# Stop feeding your kid!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157 "2006-08-03T05:42:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/81 "2006-08-03T20:35:17Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > I don’t agree that anyone with good eating habits EVER would indulge in a single snack that has 1470 calories, 90 grams of fat. That is nothing less than gluttony and reflective of a questionable relationship with food. But that’s the value of one of the richer, more goody-laden Ben & Jerry’s pints. A pint is the normal serving for me. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/82 "2006-08-03T20:38:18Z")
Of course I have a crappy relationship with food, but I also don’t think it’s crazy that people would eat a pint of ice cream in a sitting. > [@DianaG](#): > > Both her parents are obese, and I don’t understand why they, who know only too well how being fat makes everything harder, from climbing stairs to getting a good job, wouldn’t do everything possible to prevent their daughter from having to endure it. Because food is love and maybe they get high off food and want their kid to enjoy it too. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/83 "2006-08-03T20:38:54Z")
For everyone in shock at the amount of calories in that ice cream desert, have you never eaten a whole (or even half) pizza? That sort of thing was par for the course at parties in high school or college. Buy a large for every two people, and certainly some people would eat less than a half and others would eat more. Throw some meat on that pizza and you easily surpass the 1470 calories in the ice cream. I’m not saying that everyone should go out and do so, but I am saying that taking in huge amounts of calories in one sitting is not all that rare of a thing, and does not always indicate generally poor eating habits. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/84 "2006-08-03T20:43:51Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Because food is love and maybe they get high off food and want their kid to enjoy it too. Again, I’m not endorsing that but I can certainly see the logic in it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/85 "2006-08-03T20:51:36Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > But that’s the value of one of the richer, more goody-laden Ben & Jerry’s pints. A pint is the normal serving for me. and > [@gigi](#): > > Of course I have a crappy relationship with food, but I also don’t think it’s crazy that people would eat a pint of ice cream in a sitting. Well, it seems to me that there’s an important difference between these two statements. The notion that someone might eat a pint at a sitting isn’t necessarily crazy. I know i’ve done it on one or two occasions, although not for quite a few years. But if you consider a pint as a "normal serving,’ that’s a completely different situation, one that i would consider a little crazy. ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/86 "2006-08-03T20:51:38Z")
[www.dietfacts.com](http://www.dietfacts.com) Read it and weep. Well, maybe _you_ won’t weep, but I did. Has all sorts of restaurant menu items to look up. I can identify with **Sausage Creature**. I love love love Baja Fresh. I would go there every day if I could. Probably eat (ate) there once a week. And when I wanted to be “healthy” instead of ordering nachos or an enchilada, I would just get chips and salsa or guacamole. Now I know chips aren’t exactly healthy but it still seemed lighter than a two filling enchiladas smothered in cheese. Chips and salsa = 1100 calories, 50 grams of fat. Chips and guacamole is 1320/72. Cheese enchiladas (two corn tortillas, cheese, topped with Enchilado Salsa, served with rice & black or pinto beans) = 850/37. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/87 "2006-08-03T21:00:58Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I read an article some time back in a political magazine (not sure which one; possibly _Mother Jones_) about the influence of the meat and dairy industries on high school lunch menu decisions. Basiucally, the author says that every attempt at the local level to improve things is thwarted higher up by people who make big decisions on bulk purchasing for school menus. Here is an [online article](http://www.earthsave.org/news/polsmd.htm) that makes a similar point:The fruit and vegetable industry just doesn’t have the same sort of influence. I really don’t like the idea of the USDA using my kids as a dumping ground for surplus meat, but I don’t see how that situation is any different than it was 40 years ago. The childhood obesity rates, on the other hand, are very different. Also, as I said, I’ve seen the lunch menus from three different school districts. They generally have 500-600 calories. I’ve never seen one go over 700. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/88 "2006-08-03T21:01:16Z")
**samm** , when \*\*Trunk \*\* brought up the calorie count for the ice cream, I specifically thought of Baja Fresh. Every one of their burritos approaches or exceeds 1000 calories per serving, adn I know plenty of people who eat there at least once a week. **Trunk** , you’re not _wrong_, but your tone is offputting. And suggesting that no reasonable person would EVER consume over 1000 calories in a sitting is reflective of a questionable relationship with reality. Of course it shouldn’t happen every day, but it happens to almost everyone at least once in a while. Probably even you. If you’re not checking the nutritional information on every single thing you eat, don’t assume otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/89 "2006-08-03T21:02:36Z")
Seriously, anyone who can eat an entire large size cold stone helping is doing themselves no good. The small size is more than anyone should want except for as a very rare treat. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/90 "2006-08-03T21:06:01Z")
I used to weigh 200 lbs because I had terrible eating habits and I was purposefully and deliberately blind to the caloric content of food. I did not want to know that the Qdoba all-the-way nachos I ate at least once a week had 1200 calories. I did not want to know that the cranberry/walnut muffin and venti caramel latte I had for breakfast every morning at work had over 1000 calories. I managed to “diet” my way to 200 lbs over 20 years by restricting calories and depriving myself. Two things always happened 1) I would restrict so much I would binge and feel like an out of control, no will power loser and just quit and give up 2) I would actually lose weight, reach a “goal” weight and immediately return to the unhealthy eating habits that made me heavy in the first place. Two years ago, I completely changed my eating habits, cut out all fast food and packaged baked goods forever and started eating whole foods. It’s tons more planning, shopping, cooking, packing lunches but completely worth it. From day 1, I planned for long term weight loss by making permanent changes. Part of the change is being aware of the nutritional facts of food. I’m also much more aware of portion sizes, previously, I _HAD_ to have the biggest option to feel satisfied, to feel like I got value, now I purposely get the smallest size of whatever I order. I feel so much better, I wish I had done this 20 years ago instead of living heavy and miserable for so many years. As far as the “hormones in the water” theory, just can’t buy it based on my personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/91 "2006-08-03T21:09:53Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > But i really think the amount of exercise kids get has changed. In school, we played cricket or rugby or soccer or basketball at every opportunity. Half an hour for lunch? We’d be kicking a ball around. And after school we would all get together and ride our bikes all over the neighborhood. In high school, we not only played pick-up games at lunch or after school, but almost everyone was involved in school sporting teams. I’m sure this still happens in many schools, but it seems to me that many kids get little or no exercise in their everyday lives. Yeah, the notion of recess has been falling out of favor for quite a while now. Schools that do still have it limit what games the kids play. Can’t play dodgeball because it’s too violent. Can’t play tag because one kid has to be “it”, usually one who can’t run very well. Can’t have that, it might hurt thier self esteem! ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/92 "2006-08-03T21:13:44Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Seriously, anyone who can eat an entire large size cold stone helping is doing themselves no good. The small size is more than anyone should want except for as a very rare treat. I think this is a problem, too. There’s a ertain kid-in-a-candy-shop mentality at work there, where anything less than all you can eat is settling. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/93 "2006-08-03T21:14:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > But—and here’s where i take some issue with what you said—the fact is that eating donuts or ice cream contributes to making people fat. Of course. But let’s say you see two people eating donuts. One is thin, one is fat. Looking at one, you\* might say “Wow, that looks yummy”, while looking at the other you might say “No wonder he’s fat, he eats like a pig.” And you’ve just observed the exact same behavior. And made a moral judgement in the process. The thing is, you have no idea what these guys’ history is. The fat guy may have just lost 100 pounds and this is his first treat in a year. The thin guy might very well be on the way to blimpdom, but it doesn’t show yet. You have no idea of their genetic makeup. To me that’s little different than seeing a black person and saying “Wow, he must be a criminal.” Amusing anecdote: A few months back I was touring the bariatric surgery department here at the hospital. I met a young married couple. He was probably not 140 pounds soaking wet. She easily topped 300, probably more like 350. Here’s the kicker: They eat exactly the same foods, and get the exact same exercise. Just goes to show ya. \*OK, maybe not you, but someone might. ---
**Author:** ![purpler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cab0a1/32.png) [@purpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purpler)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/94 "2006-08-03T21:14:20Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > But that’s the value of one of the richer, more goody-laden Ben & Jerry’s pints. A pint is the normal serving for me. Wow. I doubted this at first, but then i went and looked it up. Ben & Jerry’s “Vanilla Pop” ice cream contains **92 grams of fat** , **64 grams of saturated fat** , and **1320 calories** per pint! Ben & Jerry’s nutrition information found [here](http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition/search.php?q=&b=Ben%20and%20Jerry%27s). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/95 "2006-08-03T21:41:49Z")
> [@purpler](#): > > Wow. I doubted this at first, but then i went and looked it up. Ben & Jerry’s “Vanilla Pop” ice cream contains **92 grams of fat** , **64 grams of saturated fat** , and **1320 calories** per pint! > > Ben & Jerry’s nutrition information found [here](http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition/search.php?q=&b=Ben%20and%20Jerry%27s). Try the Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Lowfat Yogurt. It’s got 2.5 grams of fat per serving and it’s still deeeelicious! ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/96 "2006-08-03T21:55:05Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Amusing anecdote: A few months back I was touring the bariatric surgery department here at the hospital. I met a young married couple. He was probably not 140 pounds soaking wet. She easily topped 300, probably more like 350. Here’s the kicker: They eat exactly the same foods, and get the exact same exercise. Just goes to show ya. What? Come on. Do they both eat the exact same amount of food also? How long have they been eating exactly the same and exercising exactly the same amount? I’m not calling you a liar, but I find it hard to believe that two people’s bodies could vary by 200 pounds if they both ate and exercised exactly the same way all their lives. ---
**Author:** ![CRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRich)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/97 "2006-08-03T21:59:20Z")
I hate this trend of blaming everything on the schools. Kids eat one meal a day at school, 5 days per week. The rest of the time, they’re eating at home. I find it MUCH more likely that the enormous weight gain has much to do with what they eat & do at home. And in my experience, kids are getting significantly heavier. Our oldest 2 children are nearing their 30s, our youngest child is still in elementary school. There is a big difference between the numbers of overweight kids in their classes. All of our children have played on organized sports teams. For the oldest 2, there would be the occasional heavy child; now a good portion of the team is overweight. There are probably many factors, but I have to wonder at the prevalence of high calorie fast food meals. Way back in the dark ages when I was a kid, what little fast food that was available was an occasional treat, not a weekly staple. That’s an awful lot of greasy hamburgers and french fries. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/98 "2006-08-03T22:18:54Z")
Dear friends of ours have two significantly overweight children. Strangely, the mom is a nurse :eek: and recently asked us to sponsor her on a juvenile diabetes walk because friends of hers have 2 kids with diabetes. Mom walked without the kids, which is a big part of the problem. They aren’t neglectful parents by any stretch of the imagination except, IMO, in this area. The two kids (age 14 and 12) can put away an entire large pizza by themselves. Later that same evening, they’ll come up and have a midnight snack. They are never told no. By contrast, my children (same ages) eat four, maybe five slices, between the two of them. Except for occasional special occasions such as slumber parties, they don’t eat at all after dinner. Their kids drink soda all day and all night. The son will guzzle an entire TWO LITRE soda in one evening. I know this because my friend told me this with an exaggerated sigh. My response: why do you even BUY them? My kids drink milk, juice or water throughout the week. On the weekend, they’re allowed to drink soda. And lately they’ve not even ordered soda when we go to restaurants as they prefer water. Good for them. (I wish I could say the same.) My girls still order off the kids menu at restaurants. On occasion the waitress tells me that they’re too old. My response: charge me for the adult size, serve the child portion. It’s not the COST that I balk at, it’s the PORTION size. Portion sizes in this country are way out of line and are part of the reason that America has grown so large. So I agree with the OP. It’s your responsibility to teach your kids good eating habits. At the very least you can not buy crap for them if they have a weight problem. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/99 "2006-08-03T22:31:39Z")
> [@CRich](#): > > All of our children have played on organized sports teams. For the oldest 2, there would be the occasional heavy child; now a good portion of the team is overweight. I know the value of anecdotes, but I’ve seen the same thing comparing my Little League years to the ‘career’ of my youngest brother (age difference of 10 years). It’s a bit scary. Everybody used to know who the fat kid in the league was; I still remember his name. Now there are a couple on each team, and some are so bulky they seem almost unable to run. > [@PunditLisa](#): > > It’s not the COST that I balk at, it’s the PORTION size. Portion sizes in this country are way out of line and are part of the reason that America has grown so large. I think this is a big factor. Diners are everywhere around here, and their entire deal is low cost, huge portions of food. Two or three times in the last few weeks, I’ve gone to a diner and gotten filled up by the _entree_. (And, of course, I was never smart or resolute enough to send the meal back. But that’s why I’m still trying to lose weight, too.) ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157/100 "2006-08-03T22:32:54Z")
I’m going to _ahem_ weigh in here. Fat runs in my family. My American dad was very obese (5’11" and as high as 330). His brothers are both obese. Most of my extended family on his side is obese. Meanwhile, my Vietnamese mom is 5’2" and is still 110 pounds even after four kids and a lifetime of no regular exercise. Damn genes. And I managed to inherit the short gene from Mom and the fat gene from Dad. ☹ Luckily, they instilled healthy eating habits in all of us kids. I think Dad knew, or sensed, that we’d have to fight the weight our whole lives. A fw lessons from the parents’ home: [ul] [li]We ate most of our meals at home, and those meals always included at least two veggie dishes (typically a green salad and a steamed vegetable). When we did go out to eat, we were expected to order and eat something reasonably balanced. We knew that fries were not a vegetable.[/li][li]Candy was an occasional treat. Halloween. Christmas. Easter. Rewards for little favors around the house or for good grades. But there weren’t just bags of candy for any kids to dip into at will.[/li][li]Portion control. The whole Cold Stone discussion really hits home for me, because how is it really a more rewarding experience to eat 10 ounces of ice cream versus 3.5 ounces? I can see how you’d feel more satisfied after a bigger steak, or a bigger potato, but ice cream isn’t nourishment; it’s a rewarding taste and feel.[/li][/ul] Because of this, and in spite of my genes, I’ve managed to stay reasonably trim into my thirties. Meanwhile, my youngest brother, who is 21, is already pushing 300. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-feeding-your-kid/367157.md?page=6)