Give children junk food in schools + TV ads

pink_phantom

The debate about diet will always be controversial and many people will not listen and that is their choice. However, I do believe that not informing people is removing that choice from them because how can someone make a choice about what to eat/ drink if they don't have all the relevant understanding.

I have seen for myself the effects of a bad diet. I suffered from IBS for a long time and my son was very hyperactive. When I started to study nutrition I changed our diets and you really would not believe the difference it makes. I haven't had IBS for a long time now and my son is a changed boy, so much more mellow and a really nice child.

My parents took him on holiday and he ate nothing but sweets and junk food and he was a nightmare for about a week. Loosing his temper, throwing things, tantrums, abusive etc etc. After about a week at home he was fine.

I don't mind him having the od "blow out" with sweets etc because he is a kid and I want him to enjoy his childhood, how can he though if he has a miserable home life because he is constantly getting repremanded for his behaviour?

There will always be people who choose not to have a heathy diet even though they know the risks just as there will always be people who choose to smoke and drink too much alcohol. I just think that people should make that choice themselves through education not ignorance.

Also, peopl seem to be of the opinion that being health conscious like I am is boring. I think the opposite, I have great fun cooking with my son and it makes him more involved and I think home cooked food tastes better.

jellyhead

although i would love to see tartrazine banned, along with sunset yellow (please!) i wonder if banning all of this junk will lead to binge junk-eating in the same way that adults these days are binge drinking? has education about the dangers of smoking reduced the number of cigs sold? (genuine question, i am asking). making an e number seem illicit and grown up could lead to it being abused later on, whereas banning it completely might mean that only certain people will want to try it, whereas if it was freely available and considered acceptable in adulthood then everyone would try it. does that make sense? but fizzy pop is great for sickness and should not be banned unless it contains evil colours :rotfl:

HappySad

Good discussion JellyHead. If I had my ownm way I would go down the banning way. NO junk given/sold @ school + no fizzy drinks. Education Education for healthy eating & why it is good. Hospital visits to see people dying/suffering of cancer/dieabeties, etc and ask then what they think about eating junk food.

My mother (nurse) threatened to take me to the hospital to see & talk to cancer patients so that I would REALLY see the effects of smoking. She would describe how patients would suffer & would give up smoking @ this stage but it was too late then.

"Honey we are killing the kids" is really needed for everyone. When you see your child looking older, less confident etc & your change in behaviour & diet would greatly give your child a better chance then who would not change.

Saying eating junk is not good for you & giving healthy advice is good but not enough. People need to know that they are killing their children. Carrot & stick method is very effective. Carrot (feel good & better life) stick ( shorter life with more chance of ill health/depression/crime).

Junk food does no favours for children & adults...but they taste great & look good & banning it completely is extreme... but for children it is important to give them the best start in life as we can by US (government, councils, schools, companies, parents, family) all supporting each other in this.

If eating healthier + suppliments can knock down inmate offences by 80% & eating a lot of junk is showing to be a good indicator of a possible future of a voilence future. What sort of conclusion can we make for our children's (& adults) health.

pink_phantom

jellyhead wrote:

although i would love to see tartrazine banned, along with sunset yellow (please!) i wonder if banning all of this junk will lead to binge junk-eating in the same way that adults these days are binge drinking? has education about the dangers of smoking reduced the number of cigs sold? (genuine question, i am asking). making an e number seem illicit and grown up could lead to it being abused later on, whereas banning it completely might mean that only certain people will want to try it, whereas if it was freely available and considered acceptable in adulthood then everyone would try it. does that make sense? but fizzy pop is great for sickness and should not be banned unless it contains evil colours :rotfl:

Smoking, alcohol and drugs all give a "high" of some sort but colours, preservatives and sweetners have no such effect (unless you count being hyper as some children are) so I am not sure that there would be a black market in them in the same way that there are for other substances.

People being educated about smoking has lead to greater public pressure for it to be banned in many places so personally I think that has benefitted many, not least the bar and waitressing staff in many food establishments.

Fizzy pop can benefit people in that it contains sugar which can provide energy when a person is ill but if possible, opt for the orgainc variety or one with as little additives as possible, to avoid overloading your system, especially if you are suffering from an infection in the kidneys.

pink_phantom

Just found this marvellous analagy:

What's wrong with eating chemical cocktails?

Think about dribbling sand into the oil filler funnel of a car engine over a long period of time, like an egg timer trickling from top to bottom. No matter how many times you wash the outside of the car or engine, sooner rather than later, that engine will sieze up and the car will stop working. Why do we imagine, that our bodies, which are millions of times more complicated and delicate than a car engine, should react any differently, when subjected to the chemicals and toxins that are around us in our homes and in our food?