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Diabetes is not fun. Just yesterday I was told to have my big toe amputated because of severe infection which won't clear up because of diabetes. Maybe I should put "toe amputated" in quotes too.
Sorry you're going through that no kudzu. I wish you well.
As far as education goes, I'm a Boomer and we got a lot of nutrition education in the (public) schools I went to in SoCal. People joke about Californian's and their bean sprouts and granola but it's humor based in fact. Is everyone a skinny Minnie? No. But most people my age from that state DID receive a lot of education on the subject.
Good grief! I have seen fat kids, and even at age 5, and I wondered what the heck they fed the kid at home, how can a five year old look like a small Sumo wrestler? And due to body fat, many girls are now having periods at age 9!
When I taught school, I had the kids keep track of their food for a week, keeping a "food diary" for an assignment about health and nutrition, we also used the same info for math class, and spelling. I was SHOCKED at the food some of my kids ate. And believe me, the fat kids turned in food diaries full of fast food, fried chicken, mac n cheese, hardly any fresh fruit or veggies.
It was an eye opener. And really sad. The thinner kids, usually had cereal for breakfast, and interestingly enough...still some of the same foods as the fat kids, but not as often.
If I had been really motivated, I could have done this as a study for a year, with my "sample set", and tracked the information on the dietery habits of 2nd graders, a diverse group of multi ethnic kids, from a low SES area.
I don't share your outrage. I see nothing wrong with a child being aware of her body. I would rather encourage her to make healthy food choices at 7 than to have to watch her attempt to diet at 12. Overweight IS bad.
And, good for the schools for removing junk from the cafeteria. When I was in school our dessert choice was limited to jello. There was no soda, no chips, no candy. Those things were reserved for special occasions at home.
I do not agree with schools measuring the BMI of students and sending it home on the report card though ( I think AZ was the state that was doing it). While it might be beneficial to lower income parents who can't afford regular checkups with a pediatrician, I doubt the benefits would outweigh the possibility of taunting from other kids.
You have apparently never dealth with a kid with an eating disorder. It's hell. And it never really goes away.
That said, obesity has become a problem in this country, though I have to say, working in a pedicatrician's office, we see very few obese kids. Obese parents, yes.
I do think school cafeterias should model healthy eating; however, that can include a little dessert.
My DD7 has a stockier frame. She really is big boned. Her head is larger than mine and her entire frame is built more like my mom. My mom isn't overweight. She just has a large bone structure. DD is the same way. I was getting concerned because DD was heavy for her age. Her pediatrician never mentioned anything to me about changing her diet, or watching her weight, so I asked at one of her well-visits and the doctor said that she is healthy and had a heavy frame. We do watch what she eats and make sure she gets a good diet, but she does still carry a bit of the baby fat (not much, just enough to give her a bit of softness). She is also very active.
She also grows out and then up. When she is getting ready for a growth spurt, her belly gets a bit of a roundness to it. After she has finished growing, her belly is flat again.
One day when she was 6, she came home from school and I caught her staring into a mirror and sucking in her belly. She told me that she wants to be skinny like X (a girl in her class). It broke my heart. I talked to her about nutrition and exercise, but also talked to her about how different people are built differently. I just know that with her build and her round face, she will never look like one of the super skinny girls and don't want her to feel like she is fat when she is just built differently than those girls.
I had the opposite problem growing up and was too skinny. No matter what I tried, I could not gain weight. I was very excited when I hit 100 lbs a few years after I finished growing at 5'7". I know what is feels like to be picked on because you look different than everyone else and I don't want the same thing to happen to my DD.
I have to say that I am glad that some of the pretty/sexy actresses are now curvy (think Scarlett Johansson), but I think we still have a long way to go before it becomes more acceptable for someone to have a curvier figure.
Nothing in the article indicates the child got the idea from school. It does mention that two girls told her she was "kind of fat" at the pool. Kids have called other kids fat long before public schools got involved in health awareness.
Our whole society has become so self-conscious about weight that it affects what kids are taught in school. Outside school, they're bombarded with the visualization of what "right" looks like, then they get the mechanics of how to BE "right" in class.
Whatever happened to kids being allowed to be kids?
For those of you who don't see a problem with a 7 year old concerned about her weight, what do you think she'll be like when she's a teen or young adult?
I see nothing wrong with a child being aware of her body. I would rather encourage her to make healthy food choices at 7 than to have to watch her attempt to diet at 12.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana
You have apparently never dealth with a kid with an eating disorder. It's hell. And it never really goes away.
The causes of eating disorders are very deep rooted. Teaching children healthy eating habits at an early age would mostly likely help prevent future eating disorders. Mattie meant a healthy body awareness. There's nothing wrong with body awareness as long as it's an accurate awareness. People with eating disorders usually don't view their bodies accurately. Their twisted perceptions aren't the result of learning healthy eating habits.
The causes of eating disorders are varied, depending on the patient. Girls who think they are "fat" are at high risk. A girl can go from eating very healthily to having an ED practically overnight. (Boys can get EDs, too, I will add. However, boys who get them are more likely to have actually been overweight at the start of the ED, whereas many girls are not.) Believe me, I know more about eating disorders than I would have ever wanted to know. The following website is a good source.
A 7 year old worried about being "fat?" Where on earth would such a comment come from?
School. Because of some people's obsession with the "obesity crisis," we're forcing the schools to do things like teach body awareness, measure BMI in kindergarten, incorporate all the stuff from the fitness cult into curriculum's. Kids are being denied soft drinks, sugary snacks, "unhealthy" foods like hamburgers and pizza's, all of which sends a message to children that slim and trim is "good" and overweight is "bad."
In short, by allowing the Nanny-stater's to force our children to fit their mold, we're in the process of creating an entire generation of future anorexic's and bulimic's and teaching them that intolerance toward overweight people is acceptable because,...well....because they're fat. Not only that, but we're allowing them to teach that vanity is OK too.
Do we really want this? Is the "obesity crisis" a good enough excuse to turn your children and grandchildren into adults who may never accept themselves just as they are?
Sorry but any amount of excess weight is not healthy for your body
Yes, it is unappealing but most importantly it is very unhealthy.
And people don't come into this world "fat", so if our bodies change into something we didn't take care of and control and keep healthy and fit then why should we accept it.
I was pudgy all through out middle and high school, it was something I did to myself because I didn't at right and I wasn't active enough.
I want to finish losing weight because I want my body to be the leanest, healthiest, ass whooping machine known to law enforcement. I want to be able to kick anyones ass, looking good while doing it is just a plus.
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