Why are american parents making their children obese?

Question

Are they just trying to please their children with all kinds of sweets and fats. And they don't care about the health consequences?

Or are they simply ignorant about health and good nutrition?

Here is what one scientific article says about obesity among american children:

"Our current Western food environment has become highly 'insulinogenic,'" Lustig says, "as demonstrated by its increased energy density, high-fat content, high glycemic index, increased fructose composition, decreased fiber, and decreased dairy content."

"In particular, fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin," he adds....

"The concept of personal responsibility is not tenable in children. No child chooses to be obese," he says. "Furthermore, young children are not responsible for food choices at home or at school, and it can hardly be said that preschool children, in whom obesity is rampant, are in a position to accept personal responsibility."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060811192215.htm

Answer 1

You're right, and we Americans are all guilty of it! My friend just came back from a baseball game in Canada and said hardly anyone was fat like here in America! We are the fast-food junkies of the world!

Answer 2

Unfortunately the children are bombarded by the media to buy all those sugary cereals and snacks, and then they do not want to eat anything else. I thinks sometimes the parents find it hard to say no, and once it's in the house they eat it whenever they want until it's gone.

The parents need to just say no from the very beginning and choose better alternatives. These kids aren't going to starve - if they get hungry enough they'll eat what you make them eventually - especially if there isn't anything else to eat in the house.

School breakfasts and lunches are another problem. They are state funded and so they buy whatever is cheap with no regard to what the nutritional value is. If possible - parents should feed the kids breakfast at home and make them boxed lunches whenever possible.

The other problem is these kids spend too much time indoors. There's too much sitting on the couch and not playing outside when they have the free time. Schools are not having PE every day like they use to either.

The problem that I see is that the kids are consuming too many calories of non-nutritional foods, and then they are not burning enough calories due to there lack of physical activity. It's a sad situation but easily fixed by making better food and lifestyle choices!

Answer 3

Because most Americans don't know how to cook, they are either too lazy or simply don't know how to cook a healthy nutritional meal and they think it's easier to go to a fast food restaurant for a meal. Pizza and Burgers that's it and they are too lazy to do activities with their children,when I take a hike I usually see Asians and Latinos with their whole family walking ... Every family has both, the mother and father working full time so they can have all their "things" ( like SUV'S) and therefor the children are on their own most of the time, naturally they stuff themselves with junk food and sit in front of the TV while doing so ... I know a lot of people get offended when I say this but it is the truth from were I see it and everyone has a right to their own opinion. This is mine!

Answer 4

Parents do have some responsibility but so do food producers. When you go shopping at a place like WalMart 90% of the foods you buy, even things you'd think wuld be ok to eat, contain high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Some parents watch labels but most don't even know what to look for. There should be public service announcements about things like this, they are as dangerous as cigarettes in my opinion. Parents who live on tight budgets often have little choice but buy the unhealthy foods because this is all they can afford. Buy a loaf of white bread that has hydrogenated oils for half the price you'll pay for a load of wheat bread without and you'll see what I mean. And what about peanut butter, a staple in most american homes? Most brands like Jiffy and others are PURE hydrogenated oils. Sure SOME stores are selling natural brands, again for twice the cost of the artificial stuff. I don't think parents should have to choose between eating healthy and shopping frugally. Healthy foods should be available at reasonable prices.

Answer 5

I think is a result of not having a parent at home. Either, family's are headed up by a single parent, or both parents work.
As a result, three just isn't enough time for a really good food to made at home.

Think about all the times you went our to eat. When you were hungry and didn't go? There was probably something tastier at home waiting for you. Those days are harder to find, so we spend lots of funny at fastfood.

Answer 6

I think the food industry is more at the heart of the problem than the parents. The parents make choices based on what's available and most affordable, and in this country you have to spend more and work much harder to find nutritious foods. Also many food companies market foods that are disguised as healthy when they are just as bad or worse than all the other junk foods.

Answer 7

I think more families eat out and I think that's parts of the problem. When I was growing up we rarely ate out and when we did it wasn't super sized or super duper sized portions of food. We also walked to school which probably helped. I think the eating out average for families is 4 days a week. The vending machines at schools don't help and catching a bus (instead of walking) surely doesn't help. Also, parents are so burnt out when they get home from work that cooking when one gets home is the last thing on their minds. The fast, cheap alternative is pizza, cheeseburgers, etc.

Answer 8

because every kind of food is available here in america and people dont hesitate to take tons of food back home and thats how the children become obese. They think the more you eat the healthier you are and that is completely wrong. A healthy person is one that has a balanced diet and exercise.

Answer 9

Part of this is simply laziness - not cooking home cooked, non-convenience food. Part of it is the "finish your plate" syndrome. Another part of it is media hype about the latest snacks. Yet another part is the candy-infested holidays - Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas, etc. I am a stay at home mom and I cook mostly everything from scratch, fruits and raw veggies abound, and snacks are limited to healthy ones whenever possible. Result? My child is at exactly 50% percentile on weight ratio at the doctor's office.

Answer 10

the parents do it because it is usually fast and easy. But when the kid gets over 10 then its their choice if they want to get thinner or stay obese. my friend and I both didn't like how we looked when we were 10 so we went on a xort of extreme diet. anyone can do it. they just have to have the will power. so it's not all the parent's fault. The kid can do stuff for themselves.