Let's talk childhood obesity....

[MamaNae]

Originally Posted by monkeymama07 Your sounding awfully judgemental as are many others. As for the sugar filled crap drink you know ot and drinks like it literally Keep some of our kids Alive.

Obviously, for kids with a diagnosed medical condition it need not apply, but the way it's marketed is just to ALL kids because ALL kids are picky and won't eat anything 'green'. It's ridiculous.

Sure, SOME (few, very few) kids have a true medical condition that requires specialized nutritional additives...that's vastly different then just buying it because you don't want to be bothered with forcing your kid to eat carrots once in a while.

[JennTheMomma]

I also think some problem is that baby food is pushed on to parents. Baby food has the same texture and many don't taste like the real form of the food. So it's no wonder that some kids won't try veggies, the look and the texture are so different. It's little things like this that create a much bigger problem.

[DesertRat]

MamaNae, I think I love you. I agree with so much of what you've said. Though while it really bothers me that the government subsidises so much crap, I think that if consumers demanded healthier products, companies would be forced to comply. So I put most of the responsibility on parents.

Originally Posted by JennTheMomma I also think some problem is that baby food is pushed on to parents. Baby food has the same texture and many don't taste like the real form of the food. So it's no wonder that some kids won't try veggies, the look and the texture are so different. It's little things like this that create a much bigger problem.

"Baby food" as we know it is a recent phenomenon. Until recently, babies nursed until they were big enough to take bites from mom's place and then transitioned into real food. You look at other countries, for example, where they eat spicy foods and the babies happily eat it. Yet we think we have to start out with Gerber jars and feed our kids those little puffs and other crap that the commercials tell us are good for our babies. It's all about companies making money. Truth is, babies can eat a lot of the stuff we do (I mash my baby's food up) and they love it. Rice cereal is not even necessary!

[JennTheMomma]

Originally Posted by DesertRat MamaNae, I think I love you. I agree with so much of what you've said. Though while it really bothers me that the government subsidises so much crap, I think that if consumers demanded healthier products, companies would be forced to comply. So I put most of the responsibility on parents. "Baby food" as we know it is a recent phenomenon. Until recently, babies nursed until they were big enough to take bites from mom's place and then transitioned into real food. You look at other countries, for example, where they eat spicy foods and the babies happily eat it. Yet we think we have to start out with Gerber jars and feed our kids those little puffs and other crap that the commercials tell us are good for our babies. It's all about companies making money. Truth is, babies can eat a lot of the stuff we do (I mash my baby's food up) and they love it. Rice cereal is not even necessary!

Exactly. We're big on BLW here, and my kids eat such a wide variety, it's pretty amazing.

[MamaNae]

I do, however, think some food preferences are almost inborn. I hate peas. Hate them. The smell of them cooking turns my stomach and when I'm pregnant I even vomit. I don't eat them in stews or soups or anything I pick it out. I hate them. According to my mother I always have. Ever since I was like 3 months old (or however old I was when she started solids with me...it was the 80s they didn't know better lol). She said I spit it out and refused to eat it. She tried probably thousands of times. I cannot count the number of tears I have shed over 'you're not leaving the table till your plate is clean!' because I had a pile of peas on my plate that I didn't want to eat.

I'm almost 29 years old and to this day I hate peas. Sadly, my kids don't eat them (the aforementioned 'I can't cook them without vomiting into the trash' thing). I hope I'm not depriving them of too much nutritionally. They pretty much every other vegetable under the sun....just not peas. I've tried...I've tried eating them in soups or whatever (at other peoples homes) I just can't do it. I put one in my mouth and instantly my gag reflex acts up. Even if I take a big bite and I accidentally get a pea and I don't realize it....I can taste it and I have to spit it out lol

Oh, or creamed corn. Hate creamed corn with a passion also.

[JennTheMomma]

Originally Posted by MamaNae I do, however, think some food preferences are almost inborn. I hate peas. Hate them. The smell of them cooking turns my stomach and when I'm pregnant I even vomit. I don't eat them in stews or soups or anything I pick it out. I hate them. According to my mother I always have. Ever since I was like 3 months old (or however old I was when she started solids with me...it was the 80s they didn't know better lol). She said I spit it out and refused to eat it. She tried probably thousands of times. I cannot count the number of tears I have shed over 'you're not leaving the table till your plate is clean!' because I had a pile of peas on my plate that I didn't want to eat. I'm almost 29 years old and to this day I hate peas. Sadly, my kids don't eat them (the aforementioned 'I can't cook them without vomiting into the trash' thing). I hope I'm not depriving them of too much nutritionally. They pretty much every other vegetable under the sun....just not peas. Oh, or creamed corn. Hate creamed corn with a passion also.

Yes I think many people, kids and adults, have things they just can't eat. DH can't eat yogurt, it has to do with texture and smell. I can't eat peppers, it does not sit well with my stomach and causes me to have very bad heartburn. My kids each have a food or two that just doesn't sit well with them either.

And I totally agree with creamed corn. Yuck. I can't see it or smell it without feeling sick. Gross.

[danner]

Why should citizens have to demand that the government stop subsidizing products that trick people into eating junk?

Maybe people don't understand how junk food works and why it's addictive? I'll take one example. Hydrolyzed soy/corn protein. What is it? Aside from being one of those heavily subsidized, mostly gmo products, it's the by-product of oil extraction. Actually, it still has to be processed with sulphuric acid and lye before we can consume it but no matter. So what is it? It taps into our glutamate receptors. It tells our brains that we are consuming something that is good for us (proteins) even if we aren't. Hydrolyzed wheat/corn/soy is not a real food.

As citizens the deck is stacked against us, especially the poor. Food science is stealthy, hitting us completely unaware and exploiting our basic nutritional needs. The government is helping to poison us and they could level the playing field if they stopped subsidizing this crap that labs spin off into processed foods.

[MamaNae]

I agree consumers need to demand it...we try and are ignored.

Like I said...I cannot go into the store and buy an APPLE off the produce shelf and be 100% sure it's a real apple. It very well could be some genetically modified science experiment posing as an apple because the government refuses to even let me know what in the sam hill I'm eating. No, it doesn't stop me from buying apples (or keep my kids from going through 1/2 a peck of apples and a full pound of carrots in 1 day) but it makes me nervous that I'm not even sure if it's an apple I'm feeding them Even if we could afford to buy 100% organic (we can't) still doesn't mean it's a real apple. The government allows something to carry an organic label even if it contains GMOs I buy fruits and veggies at the farmers market from local growers all summer long, but I live in a small town our farmers market goes from May to October. I can't just refrain from buying fresh fruits & veggies the other 6 months of the year...

[EmilytheStrange]

Originally Posted by DesertRat MamaNae, I think I love you. I agree with so much of what you've said. Though while it really bothers me that the government subsidises so much crap, I think that if consumers demanded healthier products, companies would be forced to comply. So I put most of the responsibility on parents. "Baby food" as we know it is a recent phenomenon. Until recently, babies nursed until they were big enough to take bites from mom's place and then transitioned into real food. You look at other countries, for example, where they eat spicy foods and the babies happily eat it. Yet we think we have to start out with Gerber jars and feed our kids those little puffs and other crap that the commercials tell us are good for our babies. It's all about companies making money.!

yeah.... But no.

I agree with your final belief - that baby food is largely unnecessary.

But you can't tell me that moms across centuries and countries haven't been prechewing food for their babies. Because they have. Shoot, even birds do that.

And technically, I believe purees started out of necessity for formula fed babies. Back when formula was 'less complete', babies needed the iron fortified cereals and nutrients from puree'd peas, etc. Technically a breastfed baby has never needed those things. Now, neither formula or breastfed babies need it, but it's engrained into our society. and yes, people make money from it.

I think we need to alter the way we think about feeding our children from the time they are babies, but I don't think feeding a child puree'd foods leads to childhood obesity.

Although the 'white out' movement is legitimate and there is reason to believe the early introduction of unnecessary cereals can be linked to childhood obesity.

The whole thing can't be blamed on any one thing. 30 yrs ago, they started allowing commercials during children's programming. Studies show a huge link between children being marketed to and the obesity epidemic.

There are lots and lots of links. It's a whole big thing and we have to make more than just eating changes, but real lifestyle changes in many areas of life.

[JennTheMomma]

But prechewing food doesn't make it into a puree. Purees are all 1 texture, slime, prechewing is just chewed enough for baby. So there is still some texture as well as closer to the real taste than baby food. Pureed baby food bananas do not taste like real bananas, for example.