What's really making our kids fat?

The Ontario government has announced a ban on sales of pop and other junk food, as well as unhealthy lunch meals, at schools starting in the fall of 2011.

I think it's an important and logical step in the sluggish efforts to combat astonishingly prevalent obesity among children and adults. Surely in our educational institutions we should be setting a good example, right?

But I got some feedback on Twitter this weekend that got me thinking a little differently about where the problem really lies.

I haven't had a chance to verify this, but one person said that it's schools in affluent areas that sell the most junk from vending machines and unhealthy cafeterias, and yet it's not those kids who are obese. It's the kids who eat junky foods because their parents can't afford anything better who get fat, and it's not because they're buying pop at school, she said.

Of course it's not news to any of us that there's a link between poverty and obesity. That's why community gardening programs and others that help put healthy foods in the hands of people with lesser means have been so successful.

It was on my mind Sunday when I hauled home a huge bag of winter vegetables - carrots, parsnips, potatoes, turnip, beets, bok choy, onions, ginger, garlic. The cost - $16.10.

I was talking about the affordability and nutritional density of these mostly root veggies with the boys' father, and he challenged me to better understand the way my own education and good fortune arm me with the knowledge required to turn these cheap veggies into parsnip-potato pancakes, turnip-carrot-parsnip-apple soup, mashed yukon gold potatoes with horseradish, and pan-seared bok choy with ginger. (And that's just this weekend - my crisper is still full.) 

I'm not working a second job. I know I'm fortunate to have the time to make these foods for my family. But the extent to which it may be a mystery to others how to plan and prepare healthy meals is something I hadn't considered fully. In future, I hope to better explore the initiatives and policies that really would help Canadian kids maintain healthy body mass, and would love to hear your thoughts.

What kind of healthy-eating programs would make a meaningful difference?

Comments

[Ken E]

What's making our kids fat is lack of exercise and activity. I am 35 and in my younger days, I spent my allowance and paper route money on as much sugary drinks and junk food as I could, as did all of the kids in my neighborhood. That junk food was loaded with trans fats, lard, and assorted other unhealthy ingredients. The elementary school I attended had a small canteen that sold nothing but junk which the students consumed with regularity. And yet with rare exception, no children were fat. Why? Because we walked to school. We played outside. We rode our bikes. We went to the park. Children today are allowed and in most cases encouraged to remain indoors, tethered to televisions and computers by well meaning but mis-informed parents who live in constant fear (thanks to the media) that Paul Bernardo lurks around every tree, despite the fact that every statistic shows crime at or near all time lows. But everytime a 14 year old is an hour late coming home from school in Edmonton, it's national news in P.E.I. which only further feeds parents anxieties. We have to as a nation get past that paralysis that is keeping our kids inside because the risk of children dying from obesity, diabetes, and hypertension is a LOT higher than the risk of them being murdered by a predator.

[Tad Brudzinski]

The problem is that it's generally unknown what exactly causes obesity. There is so much contradictory information out there, that the truth is hard to find. If it was taught, that eating a combination of sugars and fat is the primary cause of weight gain, that it would be much easier to recommend the measures to combat the problem. As the unfounded belief is, that one needs expensive (except a few weeks in the fall) greens for a healthy diet, then it seems insurmountable for the average people to better their nutrition. In fact, it's enough to eat plenty of fat (which is the best fuel and cheap food at the same time) along with some high quality protein (mainly from giblets, also very cheap) and a bit of carbohydrates (from slow glucose releasing potatoes) to have the best diet our body could enjoy. Unless that's realized, the general population is doomed to get sick and obese and there is no way out of it, no matter how much money and effort will be spent, or sacrifices made.

[Annie @ PhD in Parenting]

Literacy and education levels are a big issue, but so is the consistently cheap junk food that is available. Prices and availability of healthy food varies from location to location and season to season, whereas you can always count on a bag of chips or a box of KD having pretty much the same price.

I've written a few posts on this topic on my blog. One on the affordability of food in Canada and one on what are appropriate donations to the food bank, which resulted in an interesting discussion:

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/02/24/affordability-of-healthy-foods/

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/12/22/should-you-donate-kraft-dinner-to-the-food-bank/

[Brandie Weikle]

Ken, absolutely agree with you on the devastating effects that our "stranger danger" culture has had on active living - for the whole family. Surely fewer of us would be softening behind the wheels of mini-vans and SUVs if there wasn't so much concern about who might abduct our children on the way to and from school. And we rob kids of a great opportunity to be active, imaginative and alert for school by denying them that start-of-day walk. Screen time has not done much for children either. Mine are quite small, but I know that soon I'll start hearing more about the friends who have gaming systems. I'm in no rush for any of that.

It frustrates me when I hear phrases like "these days" and "back then we could walk to school." There is actually less chance of violent crime today then there was in the 70s. You nailed it - as long as we're hearing about it every time a child gets kidnapped in another part of the country or the world, many people will continue to place far too much focus on the slim risks and not enough on the things that are a true danger. Poor health - as well as the far greater probability of getting in a car accident then being kidnapped on the way to school - are the real threats to well-being of kids in our country. How fortunate we are to have the luxury of fretting over such things, rather than being concerned about providing food, water, shelter and protection from violence, like parents in Haiti.

[Brandie Weikle]

Annie - Thanks for sharing your links. Those are some astonishing numbers on the variance in food prices in Canada. I think most of us know food to be expensive in Iqaluit but wouldn't expect a gap between Calgary and Toronto. I feel fortunate that I live on a strip with about 10 competing fruit and vegetable markets that keep the prices low.

I would never donate Kraft dinner to the foodbank. If I don't think it's good enough for my family, I wouldn't expect it to suffice for someone else's. Agree next time I donate it should definitely be cash.

Tad - good point about expensive greens. Not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of a diet based on fats and complex carbs but I can see that the best diet for us might lie somewhere in the middle between the kale and lentil side of the spectrum and the McDonald's happy meal end of things. We did, after all, start out as hunter-gatherers eating meat and berries (although, in those days, we expended quite a few calories running away from saber-toothed tigers). There is a lot of nourishment to be had from the winter vegetables that do store for the winter, and I wish word would get out about the relative ease of preparing the vegetables I mention above. Takes no skill at all to peel carrots and parsnips, boil until tender and mash. This might seem a lot more attainable for a busy family then sauteeing rapini or making a spinach salad.

[Guy]

I can't cite a source for this, but apparently one can thrive on a diet consisting soley of potatoes and milk (gotta eat the potato skin). A 10lb bag of Ontario white potatoes at No Frills was $3.29 yesterday. Local apples (I love Honey Crisp) are great throughout the winter and are relatively cheap. You can build a great nutritious diet around inexpensive items - potatoes, apples, brown rice, oatmeal - that are also quick and easy to prepare. You don't need out of season (and expensive) fresh fruits and vegetables.

[Yuki]

I think the major problems are 1/ lack of exercise (stranger danger panic as you mention, Ken), and 2/ lack of cooking and nutritional education. (The standardized curriculum has meant that teachers teach to tests and emphasize core content to the detriment of things like gym (remember when we used to have it 3 or 4 times per week? for a whole hour?), music, arts and yes, shop class and home ec (or "family studies"). )

If you come from a low-income family and have parents who either don't have the time to cook from scratch, or don't know how, how are YOU going to break that cycle of nutritional poverty? You either have to be a highly motivated culinary savant, or learn somewhere--at school or maybe community centre programming. Dried legumes are cheap. Root vegetables are cheap. Spinach is cheap. But they're useless if you don't know what to do with them. I think our government and educational system have a responsibility to teach kids what to do with them, for the sake of their health, as well as the long-term savings to our country's healthcare system.

Vending machines are a red herring. Quite frankly, my 7-year-old and I used one last night after rec swim, to buy a chocolate bar and apple juice. HOWEVER: she only got to eat 1/4 of the chocolate bar, and we shared the juice (she only gets one glass per day). I'm happy to have a vending machine at the rec centre--it helps them raise money. Portion control is my responsibility as a parent.

There are a lot of reasons why low-income people in particular are overweight. Here are some:
1-If you live in a rooming house or transitional housing, you may not have access to a kitchen; 2-If you live in a low-income apartment, you may not have a working stove, and complain as you might to your landlord, and Landlord and Tenant Act notwithstanding; he may NEVER come and repair it;
3-If you are a single mother who works 2 jobs per day, you may be too tired to cook. You may not see your kid enough, and so when you do see your kid, you may choose to sit down together at a hot meal. For instance, McDonalds--where you can buy a hot meal for under $5, with a child-pleasing toy to boot.
4-If you don't know how to cook because your parents didn't know how either, or they were too busy to teach you how, your remaining choices are either convenience food or take-out food, both of which are filled with sodium and fat. (With all due respect, Brandie, I know you're a gifted cook ; ) and actually it does take some skill to manage to peel carrots and parsnips, boil them and mash them. Some kids have never eaten real carrots and parsnips "from scratch" because their parents have not made them. Also, that only takes care of one veg serving: you also need a meat or protein, plus a second side. For many, that's just "too much work" and convenience food is the easy answer.)

I volunteer at a food bank once a week and the food we give out, is, for the most part, the fattiest, cheapest, nutritionally empty, easy to prepare garbage. A lot of it is from national brands and what strikes me is how much cheaper and healthier it would be if people just knew how to cook. But here's the thing: Many, if not most, can't. (In fact, think about it: how many middle class people do you know who also don't really know how to cook? I know a lot. The difference is, they have the money to buy better-quality convenience foods, the literacy skills to evaluate which ready-made products are healthier than others, and the leisure time to work off the calories at the gym.)

So what are we going to do as a province? Make basic cooking classes and hands-on nutrition a mandatory part of the curriculum so our provinces children are better equipped to make healthy choices in the future and actually have the practical skills to execute them?

Of course not--we'll banish some vending machines so kids have to walk down the street to buy their chips at the store. Hey, at least they'll get some exercise....

[NHewitt]

Brandie I think you're on to something. I really think our Education System needs to visit bringing Home Economics (Life Sciences)back into the Secondary School curriculum for boys & girls! I believe the decision to remove Home Ec years ago was the beginning of a real disconnect for children, our future adults, from food!

[Jessica Andersen]

I often believe that we focus on the wrong things i.e. weight/looks rather than quality of life/food. Being unhealthy doesn't necessarily mean you are overweight or the other way around. Especially in these times where looks is promoted to be more important than good health and happiness.
I really think we should focus on education rather than bans in schools, bans usually cause rebellion rather than an educated understanding of the whys!

[Stuart]

Yuki, You're 1 to 4 numbered list really hits home with me. I think Jamie Oliver has a potential solution... Check this out http://www.jamiespassitoncampaign.com/

[Brenda L.]

I would like to comment on Ms Weikle's last sentence that "...the extent to which it may be a mystery to others how to plan and prepare healthy meals is something I hadn't considered fully".

My neighbourhood has a high population of Asians, and South East Asians who have trouble finding their native foods in the closest stores which is Metro or Foodland. Often, the families are working hard with the husband & wife working opposite shifts and it's hard to eat together as a family. To quote this Star article by John Spears, some families who rely on public transit or walking, don't have access to fresh produce.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/751976--flemingdon-park-s-long-cold-trek-for-groceries

I rely heavily on canned and frozen produce in the winter because I only shop 2x a month in the winter. In this day and age of increased food bank usage due to high unemployment and child hunger, it is unconscionable that Food Basics closed.

Another Star article by Theresa Boyle reiterates the fact that the lower income areas of the GTA are underserved by Stores selling fresh produce. The wide disparity between high and low income areas and healthy grocery availability is repugnant. The well-heeled buy their comestibles at Pusateri's, The Big Carrot, Whole Foods, Bruno's, The Village Grocer. How many immigrants can afford their prices of $6.99/lb of white asparagus? Not me.

The Tamil Seniors in her article don't even live near a store:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontocouncil/article/766591--city-takes-aim-at-food-deserts

Finally, if people have trouble finding a major grocer's: have to rely on taxis, transit, or rely on relatives, or there's inclement weather, it's easier to head to the local Mac's Milk and load up on Kraft's K-D, Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and starchy stuff like pasta. It's no big secret that, in this city your waistline is inversely proportional to the thickness of your wallet.

[christie]

RE: jamies pass it on campaign / home ec

I just got jamies food evolution cook book for my birthday. it was a great reminder that cooking is fun, not too difficult and how much of a difference cooking for yourself really makes (taste wise, and savings wise)

i think if more parents sat down with a book like this(great pictures, easy instructions), and picked out meals to make WITH their kids, instead of solely being in charge of cooking themselves after working all day, the joy of cooking would be passed on much faster. Cooking should be a household effort.

I was probably in the last year or two of home ec before it was canceled. We learned how to make kraft dinner, chocolate chip cookies and tang (yes the drink where you add mix, 1 cup of sugar and water). that curriculum needed an overhaul and some teachers that knew something about taste and nutrition.

[Kate]

I have two kids age 5 and 3. In my opinion it's all about he way kids spend time - they need a lot of activity; my husband stays fit from 2 hours on the ice playing hockey on Sundays or going to swim Fridays or playing soccer in the nearest park on summer weekends - and we are not members of any clubs (why pay someone to have your kids run and play - do it yourself and save $$ on the gym).
It's the changed lifestyles of families who drive wherever and whenever possible, eating and sitting - kids finally give up to beg for going out to play!
How many of parents go out to play soccer or hockey with their sons just for fun of it.. do you? May be learn to skate or swin together!
We all enjoy swimming, skating (my 3 years old skates by herself), all sorts of ourdoor activities instead of watching TV. People got too much addicted to that box; - and one more killer box is our PCs.
So, turn it all off, get the ball or bike ot rollerblades...it's never late! Your kids will love it!

[New Jordans 2010]

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