Children and obesity

I wonder if Time or the LA Times thought to look at exclusive, long-term breastfeeding rates. There is plenty of research that shows breastfeeding babies get all the nutrition they need AND only as many calories as they need. Breastfed babies end up slimmer, better able to sense their own food needs and with a lower risk of childhood diabetes. Check childbirthconnection.org for more info on breastfeeding research.

Keri Canchola @ 8:52 AM PDT, Jun 28, 2008

There's a company called Life Right (LifeRight.com) that's doing something about it...

Ed Collins @ 7:12 AM PDT, Jun 28, 2008

Humiliation should NOT be a tool to change behavior. In fact humiliation makes behavior worse. One of the reasons some kids are overweight is low self esteem. Kids, like adults, can use food for comfort to fulfill a satisfaction void in their lives. Isolation by peers will deepen that void and the child will either continue eating or begin even further destructive behavior.

Kerry Jameson @ 1:56 PM PDT, Jun 26, 2008

I attended NYC public school and remember pizza, burgers, fried fish & tater tots for lunch along with trips to the bodega for candy & potato chips. But we were smaller in size b/c phys ed, lunch recess and the school park kept the pounds off. We've given up P.E. and recess for high stakes test prep. School parks have been taken over by classroom trailers and parking spaces for overcrowded schools. Video games & 200+ cable channels keep kids hermit for hours. And the foods we eat increasingly contain unhealthy ingredients (i.e. HFCS, nitrites, FD&C, bleached flour).

RBC @ 1:24 PM PDT, Jun 26, 2008

I think the main issue at hand is whether children are being exposed to a wide variety of foods at a young age. As a child, it was rare for my brother and I to eat fast food for dinner (or lunch or breakfast for that matter). That is not to say that we never ate out- it was simply a rare occasion. As I grew older I never had a great fascination or yearning for fast food and I believe this is primarily because I rarely had the option of having it as a kid. By having healthier alternatives and limited access to "bad" foods, kids will not have to learn to wean themselves from such diets.

Grateful Son @ 11:42 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

I think humiliation is one of the tools to educate kids on how not to be obese. Also P.E. class at the schools is the main problem. Wasn't P.E. invented to curb the problem that kids get fat. How come nowbody's talking about P.E.? They should be telling kids to get or stay at a healthy weight or else you will be made fun of. Just like we tell kids if they do bad they go to jail.

Wake up people @ 10:52 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

Obesity and the joy of a full stomach used to only belong to the rich. Self denial and anorexia was something poor people did because they had to.

Mick @ 10:09 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

If you ask my 12 year old neice where she wants to eat. the inevitable answer is McD's or some such place. Give here a menu and ask her what she wants to eat and she'll say hotdogs, friied chicken nuggets, mac and cheese. If these are the choices they are allowed to make obesity is what you get. Ask her if she wants and apple or grapes and she usually picks grapes. Lentils or peas and she likes the peas. Kids can make good choices when you give them good options.

liz @ 9:25 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

Baby fat doesn't last into the pre-teen years. Much of the obesity problem in children is directly related to bad habits (no exercise, too much TV/video games, all that junk/fast food)taught to them from early childhood. Parents are doing this to their kids.

liz @ 9:20 AM PDT, Jun 25, 2008

In the south and midwest, people are lazy and fat. That's not news.

Susie Q @ 10:42 PM PDT, Jun 24, 2008

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