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While the child having anorexia may not be abuse on the child from the parents, since they can not control the chemicals of the brain, but if the parents do nothing to seek proper help for that child, it is neglect.
Well obviously. I assume that most rational sane parents are going to get help for their anorexic child.
1. Where do you live where whole wheat pasta costs $1 and marinara sauce $1.50? We don't have those low prices here in FL.
2. Whole wheat pasta is just as caloric as white pasta.
3. Oatmeal and raisins has a lot of calories.
I live in Colorado, and I bought 10 boxes of Barilla Whole Wheat Rotini (13.25 ounce) for $.99* each about a month ago when they were on sale. No coupon required. Kroger brand Marinara sauce (26-ounce) is currently selling for $1.30 according to the King Soopers homeshop website, although I prefer to make my own sauce from the tomatoes I harvest from our garden. Really, though, pasta smothered in marinara sauce isn't what comes to mind for me when it comes to healthy eating. It's a quick and convenient kid-friendly meal when time is short.
Kids can have very different metabolisms and cravings. My brother and I have obese parents. He's skinny as a rail, never ever eats breakfast, never exercises, and sucks down coffee by the gallon. He eats a double Cheeseburger with fries (his only vegetable) every night, but hates sweets. I have horrible cravings for sweets and processed carbohydrates, although I mostly manage to avoid them, and I eat at least 7 vegetables everyday. I HATE coffee, exercise 3-4 times a week, and drink water almost exclusively. I still struggle to keep my BMI under 27. My kids are both fairly slender, but they both crave sweets like me, so I suspect they're also going to struggle as they get older. All I can do is make healthy meals at home and try to inspire them to make good choices when they're on their own at school or out with friends.
*I just found the receipt. I thought it was $1.09, but it really was $.99/box.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 08-01-2010 at 10:45 AM..
Keep in mind that not everyone has access to affordable, healthy food; it's been a long time since I've seen a box of pasta for $1, for example. I'm sure I could find a box somewhere around here if I looked hard enough or cut coupons or watched the sale ads, but many people don't have that kind of time. And many people who live in the poorest neighborhoods have the least access to quality food or cheap food: they're stuck paying higher prices for junk food. I'm sure in many cases poor food choices do come down to lack of education or other factors, but don't forget the financial component in all of this: unhealthy food is often cheaper. And the highly processed unhealthy food doesn't take as much time to prepare, which is undoubtedly a major plus for many time-pressed families struggling to get by. There are so many factors at play here. It's easier for wealthier families to buy healthier food, although of course many of us, regardless of income level, still have a tough time balancing the need for healthy but convenient. (although if you have enough money to spend, it gets very easy: I'm too cheap to regularly buy the pre-sliced fruit in the grocery store, for example, but it would certainly make life a lot easier!)
It is true that is you are poor SOMETIMES it's hard to keep healthy foods in the house. I know as a kid we were POOR and on food stamps. We had no car. My sister and I would have to take a bus with my mom to grocery shop and help carry the bags. We could only carry so much, and fresh foods only lasted so long. Once that food ran out we'd be stuck going to the corner store and paying way too much for basic things. For some reason though, I was a very skinny kid but my sister and brother were over weight.
I'm not judging random strangers on the street. I know these people and their habits are evident.
I'm tired of hearing the excuse about healthy eating being expensive. It's not expensive. I can make you entire menus of fresh, healthy meals that don't cost very much.
The problem with these meals is that they are TIME CONSUMING. I think that's the issue. For all of us. And it takes planning.
But if you were never given those habits or grew up in that kind of environment, you are going to resent spending time creating these meals, even if it means taking a couple of hours over the weekend to prepare the whole week's worth of meals. Hell, I resented the hour it took to prepare a healthy, wholesome, organic meal just two days ago (after a hard day's work on my feet), but the whole thing cost about three bucks for two very hearty servings.
We're also programmed to go for the easy calories - that's biological. It's a tough fight to fight against convenience (energy conservation) and easy, tasty processed calories (dollar menu) but that's where the discipline comes in. The investment you make here will pay off when it comes to healthcare dollars later. This whole country can't be all up in arms about the cost of healthcare when most of our dollars go to treating completely preventable diseases.
1. Where do you live where whole wheat pasta costs $1 and marinara sauce $1.50? We don't have those low prices here in FL.
2. Whole wheat pasta is just as caloric as white pasta.
3. Oatmeal and raisins has a lot of calories.
A box of store-brand pasta generally can be found for LESS than $1 at PriceChopper. It's a supermarket chain in New England. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to pasta so I usually buy Barilla, which is $1.25 for regular and $1.59 for whole wheat, but it goes on sale from time to time for 5/$5.
Store-brand marinara sauce can always be found for around $1.50, but also goes on sale for 99 cents. I usually make my own from canned tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil, which probably ends up costing less when you calculate the price per ounce.
I don't do much coupon clipping, beyond what I find in the Sunday newspaper, but I've seen "coupon queens" on TV who can get such basics for free, especially if they shop at places that honor double coupons. No such supermarkets exist in my area.
While whole-wheat pasta has the same calories as regular pasta, it has much more fiber, which helps contribute to a healthy diet. I'm a second-generation Italian American and my family complained when I first made the swtitch, but now they're fine with it. It has a richer taste that goes nicely with vegetarian sauces or basic Italian dishes like penne and broccolli or liguine and swiss chard and pine nuts.
Yes, raisins are relatively high in calories, but they also have a lot of fiber and iron. Ditto for oatmeal, especially old-fashioned or steel-cut oats. I try to give my kids a high-calorie breakfast to keep them energized through their morning classes and physical education.
I'm certainly not saying that every overweight child is that way because he eats junk or his parents don't care. Some kids are just husky and some have endocrine system problems. I just think that most people can reach a weight that is healthy for their particular body by eating a healthy well-rounded diet and exercising.
Omg...speaking of coupons, the lady in front of me in line the other day at Target had so many coupons, she got a 98 dollar bill dropped to 4 bucks...it took forever, but it was fascinating!
Omg...speaking of coupons, the lady in front of me in line the other day at Target had so many coupons, she got a 98 dollar bill dropped to 4 bucks...it took forever, but it was fascinating!
I have a friend who can do that, too. She always draws a crowd at the grocery store. Needless to say, her pantry is overflowing.
While whole-wheat pasta has the same calories as regular pasta, it has much more fiber, which helps contribute to a healthy diet. I'm a second-generation Italian American and my family complained when I first made the swtitch, but now they're fine with it. It has a richer taste that goes nicely with vegetarian sauces or basic Italian dishes like penne and broccolli or liguine and swiss chard and pine nuts.
Yes, raisins are relatively high in calories, but they also have a lot of fiber and iron. Ditto for oatmeal, especially old-fashioned or steel-cut oats. I try to give my kids a high-calorie breakfast to keep them energized through their morning classes and physical education.
I'm certainly not saying that every overweight child is that way because he eats junk or his parents don't care. Some kids are just husky and some have endocrine system problems. I just think that most people can reach a weight that is healthy for their particular body by eating a healthy well-rounded diet and exercising.
I am not disputing that whole wheat pasta is healthier than white pasta. However, a heavy child is not necessarily heavy because he eats unhealthy food. A heavy child can be heavy just because he eats TO MUCH.
I am the parent of a heavy 11 year old boy. He is 4'11' tall and currently 112 lb (down from 117). He does not eat ANY junk food NONE. AT. ALL. He loves oatmeal, raisins, pasta...all real food but to many calories will pack on the pounds regardless of whether the food is healthy.
I get really tired of these threads where people assume that just because a child is heavy that his parents feed the child a steady diet of Doritos and ice cream. One of my kids is 5'9", 120 lb. He eats WAY MORE than his chubbier brother and he exercises way less also.
I think there is a big differance between a little chubby and obese. A chubby kid can walk up some stairs and not need to rest. A chubby kid can wear a pair of paints with a button and zipper. An 11 yr old at 4'11 and 200 pounds is obese. I wouldn't even think 4'11 and 112 is even heavy. I do think you can be a little heavy and be very healthy. But you can not be obese and healthy. I don't think the word judge is the word I would use for what I think when a see an obese, not a little heavy, child. I think sad may be a better word. Because I think of how the child will be teased, unable to sit in a regular desk at school, have to wear sweat pants everyday, can't play ball with the other kids, and on and on. With a lot of kids being a little heavy these days a child in school that is a little heavy is the norm.
I think there is a big differance between a little chubby and obese. A chubby kid can walk up some stairs and not need to rest. A chubby kid can wear a pair of paints with a button and zipper. An 11 yr old at 4'11 and 200 pounds is obese. I wouldn't even think 4'11 and 112 is even heavy. I do think you can be a little heavy and be very healthy. But you can not be obese and healthy. I don't think the word judge is the word I would use for what I think when a see an obese, not a little heavy, child. I think sad may be a better word. Because I think of how the child will be teased, unable to sit in a regular desk at school, have to wear sweat pants everyday, can't play ball with the other kids, and on and on. With a lot of kids being a little heavy these days a child in school that is a little heavy is the norm.
His BMI puts him in the 93rd percentile for his age/height. He's not huge. He wears normal clothes, plays sports, has lots of friends. But he is pretty heavy and we have to work with him on his weight. He went away to camp where we were not there to monitor his food intake and he put on some weight.
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