New USDA stats: Kids who eat school lunches more likely obese

penguinmom

August 26th, 2010
2:15 am

In the book NurtureShock by Bronson and Merryman, there is a study that links some of the increase in obesity to the lower number of hours of sleep kids have been getting since the 70’s. Not getting enough sleep turns off some of your body’s fat burning mechanisms, increases mechanisms that store fat, causes you to not process glucose as well, causes you to be more hungry and less able to sense being full. These and other affects can lead to obesity and eventually to diabetes as adults. The researcher claimed that lack of sleep is more strongly linked to the increase in obesity than the rise of videogames.

(Here I am awake at 2 am so I obviously haven’t heeded this study as well as I should have…)

CDD

August 26th, 2010
4:35 am

Funny about the lack of sleep – or not really. I was woken up at 4 by a screaming toddler wanting first a tissue and then her duckie. This is the third night in a row I’ve been woken up during the night & I’m about to lose it. Grrr. Anyway, I think the problem for kids being overweight has a lot to do with parents – not making them go to bed at a decent hour, not enough involvement overall. Maybe if parents spent more time helping their children choose better (healthier) foods, then kids would know how to pick the better choice at school. Well, going to try & get some sleep before I get woken up again. I hope tomorrow is better than yesterday.

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
5:45 am

As mentioned previously, I see a lot of different school lunches. To me, we are lucky in Gwinnett County GA as our lunches are colorful and have a variety of healthy food. I rarely fixed my kids a lunch….they ate what was at school or fixed their lunch themselves. They both love the food at UGA. I do too!

When I was in ES, we did not have a lunch room. Once a month, we had a special day where the Moms would bring the lunch…the menu: hot dogs, chocolate frosted donuts, a bag of chips and a little bottle of Coke ( the kind you had to pop the top off of with a can opener). TRUTH

We know more about things than we used to.

Catlady brought me some fresh eggs, when we had lunch. My daughter ( after a Food Science class at UGA) asked me if they were pasteurized. I chuckled. I ate eggs on our farm for years but YES we are learning more and more each day about the food we eat and SHE will know lots more than me. I probably need to watch out!

I am also all for children needing their sleep and exercise too! Thanks for the reminder.

Jeff

August 26th, 2010
6:42 am

I think the more relevant statistic isthat kids are less active today than when I was growing up. We ate ANYTHING but were so active it didn’t matter.

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
7:05 am

@ Jeff…my daughter is eating anything at UGA and climbing 4 flights of stairs to her dorm room.
We think she may avoid the freshman 15! Their food service has won 73 national awards and I wish I could eat there!

JJ

August 26th, 2010
7:43 am

My daughter took her lunch to school almost every day, up until high school. We always made it the night before, so we didn’t have to rush in the mornings. She always had a sandwich, chips, fruit and she would buy a carton of milk at school.

jan

August 26th, 2010
7:50 am

Do you really think it’s the food or the lack of physical activity? PE was required in the 70’s and recess twice a day in the lower grades. If we stayed inside on the weekends out parents would make us do chores so as soon as we were up we were outside with friends running, playing, riding bikes, or just walking.
My daughters too took their lunch to school everyday but only because they were such picky eaters.

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
8:03 am

Anyone want to tackle this question….

What causes picky eaters?

Did we have as many picky eaters 35 years ago? We ate what was offered or went without.

Here is an interesting link:

http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/picky_eaters/index.html

Off to school…have a great morning everyone!

RJ

August 26th, 2010
8:06 am

Kids today get much less exercise than we did in the 80’s. I remember rushing home to get my homework done so that I could outside and play. We played outside all summer long. We had nintendo, but it wasn’t nearly as addictive as video games have become today. We also had recess every single day. I remember only getting PE once a week, however we had recess daily. We actually had MONKEY BARS and the kindergarten playground had a see-saw. Kids got hurt. You scraped your knee, but you jumped back up and started playing again. No threats of lawsuits like today. I keep my kids active by making sure that each of them plays sports regularly. I even try to play with them from time to time and my hubby plays basketball with my son almost every day. Just get the kids up out of the desks and out of the house and the obesity rate will drop.

Alecia

August 26th, 2010
8:18 am

My daughter packs her own lunch in the morning. I just inspect it. This morning she had celery sticks, a green apple, a sandwich (ham,gouda cheese, tomato, whole wheat bread), and one juice box. For a snack she packed some cheese crackers. She is doing much better than what’s available at school, especially if I make a farmer’s market run. The typical lunch for my 2nd grader’s Gwinnett school includes; flavored milk(most kids chose choc.), a frozen fruit juice object(high fructose), chips, main course, and a veggie. One day I calculated that there was as much sugar on a typical lunch plate as 2 Hershey bars. Wonder if all of this sugar contributes to afternoon hyperactivity. Granted, I am glad to see fresh vegetables offered.

FCM. on my cell

August 26th, 2010
8:23 am

Likely it is combo of many things. School lunch regs are much the same as in 80s. The carb ratio alone is staggering. School & home use more processed and frozen food. Schools moved to a more fast food menu when they lost $ to kids opting not to buy but bring lunch w/that kind of food. We also don’t eat by season. Meat is brought to market cheaper & faster so more eat it 3 times a day. Not to mention hormones in food. Soda etc is no longer considered a treat by some. I kee wondering if current econ will show a change in obesity rate.

My kids are under weight & one is showing signs of eating disorder. Will get w/dr on that of course.

kmall

August 26th, 2010
8:31 am

I send a lunch with my son everyday. This morning he left with a turkey sandwich, string cheese, gold fish crackers and a blueberry yogurt. I do think that kids don’t get the amount of exercise we got as children. We just put a no tv rule in place during the week with the hope that they will play outside more. I do think it is important for kids to be involved in some type of sports activity. My daughter plays tennis a few days a week and my son is in karate a few days a week. I am even trying to convince them that running with me at the park will be “fun!”

JJ

August 26th, 2010
8:39 am

I never understood why they took recess and PE out of the schools. We had recess twice a day, and right after lunch. This was in Colorado, and we went out for recess every day, even in the snow. If the weather was too bad, there was Dodge ball in the gym or some other physical activity. We NEVER sat idle…..keep moving.

TechMom

August 26th, 2010
8:40 am

It’s a combination of things (food choices, lack of activity, availability of junk food, etc.) but I do find it interesting that this is directly linked to school lunches. In the article it states “federally funded school lunches” – are all school lunches in public schools federally supported? Just curious if there are some that are not and if there is a difference between school lunch that have federal support and those that do not.

SJ

August 26th, 2010
8:41 am

My kids were exclusively breastfed and they’re fine. Maybe there’s a correlation between infant formula and obesity…

lmno

August 26th, 2010
8:43 am

I don’t think its any ONE thing, but rather a combination of less exercise, video games, internet, and diet.

The biggest dietary changes from then to now are in processed foods. There were less options for these items then. And some time ago, food processors stopped using sugar and started using High Fructose Corn Syrup. All the research isn’t in on that, but I try to avoid HFS.

The EASIEST calories to rid yourself of are in your drinks. No need to ever drink a soda.

If you drink coffee, drink it black. If you drink alcohol, watch your mixers.

But really, water is the only beverage you ever really need.

Photius

August 26th, 2010
8:47 am

Mine too his lunch every day up through high school; cheaper and better.

Kids today are fat porkers, but so are mom & dad:
- over-protective parents who won’t let their kids outside to play out of fear the boogyman will steal them.
- mom and dad using the video game as a baby sitter
- mom and dad using the television as a baby sitter
- mom weighs over 200 pounds and dad hasn’t seen his feet in years b/c of his belly
- mom and dad don’t care how fat they are so they keep the house packed full of junk food
- mom and dad’s refusal to notice their little kid is pumping up like the Goodyear blimp and do nothing about it
- smart people breed smart children
- morons reproduce more morons
- fat mom and dad pop out even fatter children

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
9:07 am

kids need to exercise more. we had recess where we played games of our choosing….kick ball-red rover-keep away, etc…then we also had gym where we did organised games. there were also sports we were involved in. i see kids at recess these days sitting on the monkey bars….sitting on any of the equipment..not playing…just sitting and talking. kids come home from school…grab a snack and go to the computer or the game consoles. we had to have gym it was a required class for almost every grade. plus we didnt have tv games or computers. when we got home we hit the neighborhood usually on our bikes or walking…..we hit the woods. i understand the world is a little scarier today. but we would dissapear for hours and yes my mom was home but she knew we were in the neighborhood she just didnt know where…and it was ok as long as we were home by supper time. if not we were killed! LOL.. kids have got to have exercise….the playing kind and the organised kind. i really dont think it has everything to do with what they eat,,..i think it has 99% to do with what they DO…or DONT do…and it has to do with the fact that people dont even know their neighbors….our whole neighborhood knew all of us kids. ive seen neighborhoods in ga (my daughter lives there) where no one even knows the people next door. i think a this has a lot to do with the fact that kids cant just go roam the neighborhood anymore…

JATL

August 26th, 2010
9:08 am

The biggest difference is that kids are not as active these days -that causes the higher obesity rates. However, look at your school lunch menu compared to the breakfast menu. I always pack my son’s lunch and the choices from the cafeteria are carb upon carb, but even though the breakfasts are carb-heavy, they are often lower fat carbs and overall much healthier (instead of cheese-laden greasy burritoes, think low-fat waffles with yogurt and berries). Kids also have longer to burn off their breakfasts than they do lunch.

JJ

August 26th, 2010
9:29 am

We eat very healthy in my house. Fresh veggies, fresh fruit and home cooked meals every single night, with the rare occasion of going out. Going out to us is a treat.

We have gotten so busy with life, that nutrition is not important to most families. Oh, you will hear Moms complain about how they are so busy they don’t have time to cook a nutritious meal, so just hit McDonalds drive through and eat in the car. ICK ICK ICK.

We “throw down” with the neighbors every Sunday afternoon. We cook so much food on his grill that it lasts both families at least 3 – 4 days. And it’s not one particular item. We throw pork chops, hamburgers, steaks, sausage and veggies on the grill, then pack most of it up for Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday for leftovers. No ovens are on, we are outside at the grill. Then we can re-heat everything up in the microwave during the week.

PickinNits

August 26th, 2010
10:15 am

MJG…if the UGA food services follows the pattern it did 20 years ago, the food is actually pretty good at the beginning of fall quarter (semester now, I know) and then steadily declines until by Christmas you’re eating Gumby Dammit pizza specials 2-3 meals a day.

Kate

August 26th, 2010
10:27 am

There is no doubt that the rate of childhood and adult obesity is on the rise, but I can’t help but think the numbers may be a little exaggerated, or at least misleading. One big difference between today and the 1970s is that children’s weights, or BMI’s (if such a thing even existed in those days), were not scrutinized like they are today. When I was growing up in the 80s and early 90s, unless a kid was obviously obese, no one, at least outside of their family, really made an issue over their weight. As a person who was somewhat larger than average as a kid, although not obese, I’m truly grateful that there wasn’t so much emphasis put on children’s weight back then. My mother was freaked out enough about my size, I can’t even imagine what would have happened if a doctor or teacher had told her I was in danger of becoming obese. If my experience is any indication (I am a very active person and have been slightly underweight most of my adult life), just because a person is a little heavy as a kid, does not necessarily mean they are inactive, have bad eating habits or that they are going to grow up to be obese. Some kids are just bigger than others and making insensitive, and sometimes unnecessary, remarks about their size, even with the best of intentions, can be extremely hurtful to their self-esteem. Instead of trying to form weight or BMI guidelines that will apply to every single child, teach kids good eating habits and to find sports and other physical activities they enjoy and any weight problems they may have will work themselves out. By focusing so much on weight we may be creating more problems, as in eating disorders, than we solve.

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
10:38 am

my oldest son has always been very slim…all of a sudden he has rolls of fat around his waist and i got a little worried…then a month later he was 4 inches taller and back to his slim self..

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
10:42 am

@SJ…..my kid was exclusively fed on formula and no breast milk (mom’s never came in) and he’s perfectly fine, so there goes your well thought out scientific hypothesis.

JATL

August 26th, 2010
11:18 am

@Tiger -hear hear! The lactation Nazis (and I don’t mean everyone who breastfeeds, but I DO mean the ones who act like you’re committing child abuse if you don’t) have been trying to get this going for years -that formula fed babies are fat kids. Simply not true! In fact, the one truly obese child I know personally was breast fed for almost 2 years. MY theory is that she was so freaking excited to get real table food for all three meals that now she just can’t get enough ;-)

JATL

August 26th, 2010
11:19 am

@PicknNits -OMG, I had completely forgotten about Gumby’s Pizza in Athens! SOooooo many late night meals, and it was always awful unless you were completely blitzed out of your mind! If they weren’t in a college town, I think they would have gone out of business 20 years ago!

Kate

August 26th, 2010
11:22 am

@JATL, Amen sister! I tried to post something about the lactation nazis myself, but my post hasn’t showed up yet.

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
11:27 am

the battles of breast fed vs bottle fed and working moms vs stay at home moms will never end. it would be awesome of all moms could breast feed if they want to and stay home instead of going to work every day. but alas its not gonna happen. and its ok. really.

LongtimeEducator

August 26th, 2010
11:29 am

My kids were formula babies and neither one was overweight as children or now as adults. They both played outside a lot and continue to have active lifestyles as adults.

Corrin

August 26th, 2010
12:30 pm

@motherjanegoose – okay..okay.. we get it. You had lunch with catlady the other day. Is there a reason you keep bringing it up? It’s like you’re trying to point out that someone on the blog likes you. We all know you’re a nice lady and have friends. You don’t need to keep pointing it out!

Warrior Woman

August 26th, 2010
1:07 pm

@MJG – You’re right on target regarding picky eaters. My nieces and nephews have parents that act as short order cooks and routinely make separate meals for the kids. At home, the kids are extremely picky and refuse to eat many foods. When they visit me, I cook one meal and they can eat it or go hungry. They regularly eat foods at my house that they refuse at home.

@JJ – We do the same thing with the grill or the smoker, although not always with the neighbors, and pop the meats and grilled veggies into the refrigerator or freezer for easy reheating. The food goes in lunches, snacks and dinners for the next few days. It makes life a lot easier on the busy evenings.

JJ

August 26th, 2010
1:19 pm

My daughter was breast fed for 2 months, then on formula until she started solid foods at about 10 months. She is a tad overweight, but not much……how’s that for the theory?

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
1:35 pm

@JJ…conclusive evidence….that you daughter breastfed for 2 months, then went on formula for 10, and is a tad overweight. That’s about it though.

Becky

August 26th, 2010
2:00 pm

@MJG & Warrior Woman..My two will try just about anything..Those are my rules..I also make sure that they know, just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t try it..No short order cooking here..Have a coworker with a 4 year old that will only eat chicken nuggets and pizza..Then she wants to tell me that my two are spoiled because they eat crab legs, shrimp, steak, all veggies, and love most all cheeses..

Not sure for others, but at the school where my two go, most of the kids don’t even eat a 1/3 of the lunches that they get, so I’m leary of this study..And, I guess I miised it, but which kids are more prone to be overweight, breastfed or bottle fed? I only have one sister that breastfed (twins and single)..All of her kids are skinny..One of her boy’s is 33 years old and has a 30 inch waist..

@Corrin..I would of loved to have been at lunch with MJG & catlady when the fresh eggs were handed out..Sounds like catlady has a great supply of fresh food..Can’t say that I have ever had fresh eggs though..

Later, am off now to have homemade buttermilk pie for dessert..Yummy..

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
2:43 pm

Corrin…good to have you…did you mention something on topic or just wanted to take a swat at me?

Becky, are you sure you want to meet me next week…I do not want you to feel like you are forced into being my friend.

We had Barred Rock ( sp?) chickens on our farm, when I was a girl I thought I recognized the type of hens that lay the brown eggs, I was given on Saturday. As a girl, we also drank fresh milk withe the cream on top….anyone else? Actually, we would pick fresh blackberries ( in season) and put them in the freezer. When frozen, we would pour the fresh cream on top ; BLACKBERRY ICE CREAM….YUM!

I breastfed both of mine…my son was chubby but has since lost 40 pounds. My daughter is a size 6.

@PickinNitsThe chefs are UGA are phenomanal (sp?). Our son loved the food AFTER four years. As mentioned, they have won all sorts of awards. You can check out this link:

http://www.uga.edu/foodservice/mealplan/index.html

The food I ate in college WAS AWFUL…30 years ago!

@tiger…none of my business but as someone who breastfed a 10 pound and 8 pound infant….it takes a while for your milk to come in. I finally felt comfortable after 2 months. It is a commitment some can make and some cannot….for whatever reason.

Many women tell me they gave up after 2 weeks. To me, that is not long enough to get the hang of it. Again, everyone has to do what works for them. My Pediatrician told me that I would not have enough milk to breastfeed my son. I told him to give me 2 weeks and we will see what happened. We were both fine but it took me longer to get in sync with supply and demand.

JJ

August 26th, 2010
2:44 pm

MJG – to answer your question about picky eaters, I was one. WAS, still am a little, but I’m more willing to try new things now, especially since I love to cook so much and try new recipes.

As a kid, I would not eat anything red…tomatos, ketchup, red peppers, etc. I still can’t eat a tomato, and I’ve tried NUMEROUS times. However, we made some fried green tomatos and I ate about 20 slices they were delicious. Red, yellow & Green Peppers don’t like me. But I can eat jalapeno peppers with the best of ‘em (go figure).

I didn’t like chinese food as a kid. My entire family would order it, and I’d have a TV dinner. Now I love the stuff!!!

I still don’t like raw onions. I have started to cook with them, I can tolerate them cooked. I actually grilled some the other night, and they were pretty good. But I still can’t eat a raw one. I accidentially bit into a red onion in a salad the other day at lunch and I tasted it all day long. It took a bottle of wine to get the taste out of my mouth..LOL.

I won’t touch mushrooms. You will NEVER see me eat a mushroom. My daughter used to pick them out of the chinese food when she was about 2 and she loved them. But now she can’t stand them…..

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
3:00 pm

@ JJ…you reminded me of a college room mate who would eat a raw onion like an apple….YES!

I have loved fresh mushrooms since I was a kid. When I was in Iowa, they told me about some delicate mushroom they call “shrooms”…you look for them in the woods and there are not many. I learn new things all the time!

I will really eat most anything once. I do not like: rutabaga (sp?) liver ( only braunschweiger…did you see that post I put about it being served on the salad bar in a restaurant?) I am not a big french fry eater but I love onion rings, I LOVE fresh tomatoes ( re: catlady) I do not like squid, octopus or really even calamari…pass on lobster too. I will eat oysters.

It would be fine with me if I never drank another Coke for the rest of my life but I gotta have my coffee( sweet and low) and sweet tea.

My son was not a big veggie eater, as a child. We used to joke that potato chips counted as veggies, for him. He went to my sister’s house one time and she has a HUGE garden. He called me in tears, as my sister told him they were eating salad and what kind of dressing does he like?
I told him RANCH and also that he would have to eat whatever they ate there, if he wanted to visit his cousins ( including oatmeal and not grits). He now eats an omelet all the time with fresh spinach…he buys it in a big bag…I love it!

JJ

August 26th, 2010
3:19 pm

Oh and my mother was NOT a short order cook. If I didn’t like what she was making, I had to fix myself a sandwich, or go without. But I still had to be at the dining room table with my family for the meal, whether I ate or not.

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
3:19 pm

@MJG…..you know…I usually give you the benefit of the doubt, and as much I am generally endeared to you, impugning my wife’s “commitment”, as you put it, is quite frankly, just a little offensive.

I’m glad my wife didn’t stick to her “commitment” guns, because I would have had a dead baby and an insane wife.

He was delivered at 6 lbs 8 oz, we took the kid in to the doctor a week after being born, and he weighed in at 5 lbs 5 oz. It wasn’t an issue of her comfort, it was an issue of her production. The doctor told us he was literally starving. So there is exhibit “A” to her “commitment”…..to feel so obligated to breastfeed that we overlooked his well being. He’s our only child, it was all new to us.

She’s 5′ 0″ and tops the scales at 100 lbs (think Eva Longoria or Kelly Ripa frame…but in my own opinion WAY hotter than either of those hacks)…got to about a buck twenty five or so during pregnancy. The doctor ordered the kid on formula immediately and had her pump and monitor her production for the next 6 weeks. At the end of the schedule she quite simply didn’t have the production to sustain a small human’s life. So as much as I appreciate your “commitment” in spite of the discomfort, to imply that my wife (or any other woman) just doesn’t share the “right stuff” that you apparently had is pretty presumptuous, and frankly, an incorrect assumption based shearly on your own experience.

Becky

August 26th, 2010
3:23 pm

Wasn’t a picky eater as a child and don’t consider myself one now..As JJ said, will try just about anything..Love fresh tomatoes, peppers and yeah onions..Cannot stand mushrooms and I have tried them cooked several ways..Don’t think that I’ve ever met a potato that I didn’t like..lol..Growing up, my Mother bought potatoes in a 50 lb. bag weekly..

Not sure that I have ever tried squid or octopus, but I do like calamari..Like fresh spinach, not cooked..Remember wehn I was about 9-10, we would go out into my aunt’s garden and pick cucumbers. tomatoes, peppers and green beans and eat some of them right there..Ahhh, those were the good old days..

@MJG..Yes, I am looking forward to meeting you next week..Trust me, I am not being forced into anything, so again am looking forward to meeting you and to having a really great time..

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
3:26 pm

@Becky….calamari is Italian for squid…actually it calamaro, but why split hairs?….you like squid. ;-)

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
3:35 pm

TIGER…I HAVE NOT WALKED ON ALL SIDEWALKS AND SINCE I DO NOT KNOW YOU NOR YOUR WIFE…I DO NOT KNOW YOUR STORY. I did not intend to offend you.

I though I included this:

Again, everyone has to do what works for them.

I am certainly not a Doctor and so cannot even begin to tell you what you should have done.
I have known several infants who lost weight in the first week ( my own included) and of course do not know what is acceptable as far as how much weight a child can lose before they are in danger.
I am certain it depends on the baby and since mine were both big, it was a different story.

No one should EVER feel obligated to breastfeed. Many women assume it will come naturally.
To me it hurt like the dickens and was not something I just got right the first time. My own mother AND Pediatrician argued against it. Even my husband was skeptical, as his Mother did not do it.
I toughed it out (with bleeding nipples and sharp pain…sorry but it feels like someone has clipped 2 clothespins to you) but it took quite a while for me.

I AM NOT AT ALL SAYING EVERYONE SHOULD OR CAN DO IT. To me, some give up too soon.
BUT AGAIN, THAT IS THEIR CHOICE AND CERTAINLY NOT MINE!!!

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
3:39 pm

and I believe you…like I said, I’m usually on your side. But you have to see that when you direct a statement like “it takes a while for your milk to come in……It is a commitment some can make and some cannot” after one says “mom’s [milk] never came in” there is room there for that statement to be interpreted as inflammatory and a little judgemental, don’t you?

Kate

August 26th, 2010
3:42 pm

Getting kids to eat well is tricky. You don’t want them to be picky eaters, but you don’t want to turn mealtime into a battle of wills either. Every night I dutifully serve my kids veggies, and every night they stubbornly refuse to eat them! But I never give up, and I always try to set a good example with my own eating habits. I also take comfort in the belief that as they grow up, most kids do eventually see the correlation between what they eat and how they look and feel. I think my patience is starting pay off with my oldest son. He was absurdly picky when he was a little guy, but now that he’s a little older he is actually turning into a pretty decent eater.

Photius

August 26th, 2010
3:44 pm

Uh oh…. Cat fight with MJG… not good. Geeez I don’t really want to know about bleeding nips when the subject of the day is school food and weight… Eeew.

jmb

August 26th, 2010
3:46 pm

Very well said Tiger!! MJG, I don’t think that you realize how snotty and arrogant a lot of your comments are. I don’t think you always mean things the way they come across on the board but all the same, they are taken that way and is most likely the reason so many bloggers take offense. Take your time before you just throw something out there like that. What you said about Tiger’s wife was just plain rude to put it mildly and I wouldn’t have been quite as nice had you directed that to me. Kind of like when you throw off so much on the poor/needly as if they are all just plain old trash. Just be more careful and kinder and I’m sure others won’t be so quick to snap at you (which in turn hurts your feelings).

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
3:46 pm

Tiger…no harm no foul!

Becky….good…we probably do not need to tell Corrin where we will be.

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
3:58 pm

@MJG….I never said there wasn’t a foul. There was most certainly a foul. That’s why I called you on it. But I also wanted you to know that I appreciate a great deal of your views in spite of the occasional gaff. But hey, water under the bridge now.

JJ

August 26th, 2010
4:00 pm

I don’t like a lot of seafood, or fish. I can handle talapia, cod , mahi-mahi, halibut, mild fish. I don’t like oysters, but I do like scallops, shrimp and the occasional clam. King Crab legs are my favorite. My dad used to travel to San Francisco quite a bit, and he always brought home clams, king crab legs, and sour dough bread. I will not come up for air if there are fresh King Crab legs being served, I can eat a TON of that.

ABC

August 26th, 2010
4:19 pm

Agree wholeheartedly with @jmb that MJG comes across and extremely high and mighty in all posts. It’s gotten to the point where I skip any posts with her handle on it. Maybe you’re a nice person in real life, but you do come across as arrogant, superior and a know-it-all, which I don’t have time for.

Becky

August 26th, 2010
4:20 pm

@Tiger..OK, you got me on that one..Oops..

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
4:37 pm

Tiger…I am apologizing to you and did not mean to offend you. Truce?

Every situation is different and, of course, I do not know them all

@Photius….no catfight here. I did not want to know about bare butts and other body parts on a bike seats yesterday either but you NEVER know what you may learn here. My point was that breastfeeding is a lot of work ( this is NOT directed at you nor your wife tiger) and some women are not up to it…they give up quickly while others tough out the pain for the end result. To each his own.
I can only make a choice for myself….ultimately.

I have been told by Doctor’s that my tolerance for pain is pretty high. If only my tolerance for verbal attacks was on the same level.

@jmb…I realize that some here think I am snotty and that is probably not going to change. Others, have met me for lunch and we have had a grand time talking for at least 2 hours.

I chuckled when I got this e-mail wrap up from my first visit to Montana yesterday;

_________________was very easy to work with during the preparation
period leading up to the conference and was an energetic, fun, and
engaging presenter throughout the day. She was a high-quality speaker.

Not everyone here sees me in the same light here…that is just something I have to realize.

JJ…I love scallops. Do you know any really good seafood restaurants around here? I am up for any suggestions? I also love any kind of bread…my weakness.

Kate

August 26th, 2010
4:50 pm

@Tiger, I had the exact same problem as your wife, so I know where you’re coming from. I didn’t have a low supply, I had NO supply. I have no idea why. Although it sounds like your wife and I have similar builds and my family all insisted that my breastfeeding issues were due to me being too skinny and not eating enough. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but after being a chunky kid, I did find the idea of me being too skinny to breastfeed ironic.

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
4:53 pm

@MJG….apology accepted…thank you.

@Kate…and did you get more than a few sanctimonious “Oohhhhhhhh”s from some who asked you how long you breastfed for?

Kate

August 26th, 2010
4:55 pm

You have no idea….Actually, maybe you do!

ABC

August 26th, 2010
4:58 pm

@MJG, you may be a nice person in real life, but that does not come across in the blog. I avoid your posts for that reason and move on to the next one. Maybe you should review your posts before you hit the ’submit’ button.

Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp

August 26th, 2010
5:00 pm

@Kate…between that and the “I could never let someone else raise my kid” comments because we had the audacity put him in daycare so my wife could work in the years before k-garden, it’s amazing I’m not incarcerated for assault right now.

Kate

August 26th, 2010
5:32 pm

@ Tiger – I’ve been fortunate enough to stay home with mine, but I do know that just as some mothers cannot produce breast milk (not even a drop!), some mothers have to work. My own mother went back to work when I was a baby, and it was’t to pay for the mercedes either! Both of my parents had to work or we would have been out on the street. I can’t believe people would give you a hard time about that. What century are we in?! Hardly anyone can stay home with their kids these days.

JJ

August 26th, 2010
5:34 pm

Sorry MJG – I very rarely go to restaurants, but I do know that several years ago Kobe Steaks japanese food over on Roswell Road makes a mean scallop!!!! But I have not been there in several years.

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
5:47 pm

@jmb…NO ONE is just plain trash. Each person can and should make a contribution!

Some poor folks have absolutely put themselves in the position AND when their children do not know anything different…the cycle repeats.

Photius said this today:

- smart people breed smart children
- morons reproduce more morons

I am not so sure how smart I am but my kids are pretty smart, so maybe they do come by it honestly :0. I am absolutely smart enough to know that if you want something bad enough and you are able…you can usually work hard to achieve it. While some folks certainly do need and deserve occasional help….perpetual help has never made anyone a better person…whether those who continue to take from our government or those children whose parents give them everything.

Here is an example, I heard this from an educator here in Gwinnett:

“How is it fair that the children who eat FREE lunch are the ones who are also able to bring in 50 cents to buy ice cream each day? I could not give my own kids money for ice cream, as I was paying for their lunch and we did not have the extra $1 per day ( 2 kids) on top of lunch money.
That does not seem right to me. I wish they would just drop the ice cream as many kids are never able to buy it ( their parents are paying for their lunch). ”

Since we are talking about lunch at school…this could relate.

I will tell you that my great grandparents ( in the 1910’s) dug through other people’s trash, when they first came to America, to find food scraps. I have been told that they boiled potato peels to make a porridge/soup.

Something to think about and I am blessed that we have never had to do that.

catlady

August 26th, 2010
6:03 pm

MJG at 8:00: I think picky eaters are caused by parents making an issue of eating (hovering, pushing, bribing, giving in, etc)

MJG at 3:30: I found nursing difficult, also. Very, very painful. I made it through a couple of weeks with my 10 pound baby, then quit. With my second (my son) I absolutely wasn’t going to nurse at all but somehow as I was in labor they must have caught me after the 18th hour when they asked me. So I thought I would do it for a few days, until I went home. Well, the pain was still there but I just took it one day at a time, using ice packs and reminding myself I was only doing it one more day. He weaned at 10 months to a cup, even though I went back to work at 3 weeks and I was allowed no place or time to pump except when I went to the toilet. With the younger daughter, the pain was still there but I had hope, from previous experience, that eventually it would not hurt. I nursed her 6 months, but quit because my milk supply really wasn’t what I needed for the same reasons (back to work at 16 days, no place except the toilet to pump).

My older daughter attempted to nurse and ended up with horribly bruised and bloody breasts. She made it about 2 weeks each time. Even the lactation consultant “validated” her. (And, in talking with the lactation consultant, I gained an understanding about why it was so difficult for me–31 years later!)

My daughter in law nursed with no apparent trouble until her my grandson weaned at 10 months.

Thank God! we have choices to see that our babies are fed!

JATL

August 26th, 2010
6:03 pm

@MJG -actually I beg to differ, there are PLENTY of people who are just plain trash and worthless. Society would be better off if they would hurry up and die. Case in point:

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/cops-marietta-girls-rescued-595523.html

Maybe they’ll get in a fight and kill each other.

Kate

August 26th, 2010
6:15 pm

@JATL – I saw the same story. That is absolutely heartbreaking. I can’t believe that hasn’t made national headlines. It certainly seems like one of the worst child abuse cases I’ve seen in a while.

jan

August 26th, 2010
6:24 pm

I read for a while and then quit when everyone on here sounded so petty toward each other. Came back and am now finding the same thing today. This is like “The View” in blog form. Like someone said last week, goodbye and will not be back.

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
6:40 pm

@ JATL…o.k. then, you can go to bat with jmb, since perhaps he/she is not aware of some folks out there who are beyond KUKOO. That story was something else.

catlady…my thoughts exactly on picky eaters but I was waiting to see if was perhaps it was just me…maybe not. I am aware that some children have sensory issues with food and that is another story.

My friend ( retired teacher 65 plus) was driving down here from out of state today through your area. After our lunch I told her all about you. She she is a lot of fun too and I think she would like to meet you. I spoke with her on the phone today (while driving …gasp) and she says to me,
‘tell catwoman I am giving her a shout as I am in ____. ” I laughed and told her to please look for catwoman in the bat cave! You live in the mountains. She loved it.

@jan, sorry you are having a bad day…if you feel you need to leave then that is your choice. Some posters do get petty…me included. I say this all the time, ” I do not eat at Mc Donald’s but they are still in business….they obviously appeal to some folks out there.” I also do not watch The View but someone must be watching it or it would not be aired…right? Some of us will still hang out on Momania and have been doing so for a while now. We do spat but several of us do get along too…kinda like brothers and sisters.

I have certainly learned a lot of things here I did not have a clue about. Some posters call it like it us and others are not quite used to it.

Denice

August 26th, 2010
7:14 pm

We might look at the food; how about looking at the amount of time children are given for lunch. 15 minutes is not a lot of time for getting ones food, sitting down and possibly have a small conversation. When do kids really get the chance to talk without other distractions??? Certainly not recess.

Denise

August 26th, 2010
7:20 pm

MJG – I went to a wonderful seafood restaurant – and I’m assuming you are in Atlanta – Red Snapper on Cheshire (sp?) Bridge. Best I’ve had.

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
8:45 pm

@mjg-regarding the if they get free lunch how can they afford snacks–i feel the same way a lot of times when i see people getting 300-500$$ worth of groceries-really good groceries, steaks, shrimp, etc…dressed in label clothes…hair and nails all ‘did’ and pay for the food with food stamps…and i and many others work our butts off and make very little money and cant even come close to buying the kick-butt food these people are buying. if i was on food stamps i would be ashamed to use them when i had a $100 hair color/style and nails all done…then there are the ones who buy thoughtful choices….those dont bother me…but a pack of $15 shrimp that wont feed 2 adults? grrrrrr…ok im done venting…

motherjanegoose

August 26th, 2010
9:11 pm

Denice…you have a good point! With as many kids we have in our school cafeterias these days, there is not a lot of time…usually 30 minutes from shoe in to shoe out..for lunch. Some kids cannot eat and talk at the same time, so if they allow a lot of conversation, there will be lunches thrown out and hungry children. Even I have NO idea how to solve that problem….LOL Anyone else?

@ Denise…that is about 30 minutes from us ( if there is not traffic) I may have to try it out sometime when I am closer to the area…thanks for the suggestion.

@ deirdre…kinda like those who live in the UPSCALE projects of NYC and have their CADILLAC parked there ( my daughter and I saw it) while those who actually pay the NYC market rate for housing have to rely on the transit as they cannot afford the $600 ( $20 daily to park) to have a car. Guess the project residents do not have to pay to park…or maybe they do and actually have the extra money just like the kids eating ice cream.

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
9:24 pm

i know mjg…i really hate to make judgements like that…it just bothers me…if i can get a $100 hair color job (and you really can tell!) and have my nails done…i dont think id have the nerve to even apply for food stamps.

deidre_NC

August 26th, 2010
9:26 pm

and at one point my youngest was on reduced 9yall might remember when i was laid off forever!) and she surely wasnt able to buy snacks at school. that was hard because she was used to it. i let her have snacks on friday…other than that we bought them…and btw…even when i was laid off for so long and on unemployment i couldnt qualify but for $10 of food stamps. how do these people get over 500$ a month??

Kady

August 27th, 2010
7:53 am

I agree with the early posters about all the reasons for the increased obesity (lack of sleep, exercise, too many processed foods , etc.) as being the root cause for the epidemic. I also think that people believe that they are educated about healthy food and are making great choices but so many unhealthy foods get labeled (in people’s minds) as healthy. A friend told me her son’s lunch was healthy because he had wheat bread on his sandwich, yogurt and juice. I challenged her to really look at the food label. That wheat bread was no different from white bread in terms of fiber, calories or fat. The yogurt was some horribly sugar-laden cartoon character mess that was really just a cup of candy with some milk solids thrown in. And of course so many people believe fruit juice is a healthy thing. Well, it can be in moderation (as maybe a substitute for one serving of fruit a day) but with kids sucking down multiple juice boxes a day, they’re just gorging on liquid calories. My friend hadn’t even bothered to buy 100% juice boxes so her son’s was full of HFCS as well.

When I see someone claim that their school lunch is healthy I think, “How are they determining ‘healthy’ [see example above]” and “Do their kids actually eat all of their lunch?”.

As for my son, we use a bento box formula and he gets a sandwich of his choosing on real whole wheat bread (whole wheat being one of first 3 ingredients), veggies of his choosing (luckily he has never met a veggie he dislikes) and a piece of fruit. Sometimes we add in things like olives, Baby Bel Light cheeses, whole grain crackers with a dab of peanut butter, salads made from whole wheat pasta or couscous , etc., yes, he does like some regular treats too so he can get a handful of Baked Lays or some animal crackers. He gets to choose Skim Milk or Water for his thermos. For snack he gets a Kashi bar or some trail mix (he and I will make a big batch every few weeks using a variety of things like different grain cereals, dried fruits – select those carefully too, and nuts). And for fun he can add a few M&Ms or Gummy Bears to his trail mix if he wants.

We are not short order cooks here – eat what’s cooked or go without. My son is an adventurous eater and will always try something new. I thank my MIL for this as she gave me the best advice. As a mother of 5, she did the following:
1. Each kid got a turn to go with her shopping and they could pick out one new item (fruit, veggie, meat, pasta, etc., no boxed meal stuff) to try. Together they’d research a recipe and cook it for the family. The kids were all excited to try their own creation, they got a cooking lesson and some one-on-one time with Mom. Win-win!
2. If a kid was hesitant to try a new item, she never fought them, she just used a method she called “the only’s”. Like if the youngest didn’t want to try it, they’d say, “Oh good, you can’t have it anyway because it’s only for grown-up’s” or if the girls didn’t want any, “It’s only for guys” , etc., Worked like a charm!

My son is 5 and has been cooking with me since he was 3. He started washing veggies and choosing pastas. Now he tears the lettuce and (with a safety knife) he cuts cooked veggies, shucks corn and helps us add seasonings and herbs. He’s planted his own herbs in a container on the deck and is diligent about tending them. His favorite food is tilapia or shrimp grilled with thyme and parmesan couscous. He will bypass candy for a really good piece of tropical fruit. He created his own salad out of cucumbers, feta, olives, diced tomatoes and a light balsamic dressing.

Yes, my son has Happy Meals and candy. He does get a juice box occasionally and we LOVE ice cream and popcorn in our home. But he knows and understands that these are treats and that treats don’t come around everyday. I think it’s exposing your child to different foods and letting them assist you in shopping, growing and preparing meals. That with exercise, can give them an edge to lifelong healthy habits!

News about Food and Drink issue #1 | Food with Passion

August 27th, 2010
8:25 am

[...] to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, stop smoking, ensure at least 7 hours more… New USDA stats: Kids who eat school lunches more likely obese; school … – Atlanta Journa… – blogs.ajc.com 08/26/2010 New USDA stats: Kids who eat school lunches more likely obese; [...]

Becky

August 27th, 2010
9:10 am

@JATL.I was heartbroken when I saw that story..In my opinion, these people should be hung up and shot..

@diedre…Oh h3ll yeah, that ticks me off..I have seen that so many times and each time, I look at what I have in my cart and then look at what they are buying and it irks me to no end..Of course I have some family memebers that are the same way..Have a nephew that prior to him and the wife being married, she was getting food stamps..Talked to him one night and he was raving about the dinner that they had just eaten..Lobster, crab legs and rack of lamb..I was like that’s great, did my tax dollars pay for it? Needless to say, he hung up on me..I don’t care that people get food stamps, I just think that people need to pass a drug test to be able to get them..

@Kady..Sounds like your son and my grandson could be twins on their eating habits..Loves turkey sandwhiches, talapia is his favorite food of all time..He also will pick a piece of fruit over candy..Yes, they do eat junk food, but for the most part, they eat pretty decent food..

lwa

August 27th, 2010
11:43 am

I would tend to agree with the article but using the word “obese” is a little strong.

Last school year, my daughter ate lunch at school just about everyday and breakfast a lot of days. She always took fruit for lunch and eats fruits and grains all the time.

Well, the school year ended and we went shopping for shorts (this was in May). By July, all of the shorts were to big. She dropped a few inches with not a lot of physical activity. I began to think and the lightbulb went off: SCHOOL LUNCH

So this year, we are going to eat at school some days and pack our lunch most others. However, I do know that the school lunch put weight on a 10 y.o. who was growing like a week, at lots of fruits and grains (outside of school) and stays outside (she does not play video games)

School Lunches Bring Obesity Breakfasts Do Not – allvoices | Top Weight Loss Tips

August 27th, 2010
12:36 pm