Obese children...my rant

[Gently.me]

Ok so child comes in with laceration to the hand. 12 years old, about 5'5'' and weighs 260lbs. Big boy. The MD who was suturing was not his PCP, just there to take care of the urgent task. As she wassuturing, the child keeps talking about how his "back always hurts" and how he is "so tired all the time". The MD, whom I love for her bluntness, looked him in the eye and said "it's because you are overweight". She did not say it in a mean way at all, just a fact.

At this time, mom jumps in and talks about how she has had two MI's before she turned 35, and cardiac problems run in the family. She wasnt just talking, it seemed like she was...bragging. The doc politely stated that if the family didnt get their act together and their health straighted out, they would not live to a healthy old age. Doc, finishes sutures, and I get to clean up.

The child states that he is hungry, and how he wants a salad (maybe the doc teaching hit home......). Mom freaks out and states "There is no way in h*ll I am paying for a salad at McDonalds!". I looked at her with mouth opened, and left the room.

I understand that many children are obese due to health issues, and I understand that obesity is a tough matter to discuss. In my opinion however, this mother is killing her child and I am so sick and tired of this BS!!!

Sorry about the rant.... but I am so mad about this!!!

[RNJHUPHL]

I liked the play "frankly my dear" hilarious

[VictoriaGayle]

It is bad enough when parents let their kids eat unhealthy food, but actualy making them eat unhealthy food?

Ugh.

Sadly low income families tend to be iver weight as healthy foods are expensive. I know I can't be quite the health nut I use to be on my income, but I make every effort to get healthy foods with in my price range.

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

As another poster has mentioned, making home cooked meals usually costs much less than fast-food. I can certainly cook something that costs less than 5-6$ per person, which is usually what things would cost me were I to run to McDo or any other. Also, someone mentioned Aldi vs. Whole Foods. I actually do a LOT of my shopping at Aldi, and love it. I use it to buy tons of fresh produce. I also go to farmers markets, which give you awesome deals on produce and fresh foods too. Yes, organic is best, if you can afford it. But fresh fruits and veggies are good even if they aren't organic.

I have been struggling with weight gain since I graduated from nursing school. Because of this I have been paranoid about feeding good things to my 14 month old, since she started solids. I made her purees, meats and all. She has an amazing diet, although she definitely loves sweets when I have them. Then at her last doctors appointment, I was told she had gained no weight between 9 1/2 months and 13 1/2 months(she did gain several inches though). Turns out, she is getting TOO much fruits and veggies, and I need to increase her daily caloric intake. Basically, my child is eating too healthy...SMH...Just can't get it right I guess...

[phillycpnp-pc, MSN, RN, NP]

As a pediatric nurse, i agree that childhood obesity is a HUGE problem and it angers me when i see things like an over weight toddler drinking soda out of bottle when i'm out. However, a lot of obese children come from low income backgrounds. Telling them to go buy veggies and stop drinking soda is not the whole answer. It is also important to find out the root of problem. For some its far easier to afford the dollar menu at mcdonalds then to go a grocery store and but fresh fruit and veggies. Im not saying it right and i don't agree with it; but its a reality for many people.

[aasthajarma]

Coming from India and now beginning to see obese children, its sad, and for me, still shocking in its frequency.

[nursel56]

I work with low-income people frequently in my job. I think it's a myth that they don't know what foods are healthy and which aren't more than anyone else. Schools and community agencies pound healthy eating into their minds as much as they do the anti-drug message. Most low-income neighborhoods have a nearby market or produce stand that is fairly reasonable, and almost always have a few sale items with really good deals on fruits and vegetables. They buy dried beans and rice or other bulk items and I find people from low-income environments actually cook more home-cooked foods because it's so much cheaper than fast food.

Most fast-food places offer healthy alternatives these days, anyway - especially for kid's meals.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

I work with low-income people frequently in my job. I think it's a myth that they don't know what foods are healthy and which aren't more than anyone else. Schools and community agencies pound healthy eating into their minds as much as they do the anti-drug message. Most low-income neighborhoods have a nearby market or produce stand that is fairly reasonable, and almost always have a few sale items with really good deals on fruits and vegetables. They buy dried beans and rice or other bulk items and I find people from low-income environments actually cook more home-cooked foods because it's so much cheaper than fast food.

Most fast-food places offer healthy alternatives these days, anyway - especially for kid's meals.

People know what to eat. They just choose not to. It's either too much work, or it doesn't taste good. It's not too expensive, it's just easier and quicker to take the unhealthy route.

[blueshift]

I work with low-income people frequently in my job. I think it's a myth that they don't know what foods are healthy and which aren't more than anyone else.

True...almost everyone knows what is and isn't healthy. There is some misunderstanding, like some people don't realize why white flour is not as good as other kinds, but everyone realizes veggies are better than candy.

Most low-income neighborhoods have a nearby market or produce stand that is fairly reasonable, and almost always have a few sale items with really good deals on fruits and vegetables.

This is not true of most low-income neighborhoods...have you heard of food deserts? Look at Detroit...there's not one chain grocery store in the entire city. You can check out street after street on Google Maps Street View...find one supermarket. It's hard. Most people shop at the typical Beer Wine Lotto Check Cashing We Accept EBT corner stores.

Most fast-food places offer healthy alternatives these days, anyway - especially for kid's meals.

Truth, but going back to the OP's story...it's more expensive! I personally LOVE McDonalds salads. They're really yummy and also low calorie, around 300 each, and they feel filling (I usually put extra veggies in when I go home, too.) However, they are $5 each, and I can almost never afford to spend $5 on any one meal. My budget (as a starving college student) is $6 a day for food. I can't imagine what it would be like to try to raise a kid in poverty.

[nursel56]

This is not true of most low-income neighborhoods...have you heard of food deserts? Look at Detroit...there's not one chain grocery store in the entire city. You can check out street after street on Google Maps Street View...find one supermarket. It's hard. Most people shop at the typical Beer Wine Lotto Check Cashing We Accept EBT corner stores.

Actually it is true. We had this discussion on another thread a while back. I looked up a number of the poorest zip codes in the US and then did a search of the availability of healthy food, including smaller grocery stores and produce stands. Most or maybe all had sources of healthy food nearby (I'm still trying to find that old thread).

I did look up food deserts, and some info about them. One of the criteria the US uses is that there is not a supermarket a mile or less away. They don't count any other type of retail food outlet. Another study discovered that even when there was a supermarket that close, people still bought the same junk food they did before.

I know Detroit is like a ghost town in a lot of areas, but the US poverty level is an income of $23,500 or less. This represents millions of people. I just don't agree with the idea that there are that many people who would be eating healthy if only they could get to a store. I can see with my own eyes the large city I've lived in for over 50 years that low-income neighborhoods have small, sometimes ethnic grocery stores, produce stands and street vendors.

I found this Food Desert Locator and discovered that there are two areas in Santa Barbara that are supposedly food deserts. Since Santa Barbara is one of the most affluent cities in the country, I can only assume the food desert is a mountain with two cabins on it, and both residents are on disability.

As far as McDonalds goes I was thinking more along the lines of offering milk instead of soda and apple fries (yuck) instead of french fries in a Happy Meal, but you're right those salads are yummy!