discuss the choice and quality of food, that goes into the cart, can be fun with my youngest one, truly eating fast food is more expensive and won't do any good to your family and always read the small print on the package you put in your cart, you also would not sign a contract without reading the small print, so why would you eat something you do not know what is it made from, and if you do not recognize some ingredients research them on google, get rid of apathy as consumer we have the biggest power in the world, do not just decide to give it away to those who are only interested to make easy profits, we have to bring them to the point to meet customer demand, we always have the choice

Originally posted by Sherlock Holmes
''Is junk food child abuse?''

Yes, of course it is.

If a parent hasn't got enough time to give their child a proper, well-cooked meal on a daily basis, then I have to wonder whether these ''junk-food'' parents are actually fit to raise a child.

The fact that this question is even being posed tells us a lot about the general culture of the USA at the moment.

edit on 8-5-2011 by Sherlock Holmes because: (no reason given)

Utter crap. As a child I'd only eat what you describe as "junk". my mother was constantly dragging me to the doctor who simply replied let him eat what he want's he'll grow out of it.

As I was an active child I have never had a weight issue in my life, in fact I've never been above 10% body fat.

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd


I was under the impression you stopped laying down new fat cells in adolesence but yes they never go, just shrink, which why it's easier for someone who's lost mass to regain it.

...look it is not only about body-weight, independently of your genetic inherited make up, you can get health issues because of eating junk food even though you are not overweight, it has been proven by mainstream since that processed meals, deep-fried food and sodas increase the risk of cancer and so do all the additives you consumer people out there are to lazy to read, let alone the research, great progress for humanity

Of course people should be able to eat what they want. But of course parents should be held responsible if the food they feed their kids ends up causing health problems. There's a big difference between baking a cake for dessert, or giving your kids some cookies after lunch, compared to going to Burger Kings or ordering pizza because you're too damn lazy to cook something healthy.

Of course, it also isn't the responsibility of the neighbor next door, or person down the street, to pay a higher medical insurance in order to cover raising obesity levels of others. People can eat and live the way they want, but I shouldn't have to pay for the medical problems which result from that lifestyle.

The other problem is the kids don't have control over what's in the fridge. If the fridge is sticked with proccessed, unhealthy food, that's solely the parents fault. If veggies aren't on the plate when dinner is served, that's the parents fault. If you bring home pizza, and let your kid sit in front of the tv for hours, or play video games for hourse instead of getting some exercise, it's the parents fault. Yes parents should have the freedom to decide what their kids eat, but there does come a point when some parents are doing more harm than good.

When you see a 150lb 3rd grader, who is overweight because his parents don't take the time to eat or prepare healthy food, or don't have him go outside and play instead of sitting on his butt all day, who's fault is that? Is it fair to the kid that he might be overweight the rest of his life, and have numerous health problems, that his parents could have helped prevent by simply putting a little more effort into parenting?

reply to post by MysticPearl


...totally agree, though I think food is the mirror of cultural level in a society and parents are responsible to teach children what is good and healthy and what can harm them (stone-age parents did teach their children what type of food was edible hence survival, animals do this too!!!) we teach children not to cross the street without being careful and many other things preventing them to be harmed so why not include also nutritional issues and give them a good start?

Personally I hate the blame game because once you start, you can not stop. For example, if the govt. starts wars for oil, we the people are to blame since WE run the govt. . If we have spelling mistakes or confuse waist for waste, the teachers are at fault. If the air is polluted, our cars are at fault for burning gas.

Sure you can blame parents for everything a kid does, but the fact is, kids want what tastes good to them and alot of times when a parent comes home from work they don't want another "eat your veggies" battle. Yes its lazy, but if a kid wants this abuse because its yummy and you don't want a battle, giving in would be the only way out. If the parents are fat and it happens to not be genetic, the parents are used to eating those things and feel its normal.

If some country wants its women to wear a burka or legalize drugs/guns, why should any in any other country one get a say as to allow it or go in and take over. If there were no borders, sure, but it seems alot of people are too trusting of the govt. to make decision that makes every one happy. The govt. should end where my door begins, thats the border. Otherwise you would need to pay to smoke/drink and watch porn in your own home!

Thank god I don't have any kids least I get people trying to be their parent or tell me how to be one. I can also eat junk food alot and not go pear shaped but if I were fat and one person started the whole, "I don't think you need more ice cream" phrase, I'd have to tell them their swastika is on backwards .

I think abuse/neglect can happen with most anything.
In my case, my parents took off when I was young, and being the oldest sibling, I took over the meals and I did not allow any junk food- we only ate fruits, vegetables, brown bread, and lean meat. We were not overweight, but we also developed a very severe attitude towards life, void of pleasure..... and I later became aware of the use in conditioning that these pleasure foods can help develop. Like in the case of the family that sometimes eats homemade cakes and cookies together, that plays a part in creating pleasurable associations with interaction with family and those close to us. An attatchment to ones people that is felt on a gut level.

So I feel more tempted to say, one could go into either extreme and call it neglect /abuse (which ultimately are the same thing to me).

I just got back from a trip to the states, and was appalled to see how I couldn't find clothes for my kids that were not size XL or up! I actually complained at one store when I had really gotten frustrated.

I also noticed that it has become quite acceptable to publicly reprimand smoking cigarettes but for some reason NOT okay to do so about obesity. Being a smoker, I was sorely tempted to answer these comments with "It's not my fault, it's my glands. It's my genetics. I am powerless. "

The lifestyle plays a part, as so many homes have both parents working- I was a stay at home mother and always made good meals when my kids were young, but now I work 48 hours a week, and frankly don't have time to do so much of that, the quality of their eating has gone down.

But then..... there is a client at my store, a woman who brings in her 8 year old daughter after school each day, and practically forces her to eat junk. The girl is already very overweight, and the mother puts pressure on her to eat lots- she says she isn't hungry and the woman won't leave until she has agreed to take a package of cookies, a selection of donuts, a few croissants..... once she tried to get her to eat an entire roasted chicken for her after school snack! The girl doesn't seem to want any of this. It makes me so mad, I am tempted to say something.


My guess is that on some level, some parents have figured out that bond-creating principle in such foods and are abusing it. This girl will be unable to separate from her mom, and probably unable to leave her bed by the time she is eighteeen, dependant upon her mother to go get her massive amounts of food each day. The mom will never have to worry about the girl being on her own in the big world, nor about her being out late with a boy, or any of the normal rebellion teens go through to individuate.

Only in intent do I think we find a difference in abuse and neglect. One can neglect unintentionally the needs of the child because their lifetyle gets complicated, but purposefully abuse the child by forcing a destructive habit upon the child through their own selfish desires.

But if you outlawed junk food, they'd find a different way to abuse anyway.

All this talk of making junk/fast food outlawed, taxed or harder to obtain is ridiculous! The food doesn't force itself down anyones throats and when eaten as it should be i.e. as an occasional treat or once in a blue moon when time prohibits making something homemade, then it poses no threat.

If you eat McDonalds five times a week then your more than likely going to end up fat, if your one of the luckier ones in the genetics department you may not gain weight but you'll still be unhealthy even if it's not visible on the outside.

I ate healthy as a child and was also very active with riding my bike, playing football, making dens down the woods, playing on climbing frames, going for walks etc etc

Humans learn their behavior for most part, I was always encouraged to go outside and play when it was a sunny day rather than sit on my arse watching TV and guess what? I was a happy, healthy child without a weight problem.

As I said before, the blame is solely on the parents. Not the food, not the companies, the parents...

Originally posted by Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Originally posted by Sherlock Holmes
''Is junk food child abuse?''

Yes, of course it is.

If a parent hasn't got enough time to give their child a proper, well-cooked meal on a daily basis, then I have to wonder whether these ''junk-food'' parents are actually fit to raise a child.

The fact that this question is even being posed tells us a lot about the general culture of the USA at the moment.

edit on 8-5-2011 by Sherlock Holmes because: (no reason given)

Utter crap. As a child I'd only eat what you describe as "junk". my mother was constantly dragging me to the doctor who simply replied let him eat what he want's he'll grow out of it.

As I was an active child I have never had a weight issue in my life, in fact I've never been above 10% body fat.

You should test your cholesterol.......seriously dude you're probably fat without realizing it.

Originally posted by sir_slide

Originally posted by Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Originally posted by Sherlock Holmes
''Is junk food child abuse?''

Yes, of course it is.

If a parent hasn't got enough time to give their child a proper, well-cooked meal on a daily basis, then I have to wonder whether these ''junk-food'' parents are actually fit to raise a child.

The fact that this question is even being posed tells us a lot about the general culture of the USA at the moment.

edit on 8-5-2011 by Sherlock Holmes because: (no reason given)

Utter crap. As a child I'd only eat what you describe as "junk". my mother was constantly dragging me to the doctor who simply replied let him eat what he want's he'll grow out of it.

As I was an active child I have never had a weight issue in my life, in fact I've never been above 10% body fat.

You should test your cholesterol.......seriously dude you're probably fat without realizing it.

My cholesterol is bang on, blood pressure 120/80 +/- 10, resting heart rate of 45 bpm.

Tricky subject. Even though it's been highlighted as a problem in the UK the folks that seem to scream abuse the loudest are those on a decent wage. Crap food is cheap and affordable. I'm sure most parents with half a brain would LOVE to feed their families extortionately priced organic corn fed chicken's in a lovingly prepared stew etc but they either don't have time or money.

Luckily I'm in a position where I CAN cook proper food & love too, but that still doesn't stop my 13 year old pestering for a pizza and Mcdonalds each week. He also seem's to inhale Soda drinks like air, pessesmerightorf...I don't know how anyone can abide that stuff.

Still he's not fat, still growing & I'm sure he's got his mother's skinny gene.

Junk food imnsho isn't Child abuse in itself, it's the over feeding of ANYTHING when you KNOW your child is already too heavy.

reply to post by Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm


A resting heart rate of 45 is not healthy... I know a girl who had anorexia and everytime her resting heart rate was under 50 she had to be hospitalized until her heart rate went back up...

Originally posted by inanna1234
reply to post by Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

A resting heart rate of 45 is not healthy... I know a girl who had anorexia and everytime her resting heart rate was under 50 she had to be hospitalized until her heart rate went back up...

45 is fine as I'm not anorexic, I weight 90kg. Miguel Indurain had a resting heart rate of about 26 bpm.

Originally posted by Freedom_is_Slavery
reply to post by Sherlock Holmes

 

Sorry didn't mean to make this a UK vs USA thing because the USA would take the cake and eat it to

I think most country's use the same system for working out who is obese the BMI

The difference is quite large but closing UK has maybe 10 percent, AUS and Brazil has maybe 20 percent but in the USA 32 percent of all children are obese Canada also is pretty close to USA with 30 percent of children being obese.

All these country's seem to be heading to an average statistic of 30 percent

...and doesn't the USRDA recommend a diet have 30% of its calories coming from fat? Now we just need to find the protein and carbohydrate citizens and unite us all into a healthy nation.

Originally posted by inanna1234
reply to post by Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

A resting heart rate of 45 is not healthy... I know a girl who had anorexia and everytime her resting heart rate was under 50 she had to be hospitalized until her heart rate went back up...

Your anorexic friend was suffering the cardiac consequences of anorexia. Most anorexics die from heart attacks due to critical vitamins like C and potassium never reaching the heart's muscles.

A low resting heart rate essentially indicates that your heart isn't working very hard at all while you're sitting there. Elite athletes have RHR's as low as 30.

When your heart has 90 BPM just sitting there at the doctor's office, don't leave the doctor's office because you're pretty close to dying.

A low heart rate can be the sign of someone that does a lot of cardio.
My dad was a runner and his stayed in the 40s.