[...] children to eat more, mothers who smoked during pregnancy, allowing children to have sugary drinks, fast food and televisions in their rooms, rapid weight gain in very young infants, starting solid food before [...]

[...] this! This is what I was talking about. The missing piece in the First Lady’s — and, really, anyone’s — attempts [...]

While I agree that it’s super f-d up to market to kids, period, I definitely think that parents need to put their thinking caps on instead of buying whatever jr. saw on tv. I watched tv growing up, but had no sugar cereals, no snack foods beyond saltines and graham crackers, and only drank soda at birthday parties. My mom was not about to let gross food into her kids bellies, and we knew better than to ask for that crap. She made her own fruit leather, etc. and she was by no means a granola hippy or anything. She did happen to be a college graduate, which may make some difference, but really she just made a choice that the barage of packaged sugary “food” that she ate as a kid with a working mom was not what she wanted for her kids. Come on parents, if your kids are fat it truly is your fault. Sorry, but you need to cut the sugar and fat and make them play outside instead of being tv addicts. Their health and grades will thank you!

I dont understand why anyone feeds their children pop-tarts….cartoon printed or otherwise…but I know mom’s who do. Regularly. For breakfast. Somehow, I think the marketing is working. Their kids are NOT fat, so I think perhaps they think their kids are not at risk from eating junk food….I dont know. But, I do know that marketing to kids creates a whiney desire in kids to eat this stuff, and busy parents who do not take the time to care about good nutrition give in to what their children “will eat” and feed them “what they like”….and that just might be a barbie pop tart. (Oh, and BTW moms, subbing artificial sweetners for sugary junk food is not a better choice. Try an apple.)

My kid is only 2.5 and I am already teaching her about food politics. She pointed to a McDonalds when we were in the car the other day and asked “What is that, mommy?” I told her it is a bad place we won’t go because they kill animals to make food and that the food makes people fat and ugly. Simplistic terms at this age, yes, but, at the core, truthful to us. We just tell our kid there are some things that we don’t eat. We set ourselves apart from the mainstream. We are extra fit and extra healthy. We do eat fun, whole foods…gelato, baked fries, home-baked good, cookies…we are not health food nuts, but we do have standards. I don’t expect mainstream society to uphold my high standards. Mainstream society is composed of 5’4 women who weigh 163 lbs. (Just to use an example…there are fat men, too, but that’s the statistic I am most familiar with). I want better for my family.

Although, I am no big fan of the food companies, either, I have to say and Ms. Holler has a point with this post!

Whatever, Scorp. I just read Kate Harding’s Salon piece, though, and it is quite good, I agree. I think people also need to look at the emotional and psychological reasons why we stuff our faces full of crap (speaking as someone who went through periods of doing this, but has learned how to stop). Her points about sleep, alluding to stress in teens (and even emotional stress in younger ones) are very interesting and important…

The sheer number of commercials make me wonder if Tivo or DVR is worth it. (Can you actually FF through commericals with those things?)

The most plain answer to this that I’ve found was in the Kids’ Version of Eat This, Not That: If its marketed to kids, most likely its crap. Double check the nutrition information, and do not believe the hype – Pop Tarts are a “good source” of a couple of vitamins but to be a “good source” it only has to contain 10% the RDA, and gives NO consideration to the rest of the crap it may contain.

GP, my kids are three, and they also don’t know what McDonald’s is. I am very careful about what my family eats, and we are a healthy family. From reading your other comments, it seems like we’ve made a lot of the same choices, staying with the kids full time, breastfeeding, being aware of where food our food comes from, not letting them watch commercials, etc. It seems like we have so much in common. The difference is, I don’t feel the need to wear my choices like a badge and put down everyone who chooses differently. There are so many ways to be a good parent, and even if you are convinced that your way is the BEST way, it seems odd that you are so bent on making everyone else feel bad. It’s important to be healthy and fit, but isn’t it also important to be decent to other people? The way you mention women who are 5’4″ and 163 pounds…. well, it just comes off as obnoxious.

About the post, I agree with all the comments here, it’s up to parents to feed their kids well and avoid the crap. The corporations who peddle that garbage to kids wouldn’t make it if people didn’t buy it. So maybe awareness is necessary, but I’m not sure that’s the companies’ responsibility.

And I don’t set out to make people feel bad, it does seems like internet chats/lists with women require so much ridiculous sensitivity so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings…I’m sure if someone is 5’4″ and weights 163 lbs, they realize they need to do something about it…so I was just saying that people need to aspire to be better than “average” because the average is pretty unhealthy. We are all works in progress, though…so, again, sorry if it was mean.

Honestly, I think reforming government programs that contribute to obesity and ill health ought to be first priority. Lots of parents are savvy enough to get that Kraft Foods and General Mills are there to make a profit, not promote wellness, but they get bad information from government programs that ARE ostensibly there to promote wellness. WIC doesn’t distinguish between wholesome, all-natural oatmeal and “enriched” fake-food Rice Krispies—they’re both simply listed as “grains” and both can be purchased on the vouchers. Youngish parents who have grown up with school “nutrition” programs have come away thinking that huge portions and crap food have the government’s stamp of approval because, well, it kind of does.

I personally think that a good deal of the obesity epidemic is due to government intervention like those examples…and corn subsidies…and a few other things. I would rather the government step back most of the time, but I think so much damage has been done here that the government does need to step in and clean up the mess already made. But, aside from outright fraud in advertising, the government ought to leave McDonalds and Kellogs alone.

jenny’s points are spot-on
Anonimom–funny, yes…healthy foods can be easily found and purchased at most grocery stores…and need not cost very much at all

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When my first two kids were little and I did family day care at home, my husband watched the kids while I went grocery shopping – often with another Mom and we had a couple hours of grown-up time. No kids in the store = easier to only buy healthy, with no tears! But when my third was born and I had to take an “outside” job, I took the kids shopping with me – partly because I didn’t see as much of them and missed them when I was at work – but that exposed them to the “wonders” of kid food! Shopping became more stressful as I tried to negotiate – reading labels to find the least sugary cereal and agreeing to Sugar Crisp – but no cookies, etc.