Childhood Obesity -- Should it be a crime?

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by BleedBurgundy

You guys may take this as ignorant, and perhaps it is, but i've always wondered that if all of the above cited reasons for obesity were so prevalent, why is it that we don't see all of these 300 lb behemoth's in third world countries? Say what you want, how you want it, but the simple truth is that you CANNOT be overweight if you are not consuming more calories than you are burning. Period.

Now I'm not a doctor, don't even play one on tv, but it's simple common sense. I do not doubt the validity of each and every one of those medical conditions which Schneed mentions, but I believe the VAST majority of the grossly overweight children you see are a product of lazy lifestyles and ridiculously unhealthy diets. These terribly unfit parents who allow, or God forbid ENCOURAGE this lifestyle in their children, are the first to come up with excuse after excuse mostly involving false claims pertaining to the aforementioned conditions. In these cases, I see no issue with prosecuting those who, after receiving education and subsequent monitoring, continue endangering the health of their children.

EXACTLY. American parents are happy to let their kids sit in front of their PS3's and XBOX's all friggin day and night, and don't pay enough attention to what they're eating. Give them two scoops of ice cream after their meal and don't bat an eye when they head straight for the TV, CPU, or video games. We're a wealthy nation that spends so much time in front of screens. There is reason other cultures like most of Europe and Japan don't have this problem- better diets, better discipline.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

If we are going to punish parents when their kids get fat, why don't we punish parents when their kids underperform in school? I would argue that poor school performance is a bigger threat to kids and society than a poor diet.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

If we are going to punish parents when their kids get fat, why don't we punish parents when their kids underperform in school? I would argue that poor school performance is a bigger threat to kids and society than a poor diet.

I agree with you but the argument that people will use is that poor school doesnt kill you (physically that is)

[EternalEnigma21]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

If we are going to punish parents when their kids get fat, why don't we punish parents when their kids underperform in school? I would argue that poor school performance is a bigger threat to kids and society than a poor diet.

I think its a matter of health in general, and the direct threat of death. Many kids are dangerously obese with no control over themselves, and could very well lead to diabetes and heart disease, and ultimately premature death. Pretty hefty price to pay for a lazy parent. I don't know, I guess its just because I've seen first hand a stupid lazy slut of a mother who didn't want a kid completely ruin a little girl's life, without consequence, I feel there should be some kind of recourse.

[hooskins]

So to me the issue is, is eating eating healthy more expensive?

Schneed says yes but GMScud says no. Personally I would've thought it is it is more expensive, but honestly I have no idea.

Does anyone have any links to reports or articles confirming either or?

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by hooskins

So to me the issue is, is eating eating healthy more expensive?

Schneed says yes but GMScud says no. Personally I would've thought it is it is more expensive, but honestly I have no idea.

Does anyone have any links to reports or articles confirming either or?

I can only say from experience that eating out every meal is expensive and unhealthy. Going to the grocery store and buying fresh veggies, fruit, and lean meats is much cheaper than going the other route.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by GMScud

I can only say from experience that eating out every meal is expensive and unhealthy. Going to the grocery store and buying fresh veggies, fruit, and lean meats is much cheaper than going the other route.

Depends where you're eating out. If you're hitting up a take-out joint and spending $10 every meal, then yeah, you can cook healthy for cheaper. But $10 take-out meals aren't even an option for those with tight cash flows.

If you're going to McDonalds and getting a double cheeseburger, fries, and soda for 99 cents each (dollar menu) like so many poor people do, then you're spending $3 for a meal. If you go to the grocery store, you will be hard-pressed to put together a healthy meal for $3, even if breaking portions down on a per-unit basis.

To me, the definition of "eating healthy" is doing what the FDA food pyramid tells you. 6 servings grains (whole), 3 servings dairy (mostly milk or yogurt, less on the cheese), 4 servings of fruit and veggies (preferably fresh), and 3 servings protein (preferably lean meats), and use fats & sugars sparingly.

So looking at those FDA guidelines, you can eliminate ground beef (unless it's very lean, in which case $$$), fatty steaks, chicken pieces with the skin on, pork ribs (unless they're babyback), whole milk, white bread, white pasta, and white rice. Not to mention sodas, cakes, cookies, crackers, candy, mac & cheese. The food pyramid, if you read it right, effectively eliminates a ton of the inexpensive ingredients available at the grocery store.

Some of the most expensive? Lean beef, fish, skinless chicken breast, lean pork, fresh produce, skim milk (more expensive than whole), fruit juices. Even whole grain breads and cereals are more expensive than their white-flour counterparts.

And the other piece we're not considering, time. For many poor folks, they need to work overtime, and sometimes two jobs, to support the young'ns. That's just to have enough money to house them, clothe them, and feed them SOMETHING. They're not left with scads of time to spend in the kitchen preparing healthy meals.

A single person who makes $40K a year has enough money and all the time they need to cook and eat healthy. But the poor are much worse off. It's not as simple as making blanket statements that everyone can do it. Until you walk a mile in their shoes, you can't tell what it feels like to stroll in after a 16 hour shift and be asked to cook a nutritious meal for less than $3 per person.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

And the other piece we're not considering, time. For many poor folks, they need to work overtime, and sometimes two jobs, to support the young'ns. That's just to have enough money to house them, clothe them, and feed them SOMETHING. They're not left with scads of time to spend in the kitchen preparing healthy meals.

A single person who makes $40K a year has enough money and all the time they need to cook and eat healthy. But the poor are much worse off. It's not as simple as making blanket statements that everyone can do it. Until you walk a mile in their shoes, you can't tell what it feels like to stroll in after a 16 hour shift and be asked to cook a nutritious meal for less than $3 per person.

Very good points here Schneed. Didn't really consider those. I certainly wasn't trying to preach, but at the same time my girlfriend and I both make decent money and we don't have kids, so taking time to shop for healthy food isn't difficult for us.

Although people who are too poor to grocery shop can qualify for food stamps. It annoys me when I see people paying for food at the grocery store with their food stamp cards, and the conveyor belt is full of awful stuff. And it happens all the time.

But in all honesty I would say the majority of obese people could eat properly if they wanted to. I mean really- what percentage of the population is poor, works two jobs, has no food stamp money and/or time to get to the grocery store, AND is obese or has obese children?

There are so many little things you can do to cut fat and calories. Even most fast food places have healthier choices. Like getting a baked potato or broccoli at Wendy's for your side item instead of fries. I know Subway has raisins and apple slices you can get instead of chips with their combo meals. Just a few examples.

As far as whole grains, skim milk, low fat cheese, etc etc etc- they may be more expensive than their whole milk, white bread counterparts, but not by much. A few cents here and there.

Although I don't think this is going to help matters: Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

[MTK]

Originally Posted by hooskins

So to me the issue is, is eating eating healthy more expensive?

Schneed says yes but GMScud says no. Personally I would've thought it is it is more expensive, but honestly I have no idea.

Does anyone have any links to reports or articles confirming either or?

Eating healthy definitely adds up but if it really matters to you the cost isn't a major issue. I'd rather spend my money on fresh fruits and veggies than loading up on junk food to save a few bucks.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Eating healthy definitely adds up but if it really matters to you the cost isn't a major issue. I'd rather spend my money on fresh fruits and veggies than loading up on junk food to save a few bucks.

As would I. But we graduated college, and we have jobs, and we own computers. We can hack it.

So for us to make the choice to feed our kids McD's all the time would be disgraceful. But I can't fault the single mom working two jobs for stopping at McDs.

I would, however, ask her how she got herself into the "single mom" mess in the first place.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

As would I. But we graduated college, and we have jobs, and we own computers. We can hack it.

So for us to make the choice to feed our kids McD's all the time would be disgraceful. But I can't fault the single mom working two jobs for stopping at McDs.

I would, however, ask her how she got herself into the "single mom" mess in the first place.

True there are reasons for everything.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Eating healthy definitely adds up but if it really matters to you the cost isn't a major issue. I'd rather spend my money on fresh fruits and veggies than loading up on junk food to save a few bucks.

As would I.

But I guess my question was about average cost. I am looking at this from an economic point of view. Ignoring work hours, preparation time, transportation costs, laziness, etc. is it on average cheaper to make your own healthy food?

Obviously all those other things I ignored matter a lot, but we have to first consider the bare costs, and if it is in fact cheaper to eat healthy then we can start looking to reasons like prep time, laziness, etc.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by hooskins

As would I.

But I guess my question was about average cost. I am looking at this from an economic point of view. Ignoring work hours, preparation time, transportation costs, laziness, etc. is it on average cheaper to make your own healthy food?

Obviously all those other things I ignored matter a lot, but we have to first consider the bare costs, and if it is in fact cheaper to eat healthy then we can start looking to reasons like prep time, laziness, etc.

It's definitely more expensive to buy healthy foods and prepare meals from scratch vs. buying meals you prepare from a box.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

It's definitely more expensive to buy healthy foods and prepare meals from scratch vs. buying meals you prepare from a box.

Cool, that is what I thought but I was unsure because I haven't really ever had to spend for more than myself, and I still have my parents to fall back on.

I was suspicious because as a child I didn't each much that wasn't made at home. I always thought we did that because it was cheaper, but I guess I should be grateful my parents put emphasis on eating healthy food made at home.

[onlydarksets]

My wife orders our meals ready-to-cook from someplace. They are balanced meals with sides, and it's just about the same cost as going to the store, but infinitely easier. We just dump it in the oven or in a pan, and it cooks. It's actually easier than getting fast food, and it tastes a lot better.