Eat what I tell you but not what I eat
By bobmnu
@bobmnu (8157)
United States
June 6, 2012 11:45pm CST
I was at a dinner meeting last month and we had a Health Official talking to us about why schools need to change the menu and in some cases provide lunch for all students because the parents do not make the right choice for their children. The talk was on everything that we should make sure our children are eating and should limit choices for them. They say students need more fruits and Vegetables and less carbs and proteins.
What was interesting was this person was about 75 pounds over weight and when he he went through the buffet line he filled up on pasta salad, fried chicken, and some fresh vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of Sour Cream dip. After eating that plate full the person went back for more fried chicken and some biscuits. After that came a couple of deserts and as the help was cleaning up the person found one desert that was missed so a serving of that was consumed.
This person is making the choices of what our children need to eat. What is the example being set by this person. Over the years I have listened to food experts who tell us how we should eat and I would estimate that one third to one half are either over weight or look like a bean pole. What bothers me is these people are telling us what we should be eating and in some cases, the school, are forcing children to eat what they think is best and not the parents. I think the message is one of you have to eat what I tell you but I get to eat what I want.
2 people like this
2 responses
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
7 Jun 12
Unfortunately "Do as I say, not as I do" is the motto of far too many people who speak from authority. However, as you said, this person is very overweight so he is the perfect example of why what he DOES isn't the right way to be if you wish to be healthy or have healthy children. It's too bad they didn't serve more healthy fare at that kind of dinner, given the theme of the meeting.
I'm sorry but I'm all for schools offering more healthy choices in their cafeterias. Way back when, when I was in school, there were no soda machines in any of the schools. We were given milk for lunch with chocolate milk being offered as a treat one day a week in the lower grades and a machine with chocolate milk and orange juice in junior and senior high school. There were no candy or chip machines and chips were only offered as part of our lunch every great once in awhile. We got fruit nearly every day. Somehow we survived and didn't even feel terribly deprived plus there were far fewer overweight kids than there are today. Obesity is a huge problem in this country today and when children become overweight or even obese they're likely to stay that way throughout their lives. That's one of the reasons the current generation of children are the first to have a lower life-expectancy than their parents. Both the diets consumed by young people today and the fact that they don't go out and play like we did as children contribute to this epidemic of obesity and weight problems which we know will lead to serious health problems sooner rather than later.
I guess I'm trying to say we should shoot the messenger but rather we should maybe tell the messenger to take some of his own advice!
Annie
@LovingMyBabies (85923)
• Valdosta, Georgia
7 Jun 12
That is ridiculous! But I also think anyone telling us parents how to feed and what to feed our children is wrong!!
That is OUR decision, no one else's. And it should be kept that way. Parents are having more and more of their rights taken away. First with the whole cannot discipline the way we see fit and now we cannot handle feeding our children properly either?!? It is getting unbelievable.
As for overweight people telling us what is best, they cannot feed themselves healthy so what makes me think they can handle feeding our children healthy???
Bottom line to me...PARENTS should be telling children what to eat, nobody else!
