Do you think children are gaining weight due to eating more animal fats or sugar foods?

Question

I was told by a nutritionist that animal fats were part to blame in childhood obesity. None of my 3 children are over weight, but rather underweight for their ages/heights. I was questioning switching from whole milk to low fat milks. None of my kids have ever been over weight. Not now and not as infants. Its always been my thought that offering less startches and sugars, along with exersize (regular outdoor play) has prevented my children from having these problems. What is your thought?

Answer 1

Video Games. That is all. Kids today don't go out to play anymore. Diets rich in either fats or sugar only help to compound the issue.

If you run all day, you can eat ANYthing you want and be skinny.

If you sit on your duff all day, you can eat nothing buy carrots and celery and still gain weight.

Answer 2

Kids never were over-weight the years ago like they are today. I never heard of all this crap today about fats and such, but then again we never had TV's, computers, or all these other games to just sit around on our duffs rather then get out and enjoy the out-doors and get the exercise we needed to stay healthy. We walked or rode a bicycle where ever we went. I don't doubt that certain things aren't good for a healthy body but when children don't get proper exercise, but how in hell can you prevent them not to get fat with all the garbage they eat today and get very little exercise?

Answer 3

I don't think animal fats in fresh meat and dairy are the problem. Your children should be fine with whole milk. My mother fed us whole milk, the chicken with the skin, etc. along with potatoes and vegetables for dinner. Fruit pie for desert. We had a little bacon, a little cheese, so a lot of saturated fat from fresh meat and dairy..

Yet not only were none of us four kids ever overweight -- we were skinny things (two boys, two girls). We look like sticks in the pictures.

For breakfast, we ate pancakes or cereal with fruit. In the heat of summer -- additional fresh fruit.

Yes, my mother did not allow foods high in sugar including cereals and no chocolate anything except at Christmas. The cereals my mother limited us to were General Mills Cheerios, corn flakes, Post raisin bran, Quaker Oats. The Kellogg's brands tend to be higher in sugar content.

We played outside every day.

We were never allowed to eat at fast food restaurants.

The problem is with fast food, processed foods, and yes, foods high in sugar. Also partially hydrogenated oil or transfats. It's in a lot of cereals, breads and crackers and will lead to heart problems. The theory is that a single drop is deadly.

So let them have the whole milk. As long as they are playing outside every day, they are going to burn it off.

Answer 4

It has to do with exercise a lot. Most kids have the computer games and video games we really didnt have when we were younger. They sit there and eat candy and potato chips. if only their parents gave them edemame or some bananna or mangos or strawberries or carrot sticks to snack on instead. In fact dont even have that kind of food in teh house! kids grab what is easy they dont want to make food for themselves. so if you make a plate of carrot sticks and cellery sticks and califlour then they would eat it cause it is already made. also yougurt helps too! i think kids still need the 2 % milk to help their growing brains but if they get fats llike omega 3 from fish and fats from yourgurt low fat is fine.

Answer 5

I think they're bigger now days due to snacking so much on junk. Meals with sugars and fats I don't think are too big of a deal- think of the old days when everything was cooked with lard; there weren't too many fat people back then. We also allow children to sit in front of a TV, computer, video game rather than encouraging them to run around outdoors.

Answer 6

Both! Animal fats are unnecessarily used in way to much. I also think that too much sugar has other bad side effects like hyperactive kids. Some children who are diagnosed as being ADD can change alot by eating more Fish oils and no sugar.

Answer 7

I don't think any one factor is to blame for child obesity except for that it's the parent's fault. I know there are kids out there with real health problems the cause it and no one can help it. But I've known kids who eat all kinds of junk and aren't over weight, because they are active, and kids who eat well but are obese because they sit around and do nothing. Children depend on their parents to give them the proper up bringing, it all effects their future. An obese child is likely to have some severe health problems and be an obese adult as well. Parents take the easy way out, they don't want to parent, don't want to fight. So they allow their kids to eat what they want and don't make them eat veggies and so on, and they don't make them go outside. You can allow your child to have sweets but keep it in moderation and make sure you balance it out with good foods. You don't have to force the right kinds of food down your child's throat. But you can give them options. Find out what veggies they do like and so on. Tell them they can have what veggie they want but still have to have at least one kind. I know not all parents are like this, but I do believe that it has become a problem and it's only getting worse in generations to come. The whole spare the rod spoil the child concept is getting out of hand. My daughter can scream with the best of them, but I'd rather endure a few minutes of screaming and tantrums than worry about my child having a heart attack at age 20. Gotta think about the long term for your child's sake. My parents said that when they were in high school they didn't have soda machines at school, I graduated about 5 yrs ago and we had them every where. So I guess my point is that child obesity really can't be blamed on any one factor alone. I hated PE in school but I think I woulda been better off if they had required it through all four years of high school instead of only the first two and I know some states don't even require two. It would be helpful. I could go on and on about what needs to be done so I'll stop here lol!

Answer 8

I think kids are more over weight now adays because of lots of things. But mainly no exercise, hormones in food, and fast food. If your kids are underweight there's no need to switch to low fat milk. They should be drinking whole and eating more startches. Its just as unhealthy to be underweight as it is to be overweight.

Answer 9

It's a combination of all of those things. It's the fact that there are more fats and sugars in food these days, but it is also because kids these days dont exercise (they spend all day playing video games and watching tv). Theres a lot of factors.

But I have to agree with one of the previous posters, your kids also shouldn't be underweight. That is just as unhealthy for them as being overweight.

Answer 10

i think its probably a combination of the two. but i would not all out avoid animal fat, i mean it does have nutrition to it, not the fat but the meat, sugary foods do not. and i also think its lack of excersize, a lot of kids sit in front of the TV for hours upon hours rather than play outside which causes obesity. if your children are not over weight, you are obviously doing your job right so keep doing what you are doing.