Off The Fence - What are we feeding our children to make obesity rates soar?

Susan Thompson
Express staff

As a mom, I try not to be judgmental of other parents. But it makes me shake my head to see the number of my kids’ friends who are already overweight at the ages of seven and nine.

I don’t just mean a little baby fat, either. I personally know kids who already seem to have more cellulite than I do after two pregnancies. The numbers back up that anecdotal evidence too, showing that childhood obesity has tripled over the last 20 years in Canada. In the U.S., five to 25 per cent of children are obese.

Childhood obesity is becoming a serious health issue. Obese children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes that could lead to the bigger problem of cardiovascular disease. They’re also more likely to become obese as adults.

Isn’t that sad, when unlike so many other health problems and diseases, childhood obesity is preventable?

My family eats pizza and McDonald’s and chocolate now and then like everyone else. But I can’t help looking at the parents when I see a young child with a weight problem and wondering what they’re doing, or not doing.

Young kids obviously rely on their parents to supply them with healthy, nutritious food. A two-year-old can’t make good choices yet about what to eat and how much of it. Yet there are obese two-year old kids, which seems almost obscene to me. The rapid rise in obesity shows it can’t all be genetic, either.

There are some obvious culprits out there. Pop is full of empty, sugary calories and should only be given as a treat, but too many kids drink it all the time, neglecting the better choices of water and milk.

I see lots of parents who have no problem buying their kids iced cappuccinos at Tim’s too, which boggles my mind, since who wants to deal with a child hyped up on that much sugar and caffeine? Yikes! Once in a long while maybe, but even then I can’t really understand it.

Then there are school lunches. It’s so much easier to chuck some pre-packaged snacks in a lunch box, and most people do, but is it healthier than a boring old ham sandwich and an apple? Definitely not.

My kids might suffer through my uncool lunch choices for them, and it might take me a few extra minutes to make them, but I’d rather see them eating some whole wheat bread and some fruit than the hot dogs and pops and candies they’d probably rather bring.

Convenience is a killer, it seems, since its the cheap, easily available foods that tend to be the worst for us. Compare the price of buying fresh fruit with a salty or sugary snack and it becomes clear that if you want to eat healthy, it isn’t always cheap.

Unfortunately, it’s often the poor who rely most on these foods, and some studies show that income actually has more bearing on health than do conscious choices.

Still, I think lifestyle comes into it too. Kids today play video games more than they go ride their bikes or play outside it seems, and spend more time on the computer than is probably healthy. Never mind the dangers of cyber stalkers and internet porn, the very fact our kids are sitting so much puts them at risk of health issues.

I know there are some video games out now that are trying to address the problem. It seems like pretty much every parent I know went out and bought a Wii Fit for just that reason. But I still think going swimming as a family, or taking a walk, or signing the kids up for a sport is a better idea. It sets a better example when the parents show how to have an active lifestyle beyond video games.

Sports also introduce kids to new friends, something they don’t necessarily get from playing a video game at home, and I find sports can teach good lessons about discipline, team work, and work ethic. I may grumble like every other Mom about the mileage I rack up on my car acting as a chauffeur for my kids, and I might fear for my furniture when I catch my kids practicing their karate and gymnastics in my living room, but I try to remember it’s worth it to see my kids growing up strong and healthy.

Schools can have a big influence too of course, especially since kids spend a lot of time there. Walking programs, healthy lunch programs, and instruction on healthy eating can all make an impact, and parents can push schools in that direction through PTA meetings and the like.

Overall, kids still rely on their parents, especially as role models, and I hope more parents start spending some time changing their own eating habits and getting into shape so that they can help their kids do the same.

It’s more work to make healthy meals and have a more active lifestyle, and it also takes a little time and effort to just talk to kids about those things.

I’m not always perfect at it either, and we’re all busy people. Still, if we don’t invest time in keeping our kids healthy, we won’t stop the trend of childhood obesity.

We’re only hurting our own kids if we don’t make that a priority.

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