How to get fat without even trying

garance

garance

Cathlete
Did anyone see the Peter Jennings special report on Monday night about obesity in America? I thought it was excellent, but also very frightening to hear about the way in which corn syrup and corn oil has invaded our food supply in the form of processed foods. I also thought that the section on advertising junk food to children was very thought provoking. I realize that the first amendment protects free speech, but it is clear that children under a certain age are unable to detect when they are being bamboozled into believing that some of these foods are just what they need to have. One of the experts on obesity in children gave some frightening statistics about high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease in young children, and also said, quite rightly, that the last thing parents want to argue with their children about in the supermarket is food purchases. But children are enoouraged to nag their parents into buying all this packaged sugar and fat. Apparently other countries--Australia, Italy, the Scandinavian countries--prohibit advertising to children. With obesity on the rise, I think we should start thinking about regulating advertising directed at children too. We already do it on cigarettes on TV, so why not Lucky Charms??
 
Good idea!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
I wouldn't want anything regulated. That's just one step closer to big brother, allowing the government to regulate one more thing in our lives. We are already getting closer and closer daily to being a police state here in "Absurdistan", uh, I mean the United States. If you give the government that much leeway then one day they might come to you and tell you that Cathe's tapes are bad for your health so now you won't be allowed to use them.
It's up to the parents to regulate what their kids get to eat and it's up to the population in general to make the correct decisions in life about food, or anything for that matter. The ones who don't make the correct decisions, don't survive in the gene pool. It's called natural selection.
Don't get me started now!!! lol!!
Trevor :)
 
I have to agree with Trevor. There is nothing like consumer pressure to get companies to change - their products and their advertising.

One question - how does "high fructose corn syrup" fit in here. Is this the stuff Peter was talking about? In Scott Connelly's book he says this is the WORST thing and it is in SO MANY products - even ketchup. I think it is used as a preservative. (or that is the excuse for putting it in so many things)

-joy
 
I totally agree with Trevor! People need to take the responsibility on what they put in their mouths and their children's mouths.
 
I totally agree with Trevor. I do not think that advertising should be regulated. Kids are always wanting something, whether it be McDonalds or a certain toy that we do not think is appropriate. It is up to us, as parents, to teach our children to make good choices.
 
Apparently this was the response to the FTC in 1979, when its head tried to do something about regulating advertising to children. Congress almost abolished the FTC--so you are not alone, Trevor. One of the advertising executives interviewed by Jennings also blamed parents for not controlling what their kids eat, even implying that if parents could be nagged into buying what he was trying to sell, then there was probably something wrong with their relationship. I thought this was silly--he just didn't want to admit that he was doing something to help unhealthy foods get a market out there. But then, another critic of children's obesity said, "yes,but then why don't they direct the advertising at adults so that they can make the informed decisions about the food?" I don't know. I was certainly happy when they rid the airwaves of cigarette ads, and I still find the Joe Camel ads in mags disturbingly appealing to teens. I think a public debate on this issue would be useful. There are very few ads for fruits and vegetables compared to processed foods.
 
I completely agree too. Its definately the parents responsibility to monitor their childresn's eating habits.

Just for the sake of discussion, what about soda and vending machines in middle and even elementry schools? and cafeteria lunches being so un-healthy? How do we solve this? I hate the idea of regulating anything, but at the same time, although MY kid may be healthy, what about the kid next door whose parents are either nutriotionally inept, of who simply don't care?

Parents can teach their children good eating habits and pack their lunches ect.... at some point the child will get a twinkie (a metaphoric twinkie) from someone at school some how. How do we avoid this?

Leslie
 
I'm in agreement with the anti-regulators here; First Amendment issues are important, and it's also important for parents to take back the responsibility of their children's food choices where they belong.

And always . . . ALWAYS the obesity debate, including childhood obesity, reverts back to food intake. I didn't see the Peter Jennings show, but did he make one mention of how sedentary children have been allowed to get? Not only through the destruction of physical education programs in schools, but also by the sedentary lifestyles the children's home environments foster, with the TV- and Video-Game-As-Babysitter? With the increasing overreliance on cars and strollers? And all that jazz?

A-Jock
 
I think a lot of people do lack an understanding of what is nutrition and what is junk and there is some misleading advertising aimed at adults. We have commercials implying that "Sunny D" is healthy. You might as well give kids a Mountain Dew and a Vitamin C drop. Unfortunately, people I know think "juice" is healthy and encourage kids to drink a lot of it.

I do wish they wouldn't market junk food directly at kids, but I don't have a problem not buying junk for my kids. My kids *have* tried to throw fits in the supermarket, but that quickly stopped when they realized that meant no treats AT ALL. Or worse, that they wouldn't get to go along next time.
 
Yes, he did. The problem is that exercise is not going to make up for all the extra calories Americans consume. You have to run 15 minutes to burn off a relatively small amount of chips, and a big Mac--I cannot even remember--it was astronomical. I, too, feel very strongly about the first amendment, but it's clear that we are going to have a very big public health problem when these kids grow up, and cost is going to once again raise our already astronomical medical care bills. I agree that a sedentary life style is anathema to good health, but after watching focus groups of children under eight led by major food processors, I am very worried about mind control coming from advertising being at least equally to blame for the food kids eat and the extra poundage they put on. One manufacturer who managed to substitute corn syrup and flavor additives for real fruit in juices during the 70s laughed and said that he and his wife called their Rolls the sugar car, because of the extra profits he made from these substitutes that helped to pay for the car. Maybe Jennings was just trying to sensationalize the problem, but I was really disturbed by the show.
 
I agree... I'm pregnant with my first now, and I am considering just cancelling my cable so my child won't have to grow up with the constant bombardment of bad messages. I'm especially worried if I have a girl... because one minute TV will tell her to eat this snack food and drink this soda, then the next minute she'll see a 90 pound model or actress and want to look like her. That sounds like a one-way ticket to bulimia to me!
The best thing we parents can do is set a good example. I don't bring junk food into my house, and I exercise regularly. I'm quickly realizing that being a parent is going to be the hardest job I've ever had!
;-) Charlene EDD 6/27/04
 
Everyone - adults and children alike - are ultimately responsible for what they put in their own mouths. Yes, the temptations are there. So is the education. I find it ridiculous that with all the health and nutritional education that my 7th grader receives in school (and it is a LOT), they still sell them ice cream and soda at lunch. However, I also tell her it is her responsibility to make healthy choices, and she has no other choice at home. We simply don't buy junk food. No one puts a gun to someone's head and tells them to pull up to the drive-through at McDonald's and order a super size value meal. It's a choice someone makes. The education is out there. People just aren't listening, and that's also their own choice. We as parents have to educatate our children, but one day they won't be children anymore and they will still have their own choices to make in life. Prohibiting cigarette advertising to children isn't working. They're still smoking. Why would regulating junk food advertising work? I don't believe it would. Children imitate what they learn at home, and then they imitate what they learn from their peer group ... unless the habits ingrained in them at home are stronger. Sometimes they do the opposite anyway. Sometimes all the teaching of and instilling of values at home isn't enough anyway. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of personal responsibility, accountability, and choices. We as humans have the gift of free will. No one can make you buy that Snickers from a vending machine. It's your choice to do so. All the billboard ads in the world still can't MAKE you eat a Whopper with extra cheese. It's your CHOICE. Regulation is not the answer. People taking responsibiltiy for their own actions - something that seems to be on a dangerously sharp decline in this country - is. Teaching our children that they, and they alone, are responsible for their actions is one answer. But I don't believe regulation will solve anything. The government has enough control over my daily life, thank you very much.

Just my humble opinions ... of course ....

Carol
:)
 
I did see it and I found it interesting that other countries like Austrailia don't even allow advertising toward children. My 7 year old is constantly asking me to buy things he saw on commercials. They can't understand that those commercials have people behind them that only care about making money, not the kids. I agree something should be done.
 
Just wanted to say, I think children are way too lazy!! My kids play sports, and we live in the country, so they get quite a bit of exercise, (not as much as I want them to, they think mom is a bit obsessive).

I want to give an example of a mom who limited the amount her kids could eat. She didn't let them gorge themselves. At Mc Donalds, they were not allowed to supersize anything - only small portions. Good common sense! Now when the daughter reached 18 - driving her own car, had her own job (money) it was hello supersize! Mom would try to get daughter to take walks with her - no thank you says daughter. Daughter now struggles with her weight. I believe from inactivity more than anything. Mom is underweight. 5'4" 100lbs at the most! She stays this way by eating the portions of a 2 yr old. It think this has messed up daughters food portion control.

I don't know about you all, but have you asked your grandparents how they ate. Granted it was better in the fact of not so many preservatives. But, I'll bet they always ate big portions of home cooked meals. (Maybe not during the depression.) The secret is to work it off!!!

Let's not blame manufactures for our shortcomings!! If we didn't buy it they wouldn't make it!
 
my son is almost 4 and he watches 2 channels..noggin, which is commercial free nickoloden and the 24 hr pbs kids channel, also free of ads. i have zero trouble getting him to eat peas, carrots, fruit etc. i do treat him to a mcdonalds cheeseburger once a week. i dont know what i will do when he goes to kindergarden and meets the rest of the world..hope his habits hang tough!!
 
Did you notice that they had a commercial for KFC in one of the breaks? He's knocking people for making money at the expense of people's health, well maybe he should start with his own program...

Really, I thought the show was good, but companies will only make what people are willing to buy, so I think people need to change first!

Laura
 
Scary research

SEEKING THE BRAIN'S "BUY BUTTON"

Backed by funding from major corporations, Researchers at Emory University are undergoing intensive studies of the human brain looking for what has been coined the "buy button". This new pursuit of consumer control, known as neuromarketing, involves Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on live subjects to find the specific part of the brain that is activated when a consumer is successfully wooed by an advertisement into purchasing a product. Using the data from this research, marketers hope to be able to create ads that follow the exact neurological pathways that ultimately activate the "buy button" in consumers. According to a letter to the Emory University from a coalition of groups opposed to this research, "If Emory University takes its own mission seriously, it should challenge this abuse of medical knowledge and technology to manipulate people for commercial purposes."

http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/neuromarketing.cfm
 
Ideally we are free-willed people who make our own choices. However, would fast-food, convenience-food, junk-food and other brokers of poor dietary selections spend billions on advertising if the power of suggestion were not so powerful? Subliminal and plain-as-day messages bombard us constantly; how many of us can truly say we've never been subconsciously influenced by advertising?

Furthermore, look at how it has taken over time during the average hour of broadcast TV? We are so used to being pitched to we'll watch nine minutes of movie followed by five minutes of ads without blinking. The not-so-subconscious suggestion here is that what you buy is more important than what is being broadcast.

Advertising is one of the main reasons prescription drugs cost so much in this country. The Big pharmaceutical companies claim they need to spend all of our money on research and development, but in truth, their advertising budgets are nearly twice that of their R&D expenses.

Count me in as in favor of some form of regulation for foods, drugs (OTC and prescription), alcohol, and cigarettes (don't you love the Philip Morris anti-smoking ads?). I doubt the authors of the Bill of Rights could have foreseen the ill effects of a mass-media produced by the unbridled capitalism in which we live. It would be like extrapolating from "the right to bear arms" that we should all have assault weapons.

DH chimes in to add that maybe every time there's a Pizza Hut ad there should be an equivalent ad (in time or size or sphere of influence) from the other side stating that Pizza Hut is owned by Pepsi and that excessive calorically empty carbohydrates and soft drinks are the major contributors to obesity and cardio-vascular disease and general ill health. That way, all sides would be fairly represented and not just that of the zillionaire corporations.

--Ann
 
Carol and Joanna said it so well. I grew up in one of those households where a soda (specifically 7-Up) was allowed only when someone had an upset tummy...boy did we enjoy that rare treat!!! Sweets and junk food were very nearly absent and what was around was strictly controlled by Mom!!!My dad always wanted dessert after supper, so we were pretty much guaranteed something special, but only after cleaning our plates...and we didn't have to load up!!! (Example: I hated peas, but all I had to take was one full tablespoon of peas and eat every one.) So my sisters and I all know how to eat properly and when we've messed up that's been our mistake, no one else's!!! All the regulation in the world won't make up for lack of personal responsibility.
As for the way we get talked into buying stuff...well, we all get lazy. It takes thinking and effort to make good choices. It takes reading labels, educating yourself on sound nutrition, changing the channel, plain old work. Please no regulation...I can make good choices...I've been taught by the best and don't mind continuing my education!!!
 
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