What is the real cause?

As I was eating my lunch from a fast food place I got to thinking. Why is the average weight for the US raising so much but not for any other country? I mean Disneyland has had to reconstruct a ride because 50 years ago the average US citizen weighed 25 lbs less. Now in 2008 the US is facing an outstanding number of people comming down with type 2 diabeties. A disease previously catogorized as adult on set, now several children are getting the disease.

As an overweight person myself I do not blame fast food. I take full responsibility for what I choose to put into my mouth. I have educated myself on healthy eating and now choose to eat better. I know what I can and cannot have. I believe that if you are educated about food and your choices you can eat anywhere including McDonald's or where I had my lunch today, Del Taco. I have not looked it up yet but has food education really changed that much in the last 50 years? I know that portion sizes have increased but why? Have we as a society gotten lazy in the last 50 years? What do you think is the cause?

i think portion size plays a HUGE role in the us, at fast food places. imean, im from canada-which is a close 2nd in obese rates-but i was SHOCKED when i ordered a large sized meal from mcdonalds (i usuallyorder large size toshare with family) and it was MASSIVE. the large size meal in canada is like half the size?!!!
its ridiculous. but at the same time, these same fast food places are trying hard to bring out more healthy foods, so really, what is the problem?? convience of the fatty gross foods maybe? its easier to rip open a bag of chips then cut up some fruit or veggies? i think the education is there, just not the convience for the 'lazier' people.
i dunno, its saaad to see the children developing diabetes becasue they're sooverweight. sad sad sad

i don't know the cause but i have noticed that there is more little kids being overweight now. when i was their age i wasn't nearly as fat as them. i've seen 10 year olds that weigh as much as an adult now which is scary. and there is so many more fast food restaurants than there was 10 years ago....

Quoting Tippie:“ i think portion size plays a HUGE role in the us, at fast food places. imean, im from canada-which is ... [snip!] ... for the 'lazier' people. i dunno, its saaad to see the children developing diabetes becasue they're sooverweight. sad sad sad”

I agree with the portion size thing. I thought that there would be progress when almost all fast food places started offering to sub salads instead of fries. In fact if I ever do go to McDonalds I always get my daughter the apple slices and I never give her the carmel (I doubt that she even knows that the apple slices come with it). But as far as I know there is still no change even with healthier options.

I am not so sure about the healthy food choices education though. I do not really remember anyone really sitting my down (at school at least) and talking to me or any of my classmates about healthy food choices and how to limit sweets and junk food, or about propper portion size.

Quoting mama nats♥:“ i don't know the cause but i have noticed that there is more little kids being overweight now. when i ... [snip!] ... weigh as much as an adult now which is scary. and there is so many more fast food restaurants than there was 10 years ago....”

True, but they are not going to go away until they stop making money. I know when I was 10 I think I weighed maybe 150 or so but I was also 5'10".

I honestly wonder if money has something to do with it. Have you noticed that at most fast food places you can get a burger, fries, and drink for 5.99 but if you want a chicken salad it is 6.99 with no drink? Look at the price of fresh produce compared to a bag of chips. Shouldn't they make it a little more affordable to eat healthy?

Quoting Mrs. C:“ As I was eating my lunch from a fast food place I got to thinking. Why is the average weight for the ... [snip!] ... portion sizes have increased but why? Have we as a society gotten lazy in the last 50 years? What do you think is the cause?”

I believe the problem is only going to get worse. I think alot of parents are allowing their poor food choices to rub off on their children. I work in an elementary school and it breaks my heart to see how many children are obese. You can educate them about eating right all day but if they go home and Mom has McDonalds waiting on them they're going to eat it. I also think good healthy food cost alot more than junk fast food. You will be more likely to find more obese children in a low income school than a higher income area.

I think society has gotten lazy because of the introduction of video games and other non physical forms of entertainment. If I didn't have cable and internet as my main form of entertainment I am sure I would spend more time outside.

Quoting mama nats♥:“ i don't know the cause but i have noticed that there is more little kids being overweight now. when i ... [snip!] ... weigh as much as an adult now which is scary. and there is so many more fast food restaurants than there was 10 years ago....”

i was at a park about a month ago, and there was this...large family, picnicing, andthere was this little girl, isay no older then 5years old, wandering around with a chicken leg in one hand and a can of coke in the other, and she was HUGE. ibroke dont htink ive ever seen a child, that young, so large. it really broke my heart. and then i look at what she has in her hand and at the family, and i hateto judge, but i could see why she was the size she was. so sad.

i dont remember getting specific healthy food education myself, but my mom always fed us well, fruits and veggies and whatever before a bag of chips or achocolate bar. a good healthy dinner before ice cream and cake dessert. and if we didnt eat our 'good food' we wouldnt be allowed the unhealthy stuff. so i think, no matter what education is out there, it really starts with the parents. they control what you eat for the first like 10 years at least of your life, thats wheere the healthy eating habits develop.
we didnt have a cafateria at school or anything so they were really nohelp in teaching good eating either. so iguess someone needs tofind away to educate the parents so they can educate their kids....but icantsee that happening anytime soon since its getingworse, no tbetter

Quoting Monica♥sMcKenzie:“ I believe the problem is only going to get worse. I think alot of parents are allowing their poor ... [snip!] ... entertainment. If I didn't have cable and internet as my main form of entertainment I am sure I would spend more time outside.”

I agree! I noticed that once I really started to try to eat healthy my food budget went way up! With the raising price of food especially fresh produce I think the problem is going to get worse.

I am really trying not to make the same mistakes that I think my mother made with me. I hardly fry any food, when we go to fast food places we almost never get fries, and if we do I share a small with my daughter. I try to keep her busy and always enrolled in something like soccer or dance. I try not to keep sweets inthe house because I know that I cannot have them and I really do not want her to have them. What can be done though?

Quoting Tippie:“ i was at a park about a month ago, and there was this...large family, picnicing, andthere was this little ... [snip!] ... the parents so they can educate their kids....but icantsee that happening anytime soon since its getingworse, no tbetter”

It makes me sick to see that as well   Children portions are also shocking. I went to Bennigans and ordered the children's chicken strips and that completely filled me up.

Might be easier said than done but I am already trying to change my own views on food before my daughter is old enough to realize them. My husband is addicted to Dr Pepper and that is a habit I am trying to break him of before McKenzie is old enough to make food choices.

Quoting Monica♥sMcKenzie:“ I believe the problem is only going to get worse. I think alot of parents are allowing their poor ... [snip!] ... entertainment. If I didn't have cable and internet as my main form of entertainment I am sure I would spend more time outside.”

oooo that is sooo true!!! we forget how important exercise is for not jsut us, but our children too. waaaaaay to many parents are getting lazy these days, and jsut letting their kids watch tv all day, or play video games. what ever happened to good old fashioned outside games. bike riding around the block, playing in the park, or even out in the backyard. i was allwoed to watch cartoons alll morning ONLY saturday mornings. the rest of the day and hte rest of the week we had a very limited amount of inside time-unless it was raining or yucky outside.
poor parenting is all itreally is.

Quoting Tippie:“ i was at a park about a month ago, and there was this...large family, picnicing, andthere was this little ... [snip!] ... the parents so they can educate their kids....but icantsee that happening anytime soon since its getingworse, no tbetter”

I just do not understand how an overweight parent would want their child to go through that or even more LET their child go through that. Besides all of the teasing and what not what about the health problems and risks?

I was raised the same way as you for the most part. When I was younger we almost never ever went to eat out. My mother always made a square meal (protien, veggie, starch) and I do not remember having sweets in the house except on special occasions. I really did not start to put weight on until my teen years. I think that had a lot to do with depression. I wonder if that could be part of the problem. I think I read something about the rise of depression as well, I wonder if the two are linked?

and i'm not calling people lazy or anything but if you take a good look you'll notice most people don't cook anymore. my mom was old fashioned and she used to always make us homeade food. always served us our plate of veggies and we hardly drank any soda. now all you see is kids eating happy meals all the time! i guess every century is changing :/

Quoting Mrs. C:“ I just do not understand how an overweight parent would want their child to go through that or even ... [snip!] ... could be part of the problem. I think I read something about the rise of depression as well, I wonder if the two are linked?”

oh i know, overweight kids/teens/adults are always ridiculed by the public or other classmates, i cant fathom why someone wouldwant their child to go through the same pain and heart ache they most likely dealt with.
and ya, i can totally see depression being a big link to obese, especially if theres a rise in depression too. when i get depressed i do one of two things, i either spend all day sleeping,or in bed, or all day eating-basically whatever i can find-so ya, i can see that being a good link too.

ya, we hardly ever ate out, we could never afford it for one, it was always cheaper for my momto cook usall dinner, and ya it was always a protein ofsomesort, veggies, potatoes or rice (starch) and a salad, and juice/milk/water for drink. pop was onlyfor special occasions, or during movie night.
she still cooks like that, but theres a lot more junkfood sitting around at home these days, but with no one home to eat it,it just sits there lol.

Quoting Tippie:“ oh i know, overweight kids/teens/adults are always ridiculed by the public or other classmates, i cant ... [snip!] ... spend all day sleeping,or in bed, or all day eating-basically whatever i can find-so ya, i can see that being a good link too.”

Now you have to be extremely obese to be ridiculed. The average child is overweight now it seems. It really does make me sad to see some of them going through so many health problems due to their weight at a young age.