Honey We're Killing The Kids - A wake up call!

[icnmgrjill]

Anyone watch the TV show on The Learning Channel, "Honey We're Killing The Kids?" It's a mind blower. Basically, families apply to the show to receive personal help from a registered dietitian because the parents are either confused about their overweight children or are worried about the future. The host and research team interviews the family, assesses what they eat and their activity level and then, using video age progression, show the parents what their children will look like at the age of 40 if they continue their bad habits. Let's just say, it ain't pretty.

Most of the families involved consume massive amounts of sugar. Sodas are served at virtually every meal. Candy is used with abandon. In one family, each member (including the parents and very young children) had a giant grocery bag with their own personal candy trove that were raided several times a day. We see children who spend hours in front of the TV or computers rather than having a normal childhood of biking, playing and being active. (What ever happened to playing 'kick the can,' a neighborhood staple that I played for years after dinner with my neighbor kids?)

We see parents who, themselves are fat and often in denial, who don't see that they must be the parent... and give their children role models. I'm still amazed at the number of mothers on the show who had NEVER, I repeat NEVER, bought fresh vegetables before.

Last nights episode just killed me. Basically it was a very overweight set of parents who ran a deli next to their home. The children consumed nearly two cups of sugar a day. Their diet was very VERY high fat. Both parents had extensive heart disease in their families and, despite that, the parents smoked a total of 6 packs of cigarettes a day.

The age progression pictures of the children were horrifying. The parents, at first, appeared shocked and enthusiastic. For the first time, the kids were allowed to take a martial arts cloass, which they loved. For the first time, all of the sugary snacks were taken out of the house. For the first time in years, the parents had a date. They also did a rare family outing, going to a childrens museum.

But, by the third week, they had reverted to their old habits. The parents ordered fast food meals again. The mother brought sodas back to the meal table. All outdoor activities stopped AGAIN. The parents laughed openly at the producers when they smoked... as if they were sneaking a cigarette at school. I was appalled at their inability to see that they were literally killing their kids.

For the first time, the host of the show basically said "you failed" to the parents. They showed them pictures of two handsome, healthy men that their kids could become if they would live a healthier life. The parents said "That's the way they want them to be" but, in the end, they refused to see the role that they played in creating such a horrible lifestyle.

I'm not heavy. The reason why is because I have scoliosis and I learned, in Junior High, that the heavier I was, the more pain I had. Avoiding pain is a good incentive and I've always made an effort to stay slim. I love to exercise because it invigorates me though my workouts are now just 30 minutes a day. Going to the gym is how I manage my anger levels. I don't drink sodas because, well, they hurt my bladder and trigger IBS for me. I love veggies... especially fresh ones... but some would say that's because I live in California. But, most of all, I love my family. If I had a habit that could literally kill my child, like smoking, I don't think I could live with myself. At some point in time, we have to take personal responsibility for how our actions in our home, effect those who live in our home... etc. etc.

In any case, it's an eye opening show. Your thoughts??

Jill

(PS.. I grew up with a smoking parent who, after 30 years, finally gave it up. It was hard for her... but she did it!)

[Imustpee]

Yes! That's a great show, I have been watching it for several weeks now....very interesting..

[windwalker]

A good friend of mine has seen it and suggested I take a look, but haven't yet. What you described is just so sad, not giving the children a chance to have a healthy life and showing them its alright to do the things that could eventually kill ya (eg the smoking). Although theres many junk foods I can eat, lol seems more than the healthy foods, I try my best to eat good foods and make good foods for my daughter (shes such a doll ;) ). She will pass up a piece of cake for a kiwi! I got lucky! :) What day/time/chanel is that show on again? I will make it a point to watch it.
Thanks!

[armslee]

Jill,
You bring some very hard hitting thoughts to the table about how American society is raising their children. I am not choosing to use a sweeping generalization as I know there are many health conscience parents out there. But it is the norm that America tends to be the leading country in obesity and heart disease.
How sad.

I have struggled with my weight for years. I finally got a grip on reality, got my husband on the bandwagon with me and our daughter drinking bottled water instead of soda pop. Even subtle changes can lead to lifelong improvement!

We can truly be the best rolemodels for our kids.

[kadi]

Glad to hear something is addressing this issue.

As a high school teacher, I see a dramatic difference in behavior before and after lunch. We reversed the schedule for a few days this past term, and students I usually saw in the morning were different people in the afternoon, and not for the better. I've asked the students what they eat for lunch, and for the majority, it's a bag of Cheetos and a Pepsi or Coke. Then they come into class hard to settle down & an hour later, they're wondering why they feel so awful, grouchy, and tired...

We, the teachers, have all talked with them about this, but they brush us off. I suspect for the most part, they've never eaten real meals. Very few of them eat any meal regularly as a family, maybe only weekend barbecues or parties...

And then, our school cafeteria serves food I wouldn't feed a dog (substandard microwaved slop made from government surplus canned foods), and the way it's set up is very obvious who is on free/reduced lunch, so I can't completely blame the kids for taking the easy way out & buying the junk they can afford, that's easily available, and non-stigmatizing...

First, we need to take care of our children in our homes, and next in our schools, because it seems to be getting generationally worse & worse.

[ICNJess]

Weight issues became a part of my life when I hit high school and developed PCOS. I don't eat fatty foods, I don't drink regular soda, I don't drink juice, etc. But my hormone balance has me messed up.

That aside, I see how some parents raise their children, allowing soda, junk food, etc. at all hours of the day and have personally vowed to myself that my daughter would never be allowed such garbage.

The parents let the kids watch t.v., and the t.v. shows the kids all sorts of fun, sugary snacks. Marketing is aimed to children's t.v. during certain "peak hours" where cartoons and such are aired. Eat this sugary cereal, drink this pop, this juice. You never see healthy alternatives, EXCEPT on programming such as Sesame Street, where the kids are basically too young to be saying "I want some bananas!"

Ya know what I mean? GRRR.

[windwalker]

I gotta agree w/kadi on something, the kids do act differently after lunches at school. I am a lunch mom, I cook up some of the foods, serve the kids at different stations. It all depends on whats being served (quality wise and our school is very good w/quality :) ) and what they are picking. Mind you our school has a "lean and tasty" line, where you can get a grilled chicken salad, some chicken noodle soup, fruit bowls, v8, yogurt etc. and MANY kids go there, but we also have the "not so lean and tasty" where some kids go and get candy and slushies for lunch. Our regular lunch line is always very long too but again, not all the kids there are getting a full lunch, some are only ordering fries and a can of "punch". We have schools now w/fast food places in them, I just cannot agree with that. Hate to sound like my mom but "we didnt have choices like that when I was a kid". And I think the poor choices that are offered can start a problem w/the kids. I'd like to see more schools do away w/the fast food and "order up" some of the healthier options so the kids bodies and minds are fed. :)

[IC SARAH-CPP]

I saw the show too and was appalled. I have been very interested in nutrition since I took some classes in college and learned how bad most of us eat. Even choices that are made to look "healthy" really arent very good. Basically, I try to avoid anything that is processed, which is very hard.
I never had soda in my house at all growing up, we ate "junk" only after we ate our real food, and only were allowed to watch 30 mins of TV a day. When I was older and out in the world, I was so shocked to see that we were the exception, not the norm!
I think soda should be illegal at any school. I think it should be severly restricted. It is such a pointless drink, no value at all. And no one even mentions how chronically dehydrated these kids are. There is a lady in my office who drinks ONE bottle of water a WEEK. I have no idea how she is still alive! It is so weird to me.
I dont work out anymore, I need to get back in that. I know how great it makes you feel. Congrats for keeping up on Jill, with everything else you do!
Sarah

[MelissaJ]

I haven't seen the show (don't know if I get it herein Canada) but I do have to agree on the food issue. I work as a reporter and I did a story about how one of the schools here has started a healthy breakfast program and the teachers are noticing a difference in kids behaviour. All the food is donated and there are whole grain bagels and toast, jam, honey, peanut butter, etc. The biggest difference with this program is that it is open to anyone - you don't have to be low income. I think that's awesome because I know when I was in high school, the thought of eating when I first got up was appalling, but about 20 minutes after I got to school I was hungry.
And as for playing outside, well, I think I am the last generation that, when we got kicked outside, rounded up all the other kids in the neighbourhood and started a game of freeze tag, or hide and seek or road hockey or whatever else we could think of. A few years ago I babysat my younger cousin. After lunch I told her to go outside in the back yard and play for a bit (so I could clean up) She just sat on the steps. I think it's so sad, what is happening to kids imaginations?

[tigger_gal]

I haven't watched the show.. but what it all boils down to in this world is many parents allow the children to run the house hold.. They don't shut the tv/game amd pc off and say get outside.. they let them sit eat, and sit more... I am actully surprised there are not more children with heart problems, because all they do is sit and have no physical excerise. I hate to say it but some people need parenting classses before the have babies.

[ICNJess]

The PC's, the t.v., the video games are all just babysitters so that moms don't have to deal with their kids. Sad, really...

Most of my own childhood memories involve going outside and playing all day, whether it was on bike, with roller skates, some kind of sport, the park, or the pool. I very rarely remember watching t.v. as a kid, and there certainly wasn't a PC or internet, and the only video game on the market was Atari or whatever. LOL I suddenly sound old...

[ICNDonna]

I know it's awful in high school. The grocery store where I do a lot of my shopping is near one of the high schools. You just can't go there at lunch time because there are so many kids there you can hardly walk through the store. Most are after chips, sodas, cinnamon rolls, pizza slices, etc. It really makes it difficult for parents to feed their children healthy foods.

Donna

[dancemomof2]

I watch this show alot, it is amazing the things parents give there children and watch them spiral out of control.

i actually took Colten to the WIC office Monday and from his diet sheet the nutritionist told me he was eatting to much fruit. He had 6 serving in 1 day and I told her would she rather read he had chips dip and ice tea instead. i would much rather watch him eat blueberries then junk. He is in a not eatting well stage anyway but will eat fresh fruit anytime given to him and so be it rightnow it is better then handing him garbage.

[kadi]

I actually kind of feel for parents on the children exercising thing. Here in the SF Bay area it is nearly impossible to own a home without both parents working, and for many parents afterschool day care is too expensive as well, so many children are watched by older siblings and are not allowed to be outside til the parents come home.

And too, you get a destabilizing dynamic in the family when the parents depend so heavily on their teenager & don't want to fight with him/her because they need their cooperation and so a lot of things are let slide...

The neighborhood I work in is fairly rough, with a lot of gang activity , so sports teams (which again cost $ and require transportation) or the Boys & Girls Club are just about the only way the kids get after-school exercise.

I get frustrated when I see that the family has excessive TVs, several houses, kids with outrageously priced electronic devices in their backpacks. Then I feel their parents are selling them out to commercial junk, & I'm not surprised by the behavior problems & poor choices.

But, I do really feel sympathetic to families who are getting by on minimum wage here. It's nearly impossible, those are the kids on free/reduced lunch, they do eat it because they're hungry, even though it doesn't taste very good & it's not good for them. And that's where I feel we, as a society, are failing them also by not giving them something nutritious in the cafeteria. If we've promised these children a free meal, shouldn't it be a healthy one? They have so much stacked against them already.

Whew, that was a vent! Can you tell this is close to my heart?
I see the effects of these issues every day at work!

[willoweyes]

I've watched the show and I was stunned at the difference. When I was a child, back in the dark ages, soda and chips were considered a huge treat. We lived on milk or water--sometimes tea. My parents worked and farmed. Veggies and simple foods were the norm. Since we lived in the country we were always outside or doing something. I do not mean watching television either--I chopped wood, mended fences, hung clothes on the line and brought them in and folded them, watched younger siblings, drew water out of the well in order to clean and well, you get the idea. I also worked out. My father taught me pilates when I was 12 and hurt my back. My brothers and sisters rode horses all the time. Now, I see my nephews getting just plain fat. They eat only junk -- no veggies (ever) and sit in front of a television set. It is sad to see. My sister does try to introduce veggies and keep the sodas to a minimum for her kids and she does make them go outside and do things. She and other moms in the area arrange group activities with everyone taking turns. It helps since they are all working moms. Now that I have IC I can't do as much physical activity as I would like, but I do get in the floor and do my pilates at least three times a week, even if it is a bad day and I have to stop and go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I keep trying to get my nephews interested in doing some yoga or pilates. I figure eventually a seed will get planted. Unfortunately, I now have to battle my weight where before IC I never had a problem.

[MakinIT]

prior to my IC when I was working as a Middle School teacher, we had so much energy constrained in that building I swear there were days it felt electric..like a bomb was going off. Now the food as we know, at schools, sucks. At middle school, the kids on free lunch have junk food but not as much. Do you know our school would serve pizza with french fries, baked potatoe bars with french fries....That was the healthy free food. For kids with money, they could choose ding dongs, ice cream, ho ho's, cookies, Godfather's pizza, Taco Bell, ect.....Yum..all followed by whatever soda struck their 12 year old fancies. At least we had young guys on our faculty who tooks the boys and some girls out to play touch football, or volleyball in the gym after lunch. These kids needed a release. They all had PE but no play.
How many of you have had your child's school district discontinue recess? If that has occured, you should be in the face of the superintendent quoting all this research. I love the quote our's tried "RECESS will be discontinued because the time is needed for further training for the state wide tests" In other words, No Child Left Behind is behind the fact that schools have cut arts, PE, and yes, recess. These things don't seem important until your creative child comes home everyday with dull dull dull worksheets, bored with school, refusing to do them. There is a picture of me at the age of 8, one toe on my chair, body draped over my desk, "writing" my paper on the side of the desk (Yes on paper) And I was technically in my desk.....ha, ha.. all before ADHD...(Yes, I have been on the Ritalin wheel..it sucks...if your kids hate it, value what they say, it took all my creative thought from me, though I got my work done...) But you know, way back when...even though I had an odd learning style, yes I needed to run as well, I still made it to Advanceplacement classes, and TAG. Our school's are so paranoid, they are cutting any source of activity for our children, and yes...it is important. Many kids can't learn without a break. (can you work all day without some time to yourself?)

Anyway...between schools and electrical stuff...we parents have to grow Kahunas:smile tee and let the kids unwind for a little while after school then say "outside...Play" (well...except rough weather areas...there they should be in a sports or rec activity.)

anyway..my rant....I agree with you all, just putting my perspective after watching 10 years of kids mowing down on doritos and ho ho's for lunch. :loco:





HH