share: Scan the zebra cakes...Hold the oranges!

You know what amazes me is that there are so many people who don't realize what's healthy and what's unhealthy. I was just talking to an acquaintance recently who commented that she just started reading food labels. And she's in her late 40's. Her doctor recommended that she start doing that because she needs to lose about 75 pounds. And she'd never once read a food label, much less knew what they meant. Right now, all she looks at is sodium content because her doctor said to watch her salt intake. I tried to explain what other things mean and how they impact your body, like grams of protein, calorie total, etc. She had no idea. And it's not that she's not smart. She is -- she was just unaware and didn't know better. She has always shopped by what tastes good and what she can afford. Not by nutritional value.

(So maybe that mom wasn't thinking nutrition at all. Maybe she was unaware. Maybe she was thinking convenience, affordability and avoiding a meltdown with her daughter.)

I was really stunned by this, but it made me realize that there have got to be plenty of other people out there like her who don't understand what it is exactly that they're putting into their bodies.

Maybe EmpowHer can help make an impact with this!!

Kristin-

I absolutely agree that sometimes people don't know any better. But I can surely imagine that more than one doctor has probably mentioned that her little girl is way past what her weight should be and perhaps suggested going on a diet.

The problem with that is-- many physicians will suggest dieting but if the parents don't know how to diet, then that's just as good as telling her nothing. Unless she is being referred to a nutritionist, then a recommendation to put her on a diet will do nothing.

It is also cheaper to buy the unhealthy choice over the healthier option. But I feel like this is in part because of the overabundance in junk foods. The way I feel about junk food prices is the same way I feel about cigarette prices, if you're going to expose yourself and your family to all of the possible illnesses that obesity can cause, then you should be taxed more for it and giving some type of incentive for a healthier option. I also believe that obesity and being over-weight needs to be exposed more and put under a worse light in order for the general public to realize that it's not just about their weight but the implications that come with it.

I am not an extremist, I buy soda because my husband drinks it and I buy a snack every week just to know that if I do have a sweet (or salty) tooth, it's there. But the fact that some people will load up their carts with 70% junk, 30% real food is sad to me.

To play devil's advocate here - how does someone not know that oranges are a better snack option than cakes? Can we really put all this down to a lack of education? You can learn that stuff on Sesame Street!

Isn't it really a case of just preferring the cakes over the oranges and letting the consequences fall where they may? Having the instant gratification of the cake and worrying the effects later? Later never comes. It always comes...later.

I've never met anyone who didn't actually know that fresh fruit was a better option than cakes and candy but I know a lot who have the facts but ignore them.

Admittedly, I'm a little hard on parents who do this to their kids, but I just don't buy into the "lack of eduction" thing. I think we all too often know our rights but somehow don't have the "education" regarding our responsibilities. A little too convenient for me, I'm afraid!

I agree with treats in moderation. I don't withhold cake or ice cream or a slice of pizza from my kids either. But the mainstay of their diet is as fresh, raw and unprocessed as possible. My kids eat raw carrots at lunch. Buy them unwashed and whole and they are much cheaper than any cake or sugary snack but they take a few minutes to prepare so laziness is also an issue. Raw veggies from a farmer's market or bought in bulk from a grocery store are cheap, same with fruits. They do take washing and cutting though.

5 fast food meals cost about $3-4 each including a drink. That's $20 for dinner. I can make a pasta dinner or a veggie burger dinner with a fresh veg and two fresh servings of fruit that serves 5 people for $10. It can be done.

Susan, I couldn't agree with you more.

Unfortunately it's true that many people don't know how to pick out the healthy item, but see that's what I couldn't understand-- how the mother picked out the cakes and left the oranges (and there was plenty of junk in her bags already). It really doesn't take a dietician to tell you which option is best.

The problem is that she avoided a tantrum with her daughter but has opened up a way bigger can of worms with the eating habits that have been established.

First of all I just want to say that I totally agree with everyone. It is really a shame when you see families around the grocery store pushing carts overflowing with junk. Now don't get me wrong I'll admit that I'll go and buy the occasional junk item or two but that's usually where I draw the line. Whenever I go to the store I notice all the junk food that I'm sure I would love but I tend to simply not buy it because I know if I have it I will eat it. I'd rather not have the temptation in the house. That's just what I do, then again I don't have any children begging me for the newest sugary cereal or snack that they see on TV.

There are a number of issues that face America today which contribute to our junk food habits.

The first thing is price. Have you ever noticed that some of the most unhealthy foods are usually the cheapest?? Can you say fast food value meals?? Unfortunately a lot of the healthier organic options that are available end up costing more than their over processed counterparts. Especially in today's economy cheaper and faster will more often than not win out and unfortunately cheaper and faster does not always mean better or healthier.

I agree with susanc as far as my next issue...laziness. It takes work to actually prepare healthy meals instead of relying on ready-made boxed meals. Unfortunately nowadays everyone always says how cramped for time they are. Who has time to cook a meal with 3 or 4 items after a long day at the office? Many of us will simply turn to these prepackaged meals in order to get the quick fix. That's America for you. The land of instant gratification.

The third and final issue that I feel that we face in the battle of the bulge is that of portion size. Our portions are out of control. I've talked with a number of people from various countries around the world and they all say roughly the same thing when they go out to eat here in America, our portions are almost twice the size of what is served in other countries. Moderation has little place in today's world. Junk food like Rosa mentioned earlier is ok when consumed in moderation (I know it's still not the best option but that's not my point here). What I'm trying to say is that a diet that is full of this kind of useless junk is why America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. I personally think it's ok to have a little treat every once in a while but it's the point when you are having these things with EVERY meal and even between meals or even as meals that we begin to spiral out of control. A trip to the local McDonald's isn't even dietary doom when it's not done on a regular basis. It's when we find ourselves going to these types of places for every meal that we get in trouble.

I think that America has to stand up and actually make some changes in our daily lives in order to come out ahead and win the battle against obesity. If not for ourselves than as this article points out, for our children.

The bottom line, here, is what Rosa said:

The problem is that she avoided a tantrum with her daughter but has opened up a way bigger can of worms with the eating habits that have been established.

Parents absolutely must learn how to parent, set good examples, establish good and healthy habits. Blaming cereal companies and fast food restaurants for a child's obesity only goes so far. Who permits the kid the bad choices, after all?

Rule #1 for grocery shopping - shop the periphery, that's where the healthful foods generally are (with the exception of the ice cream freezers along the far wall of one store we go to, LOL!).