So this week I have decided not to bore you with another round up of my 12wbt week as it pretty much mirrors all the others. Some good days, some ok days, weigh in day looming tomorrow and wondering what the result will be given that I have had 2 days of no exercise and a day off work due to an excruciating headache.....
This week I want to talk about diets in general and something that has been bugging me for a few weeks now. Before I do I want to assure you that I am not a doctor, I have not researched anything in writing this blog post and these are my opinions based on my observations...Sorry if I offend anyone but it is not my intention.
So here goes.....,
I am fortunate enough to not have a big weight issue. I have never been what anyone would consider overweight and I joined the 12wbt just to feel fitter and stronger and better within myself. I am in awe of the people who made the decision to join because they were in fact overweight and have a lot of weight to lose. They inspire me to continue on my days when I think it is all getting a bit too much for I figure if they can do it what have I got to whinge about! On the forums on the website you see so many before and after photos of people who have lost massive numbers by following the program and I can't help but say WOW each and every time.
What frustrates me though is, as a school teacher who teaches 6 and 7 year olds I can already see the children who are going to struggle with their weight their whole lives and it saddens me. I have students in my Year 2 class that can barely sit on the carpet, let alone cross their legs. Ones who struggle to walk up the stairs, ones who look so uncomfortable sitting on parade in their school shorts because they are too small. Students who are picked on by other students because they can't keep up in the race or because they are bigger (and NO I don't condone it). It breaks my heart because it is not their fault they are the way they are. :'-(
Often when this subject is raised by the media, or social media, I feel the finger is pointed towards the wrong people. The finger is often pointed at teachers because we don't educate the students about healthy eating. The advertising companies for creating advertisements and gimmicks to 'suck' children in to pressuring their parents for the product. The fast food company for giving away free toys and what not if you buy from them.....HELLO.......Does anyone else see anything wrong with this!
The finger should be pointed right at the parents! I once heard one TV Personality say that we should educate the kids on healthy eating so they can educate the parents and tell their parents to buy healthy food! Yeah right! What 6 year old is going to say 'no Mummy I don't want that chocolate bar, I want an apple!' (if you have one that does WELL DONE to you!)
My school recently had a visit from the Life Education Van and the children attended a lesson on healthy eating and healthy bodies and for the most part the students, to their credit, knew all the answers to the questions about what food we should and shouldn't eat but at the end of the day, they are not the ones doing the grocery shopping or packing the lunchboxes! (I will say though that one student was devastated when told Coco Pops is not a healthy cereal option!)
And there brings me to another point! Lunch boxes!!! Or should I call them "Pre-packaged food heaven!!". On playground duty we (the teachers) carry the bins around for the children to throw their rubbish in, saves them from wondering around during eating time when they are meant to be sitting eating. It just about brings tears to my eyes to see the amount of absolutely CRAP (sorry no other word for it!) food that children bring to school. So much pre-packaged food it is beyond a joke! We can encourage families to send sandwiches and fruit to school for their children but as soon as you throw in a couple of packets of chips, some nutella, a chocolate bar...well... no prizes for guessing what gets eaten first and what gets tossed in the bin. I have a student who has an ice coffee milk for lunch every day! Every day! Ice Coffee! 6 years old! Why.......????
As mentioned I am a teacher, I am not a parent so I can't imagine how difficult it must be for parents to maintain a healthy lifestyle for their kids but don't we owe it to them to at least try? And look I'm not saying that if I do ever get the opportunity to become a parent that I won't shove a lollypop in my child's mouth to keep them quiet at one stage or another but what I am saying is that we need to have, as a society, a long hard look at ourselves, our fridges, our shopping trolleys...
As a society I know that we are getting bigger, again I stress I have not researched that fact but am sure someone has if you want to google it! I just hope somehow we can start to reverse it for our kids sake, and our kids kids sake.....
Rant over......
(but sorry couldn't help post this ecard...bit funny!)
I don't think teachers should get the blame but at the same time, I doubt all parents can be blamed. I'm not a parent myself but the finger needs to be pointed at the advertising companies. They have a LOT to answer for. The toys as you mentioned are probably the worst thing and while parents can say no, eventually, they probably give in because of the pressure. The other thing I've heard is that sometimes, there are parents who will give their child healthy food almost all the time but once the child starts school and makes friends and then gets invited to birthday parties at Maccas, well ,the parents' battle begins. Finally, another culprit is the price of junk food versus healthy food. In lower socio-economic areas, parents are more likely to buy a happy meal for $5 than fresh fruit and veggies which cost a lot more. It's about time healthy food became less expensive than junk! Would solve a lot of problems imho...
ReplyDeletefunny, i wrote about teachers today. I didn't touch on the food/obesity issue, but it is interesting to hear that you already have kids struggling with weight issues at just 6 years old. that is terrible. as a parent it is absolutely, 100% our responsibility to teach our kids to eat better. but it is also a daily struggle for many of us with picky eaters, food intolerances, and other obstacles. My son has 2 sandwiches, 2 pieces of fruit and usually a muesli bar & the le snack cheese and crackers. Today (for the first time all term) I put a freddo frog in as a surprise for him. He WAS only eating the muesli bars and cheese and crackers, so we took those out and just gave him sandwiches and fruit until he promised he would eat it all. We aren't OVERLY healthy eaters, but we don't eat a lot of junk, either. We do a lot of exercise and I hope this rubs off on him as he grows. I don't agree with arguments about the price of junk food, I think it's an easy excuse - another way to blame someone else for your poor decisions. Once you add a few kids to the equation, plus an adult, you can have a healthy meal for the same price of McDonalds. It just comes down to laziness. We need to stop blaming teachers for everything and take responsibility. -aroha #teamIBOT
ReplyDeleteI know Aroha! I loved your post as well!! I am sure there is a struggle for a lot of parents to get their kids to eat different foods! I grew up with a sister who, for whatever reason would only eat weetbix and crumbed sausages! Lol... Good on you for being proactive with your sons lunchbox.. and we all deserve a treat, even Mish gives us one once a week on the 12wbt! Thanks for stopping by again..
DeleteI bet it just must be such an eye opener at school. And how sad for those 6 and 7 year olds. I've been a parent helper for just one day and already I can see the heartache teachers must face on a daily basis. GREAT post Zita - but you know the parents that need this advice the most are probably not reading this - I know that sounds bad but it's true. x Emily
ReplyDeleteAlways the way!!! Just like the ones who need to take note of the headlice letter that we sent home last week! Lol... If we don't laugh we'd cry! Thanks for stopping by Emily!
DeleteYep it's the parents responsibility to provide healthy food.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the issue is that mums and dads feel scared to say no to their kids, and instead just choose to give them whatever they ask for. It's just really sad.