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I think technology is a cop-out. I had plenty of friends who were total tech geeks in high school who were also not unhealthy. They weren't ripped but they weren't obese or super weak either.
All boils down to parenting and location I'd say.
The true total geek gets so into the computer he forgets to eat. And the idea of getting crumbs and greasy fingers on the keyboard would be horrible.
Childhood obesity, well obesity in general, is rapidly growing and oesn't show signs of stopping. There are several causes of it, but what do you think is the greatest cause, the one that has the most significant force on obesity. Here's my list that I believe are the causes in order:
1. Technology- video games, computers, TV
2. Parents not setting a good example or don't take any action to stopping their child from becoming obese.
3. Junk food. Everywhere you look, kids are getting junk food. Parents don't monitor their kids eating habits and kids don't know how bad it really is for you.
4. Lack of recreation near homes and businesses, there are some areas that have lots of recreation, and there is a lot that don't. This would encourage excercise.
5. Unwalkable suburbs. Most of America lives in suburbs. If suburbs, were walkable then we would all get more excercise. I know that in St. Paul there are many kids walking to houses and to the nearest mini mart and even to their summer jobs. I'm sureo ther dense cities, that are safe, do the same thing. We need to encourage suburbs to do so also.
So anything you like to add to this would be great or tell me what your causes are.
I think it all boils down to poor diet. If our children (and adults), had a proper diet they would not WANT to sit around all day playing video games, and staring at a computer screen. They would be filled with so much energy that they would want to go outside and burn it off.
Unfortunately the quantities of prepackaged, processed, chemical-laden foods that we consume reduce our energy level to practically zero, and not only result in the rampant obesity we see today, but much (if not all) of the poor health conditions as well.
Unfortunately the quantities of prepackaged, processed, chemical-laden foods that we consume reduce our energy level to practically zero, and not only result in the rampant obesity we see today, but much (if not all) of the poor health conditions as well.
Can you please guide me towards the publishings around this finding? It has caught my attention.
Pretty much. It's really just a mathematical equation.
Sure, there are variances in how this type of calorie is treated over that type of calorie, but overwhelmingly the main impact is simply number of calories consumed vs basal metabolic rate + additional calories burned through activity.
I heard on NPR recently that the entire obesity epidemic comes down to about 100 net calories per day per person. Actually it's probably more like 33 net calories per day per person on average.
I disagree. I don't think parents of obese children are stupid. Infact, I think most parents are fairly smart, but just too lazy to properly take care of their children.
Well, I would look at the whole life cycle for these individuals.
First, they are born to unfit mothers. Their moms eat the wrong things, are exposed to harmful substances (artificial sweeteners, flavor enhancers, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, ENZYME DETERGENTS, hormone-disrupting artificial perfumes, Dioxins, Termite poisons wafting up from below the dwelling....). And the fathers are exposed to that crap, too. Even worse, the mother could be drinking or smoking or doing drugs (illegal or prescription). Anyway, the fitness of the father at the time of conception, and the fitness of the mother at conception and during pregnancy, have effects on the unborn child which last for the life of that child (and possibly, to a much lesser degree, into the following generation).
So, the kid could be born with Hypothalamus Gland problems, and no telling what other, more subtle, problems.
Then, there is the steady diet of Sugar. Pure White People are somewhat resistant to the ravages of Sugar. The rest of us are not. Whatever allowed their ancestors to survive, trapped for millennia in frozen Ice Age Europe, apparently gave them the ability to deal with Simple Carbohydrates. For the rest of us, SUGAR IS POISON.
Sugar puts fat on you faster than anything. And the diets of Americans....particularly those raised by minorities (which would include affluent kids whose minority maids are allowed to choose what the kids ingest)... are absolutely suffocating under vast amounts of Sugar. It's in the Pasta Sauces. It's in virtually all prepackaged food. You have to be a pretty savvy Food Label Detective to decode all the code words for Sugar (and realize that breaking the sugars down into Maltose, Dextrose, and Sucrose, on the ingredients list, allows the sneaky companies to put those words way down on the list, when, in reality, if the sugars were combined, the label would read "Water, Sugar....").
So, mommies across America are opening cans of "Wholesome Soups", which in reality are little more than Sugarwater, flavored by Monosodium Glutamate, Onion Powder, and Salt (and various 'flavors', from some chemical plant in New Jersey).
That might be OK, if mommies were not also giving the kids Sugar-laden Soft Drinks (or artificially-sweetened ones, which are just as bad), "healthy" juices, which frequently are full of Corn Syrup or whatever (pasteurization changes the structure of the sugars in fruit juices, in any event....raising the Glycemic Load of the juices significantly higher than it would be in fresh, raw, juices).
Well, that's OK! We'll just compensate for the sugary drinks, and the sugary soups, with a nice plate of Pasta! Well....except that most of what is in those jars of 'Pasta Sauce' is just Sugar, died red (with more of the MSG, chemical flavorings, Onion Powder, and preservatives that were in the "Wholesome Soups", but with extra Xanthan Gum and Cornstarch, to make the Pasta Sauces thicker). And the cheap, low-Protein pastas pushed at the set likely to become obese are low in Protein and high in Starch. Not that even the premium Durum Wheat pastas are exactly brimming with complex carbohydrates.
Yes, sedentary lifestyles have a lot to do with it. But may I also mention stress? Bullying is a huge problem now. It starts in those kennels called Daycare Centers, and continues right up through twelfth grade. It is normal for young Primates (including Humans) to remain within their loving, protective family groups until almost fully-mature. It is unnatural for two-year-olds to have to protect themselves against attackers. In fact, it is unthinkable. Yet, this is the reality for many kids, today.
Being bullied causes subtle changes in Brain Chemistry. Over time, it can stunt growth, lead to weight problems, development problems, lower IQ... the list is endless. So, hidden behind the curtain of Infantile Amnesia, for many of today's obese youth, are attacks from the 'young warriors' in the daycare centers, charging around, committing battery against tiny toddlers. How many attacks would it take to warp a kid's growth patterns? Who knows? But I think that we see the results of those attacks all around us.
And I would add that many children stay inside at home, as a way of avoiding interaction with the same young retarded psychopaths (and that is precisely what they are) who are terrorizing them at school. Forcing kids to go outside may not be wise. They may miss getting the Vitamin D they need....but there are supplements for that. I do think that the onset of Puberty is a critical time, and that kids need both sunshine and exercise during that very important period. But leaving them at the mercy of retarded criminal sociopaths is not the way to go.
Maybe GROUPS of adults should be going to the parks with groups of kids (one or two adults are not enough to fend-off a group of young predators, these days), to do the Parcours (or an improvised Parcours). It would be good for all concerned, and provide a sense of group-affiliation that may be lacking.
I think the most pervasive cause for childhood obesity is liberalism. Spoiled children raised on a philosophy of taking feel entitled to eat whatever they want, whenever they want. Nine-year-olds no longer feel the need to contribute to their families and society by working for starvation wages. Instead these brats just lay about all day, sucking down food the rest of us have to pay for, when they are not attending public subsidized schools pay for with your tax dollars. What's worse, when they get so fat that it causes them health problems, who do you think is going to pay their medical bills? You guessed it. Joe Taxpayer.
(Just thought I'd say it before some RW beat me to it.)
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