I have to say the reactions to the recent idea of San Francisco banning toys in fast food kids meals have left me feeling a bit ill. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the idea, here’s the rundown; San Francisco law makers have proposed that fast food restaurants who sell kids meals will no longer be allowed to include a toy in their meals unless the meal contains a fruit and a vegetable. Personally, I think this is a great idea. Why? Every time a kid gets fast food and is rewarded for consuming the fat and sodium laden meal that they were just presented, there is a little bit of comfort being created in that child’s mind. So, what happens when little Susie or Johnny is an adult and has had a really bad day? They will likely find themselves headed out to seek the comfort that only a greasy burger and fries can bring, if for no other reason than it has become habit.
I understand that the idea government stepping into private business is definitely a questionable line to be crossed; however, if parents aren’t going to be making the right choices for their children, someone needs to step in. Because the truth is, a large majority of parents are not making the right decision in what their kids eat, just head over to the CDC’s website and checkout childhood obesity rates for yourself if you disagree. I’ve been reading articles on the proposal and the comments that follow are enough to make me literally nauseous. I’ve read things like; “It is my right to be able to consume 20,000 calories in one meal, who is the government to tell me otherwise”, and “it is the parent’s responsibility to control what their kids eat”. I fully agree that parents should be responsible for what their kids eat. Again, to be clear, I FULLY AGREE THAT PARENTS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEIR KIDS EAT. Furthermore, if someone wants to go ahead and eat 20,000 calories and an ungodly amount of sodium and fat in one meal, more power to you.
As a friend pointed out, if a parent is abusing, neglecting, or starving their child it is likely the DCFS will step in. Not many people are opposed to this. Yet when a government body tries to step in and stop the silent abuse that is facing so many of our nations children via bad food habits, a ton of people are outraged. I can’t wrap my head around this one. Maybe these kids aren’t bruised or scarred, nor are they so thin you can see their bones, but I guarantee if you take a look at these kid’s arteries when they are 20 you’ll be sickened. Heart disease does NOT begin at 50 years old; that is only when symptoms present. The truth is it begins long before then, as early as childhood, if bad eating habits promote it. If an adult wants head over to the oh-so-coveted golden arches or king of burgers and load up on a quadruple-patty mega meal that is their absolute right. However, when that adult is dragging a child along with them to partake in the grease-fest on a regular basis, this is where I begin to have a huge problem.
I’ve heard and read a lot lately that this is the first generation of children who it’s said will be outlived by their parents. That’s right folks, parents outliving their children. Not because of an infectious disease pandemic or super-virus, but because of obesity. Obesity, which is a gateway to heart disease, diabetes and a slew of complications that go along with these diseases. How people (with or without children), can be aware of this and be angry at the thought of banning toys in kids meals is insane. It is not a punishment to a private corporation to step in and say if you’re going to sell your kids meals include a fruit and vegetable. It isn’t as though they are being forced to close down stores or change their menus entirely. The parents still have a right to eat there, the kids still have the right to eat there, and the venues still have the right to serve fried food, all they’re saying is let’s not reward eating fried food and no produce with a toy; let’s stop these habits before they begin. The reality is, even if this doesn’t pass, if it can bring an awareness to the sad situation our kids are currently facing that would be a big step forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment