Slee's blog: "school stuff"

It might be jumbled. I was up all night finishing it. By the end I don't really care much. Just adding things here and there. I tried to make it so it " flowed " or whatever. Adam Hampton Hampton 1 English 2010 30th July, 2007 Fast Food Paper Children, fast-food, and obesity. The first two kinda make me hungry, but the thought of eating fat kids isn’t appetizing… Remember back in the day when they had bubble-gum cigarettes? I do. I was a child then, and even as a child I thought there was something wrong with it. Today we have “ Happy Meals “ and “ Kid’s Meals “, and have had them for a long time. Greasy hamburgers or deep-fried chicken “ nuggets “ ( deep-fried chunks of bits of smashed together and solidified processed meat ) french-fries, and a fun toy for the child. I’m sure these are the things we want our children to associate with being happy, and as food especially for them, right? I think I was a fairly smart child, but it took me a while to make the connection that greasy things were bad for you. I kinda got that idea when I noticed that my mouth was caked with grease anytime I ate fries at Burger King. I thought it was gross, and had a feeling it was bad, but couldn’t really explain why. I did know that I was being difficult if I refused to eat at Burger King though. I was also being difficult when I didn’t want all the condiments and shit on my hamburger. When I wasn’t happy with the Burger King food I received, I was being “ unappreciative “. I just had this crazy idea it was some sort of obligation for adults to make sure their children, and the children in their care got fed. By the time I was around ten, I know now that I should have had a lemonade stand, or something making money. I should have walked to the store which wasn’t too far away, bought me some healthy food, and brought it home and Hampton 2 cooked it for myself. I now recognize my failures all too late. Fast-food places have been villainized for “ making people fat “. No one is really forced to eat fast food though. Well, almost no one. Adults certainly aren’t, just as they aren’t forced to smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol, or drink rat poison for that matter. The three items just mentioned are illegal to give to children, and have warning labels. Adults for the most part, probably wouldn’t give any of those things to their children if they weren’t illegal. There are laws prohibiting the marketing of alcohol and tobacco to minors. The rat poison was just thrown in there for sensationalism. Tempered with moderation and good judgment, drinking alcohol and smoking the occasional bit of tobacco won’t have major health effects even for children. That may be a bold statement, but I’m confident that a sip or even one beer a month for children and a few puffs from a cigarette isn’t a big deal. Even though it’s not terrible for them, I don’t recommend it, and don’t think it should be encouraged or legalized. I don’t think children should get accustomed to doing things that aren’t part of a healthy lifestyle, or could easily become a rather unhealthy lifestyle. Fast-food in my mind, is not part of a healthy lifestyle, especially an unhealthy lifestyle. Adults have the right, knowing ( or atleast should know ) the consequences of their actions to choose what kind of lifestyle they want to live. Children however, usually don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions. They aren’t able to make responsible choices about unhealthy things due to lack of knowledge and understanding. Despite all the studies that have been done linking fast food to diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol, there are no warning labels for fast-food. Not only that, there aren’t any laws prohibiting them from being sold to minors, or prohibiting Hampton 3 them from being marketed to minors. Adults feed their children fast food, the children become accustomed to eating it, and then continue the lifestyle when they get older. Not only that, but the children grow up and continue the cycle of abuse by feeding their children fast-food. Children trust their parents enough that they think that if their parents are giving something to them, then it can’t be bad for them, and is probably good for them. Examining the issue further: A Happy Meal with chicken nuggets, small French-fries and Sprite® (12 fl oz cup) contains 520 calories, 23 g from fat, 4.5 g of transfats, and 620 mg of sodium. ( McDonalds ) Chicken nuggets were always my choice as a kid. The AMDR for total percentage of calories from fat is 25-35% for ages 4-19. In that Happy meal there are 207 calories from fat. Roughly 40% of the calories from that Happy Meal are from fat. The Happy Meal doesn’t even fit into the high range of the AMDR. Happy Meals with hamburger, small french-fries, and 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk Jug (8 fl oz) contain 600 calories. 225 of these are from fat, that’s 37.5% calories from fat. This is choosing the healthier 8oz oz’s of milk over the 12 oz soft drink. The Happy meal with Chicken McNuggets (4pc) Apple Dippers with Low Fat Caramel Dip Apple Juice Box (6.75 fl oz) only has 360 calories. 99 of those are from fat., ( 27.5 % ). It still has 500mg of sodium, and 36g of 56g of the carbohydrates are from sugar. This meal is low in calories, but isn’t low in sodium, and is 10% sugar. It’s low in calories partly because the drink is smaller. 6.75 fl oz compared to the 8oz milk, or the 12oz sprite. This also isn’t much food. Four chicken nuggets, some apples with caramel sauce and a little bit of juice. Is this really going to fill your child up? Is that small amount of food really Hampton 4 worth paying for? You can take that money to a grocery store and buy healthier items that will fill your children up. The meal with the most calories is the Happy Meal with Cheeseburger, Small French, Fries, and 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk Jug (8 fl oz ) It contains 710 calories,( McDonalds.Com ) 252 calories from fat, about 35% calories from fat. Most of these meals have too much fat in them, and contain little nutritional value. There’s some protein, fat, and carbohydrates, ( carbohydrates most from simple sugars ). There aren’t any fruits or vegetables in most of them. According to the Food Guide Pyramid, children should be eating 1.5 - 2.5 cups of vegetables, and 1 - 2 cups of fruits each day. Other than the apple dippers, the Happy Meals provide lots of calories without any nutritious fruits or vegetables. Although, potatoes do have some nutrients, most wouldn’t describe french-fries as nutritious. The Happy Meals leave children either full without much nutrition, or still hungry, and likely to fill up on unhealthy stuff such as the adults leftover fries, or common snacks such as potatoes chips, or other junk food. If the adults are health-conscious enough to have healthy snacks for their children, I don’t see them taking their children to McDonalds, or other fast-food restaurants. It seems like they would just give the children a healthy snack to tide them over until they got home and were able to eat a healthy meal. I have only talked about McDonalds here, but the other fast-food places aren’t much or any better. Arbys does offer a kids meal with a market fresh sandwich and a fruit-cup. Arby’s is also the about the only fast food place I eat at. There’s a free pitch for Arby’s. Here is another reason to support Arby’s. “ Arby's is a regular sponsor of extreme amounts of sex, violence, and profanity on the FX Network. On the March 27 episode of Dirt, sponsored with Arby's advertising dollars, Hampton 5 over two dozen obscenities and numerous references to genitalia were used. “ ( OneMillionDad’s.com ) They sponsor my favorite kinds of television shows. Go Arby’s!!! Fast food is for adults, as is that programming. I could talk about how much I love Arby’s all day long. But lets go back to advertising for a minute. Walt Disney, addressing the growing concerns of parents over child nutrition, said yesterday that it would curtail the use of it’s name and characters with food items that did not meet new nutritional standards. ( Disney Says It Will Link Marketing To Nutrition, Landon, Mark ) Disney will quit marketing to children using unhealthy foods when their remaining contracts expire. They aren’t removing advertising from their television networks where fast-food is targeted at children. Basically, it looks like Disney doesn’t want it’s name directly associated with junk food. It’s just not the cool thing to do nowadays. They don’t seem to have a problem with marketing fast-food to children in general, because they still allow it on the television stations they own. This makes it seem pretty clear it’s not a “ moral “ decision, but a business one. It’s bad business to have your name directly associated with food that causes childhood obesity. Disney will also be changing the default side items in the McDonalds in it’s theme parks to healthier choices like carrots, or applesauce. Again, Disney is avoiding being directly related to causing childhood obesity. It’s a good thing that Disney is doing this, it may help the problem somewhat, but it’s a business move, not to be mistaken as anything more than keeping it’s name good for business purposes. So if Disney is doing it, why not hospitals? Cuz fast-food is good for business.. Hampton 6 At least 59 of the nation’s 250 children’s hospitals have fast-food restaurants, the study found. That isa troubling phenomenon, particularly given rising obesity rates, said the studies leading author Hannah Sahud, a pediatrician at Alegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. “ We’re giving two different messages by being in the health care profession and promoting health and saying obesity is a huge medical problem… and then implicitly encouraging it, “she said. About 17 percent of U.S. children are considered obese and many doctors think heavy consumption of calorie-laiden fatty fast food is partly to blame. ( The Associated press - Chicago ) - ( It didn’t have any other information. ) That and alliteration. If fast food is being advertised to children, why not have it in, and around hospitals? Not only that, but children’s hospitals. It seems like a sick concept to me. Hospitals should not be serving food that is shown to cause health problems. Atleast the commercials don’t usually associate the food with health, or wellness. If food is served in a children’s hospital, people ought to be able to trust it to be healthy. It not only shows how stupid people are, but shows that the fast food industry doesn’t have a problem with taking advantage of the stupid people. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement in response to what it calls a rising tide of advertising aimed at children. It says- Hampton 7 “ Young people view more than 40,000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools, “ Advertising examples cited in the statement include TV commercials for sugary breakfast cereals and high-calorie snacks shown during children’s programs and ads for Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs shown during televised sports games. The statement Also is critical of alcohol ads that feature cartoonish animal characters; fast-food ads on educational TV shown in school’ magazine ads with stick0thin models and toy and other product “ tie-ins” between popular movie characters ad fast-food restaurants. These pervasive ads influence kids to demand poor food choices, and to think drinking is cool, sex is a recreational activity and anorexia is fashionable, the academy says. ( Television commercials could be bad influence for impressionable youths in United States, Tanner, Lindsey- The Associated Press ) Where oh where to begin? This is mostly about fast-food and obesity. So I’m not going to talk much about how sex is a great recreational activity; it’s good exercise, creates endorphins, and relieves stress. I don’t see the connection between cartoonish, and cool, I don’t remember having that connection as a child either. One of the things they all have in common is that they are all adult things. Things for adults, regulated by adults. If you are worried about the effects of adult ads on your children, or any ads on your children, don’t let your children watch TV, or read adult oriented magazines. Hampton 8 In the first article I mentioned about Disney and fast food, Margo G Wootan, the nutrition policy director at the center for Science in the Public Interest an advocacy group in Washington says, “Disney characters will not show up on PopTarts, waffles and fruit snacks. This will allow parents to feed their children more healthfully. “ I’m going to attempt to tie all this in together now. So from what Margo was saying, parents weren’t allowed to feed their children more healthfully? It’s sickening to me that people will advertise foods high in fat, and low in nutritional value to children. Hopefully I’ve made that point very clear. There is something here in front of you that is even more sickening than that though. It’s undermining one’s own personal responsibility, not just anyone’s, but the adults, the parents’ responsibility!!! Commercials and other advertising isn’t what “ allows “ or not “ allows “ parents to do anything!!! Adults, and especially parents need to accept the responsibility for their actions, and choices in their children’s diets. “ You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. “ is how the old saying goes. Well, if you don’t lead the kid to the cheeseburger, then he won’t eat it. A commercial or other advertisement doesn’t force you to take your children to fast food restaurants and feed them greasy food. The advertisements don’t make children obese, the fast-food places don’t make people obese, they don’t control your actions, or your child’s actions. YOU are responsible for your child being obese, as well as yourself, if you go to fast-food places eat unhealthy food, and put in front of your children to eat. Parents are responsible for teaching their children about health, not the TV. Parents should also be teaching their children about alcohol, and sex, not the TV. So how is the TV involved in your child’s obesity and other problems? It’s not Hampton 9 surprising people are trying to blame the TV for all their children’s problems, especially the overweight ones. If you spent more time playing outside with your children, talking to them and teaching them about life, and sex, and other health issues, instead of letting them sit around and watch TV, then you wouldn’t have to worry about the fucking commercials!!! Are overweight children that way because of the all the commercials they see? Or are they overweight because they are sitting on their ass watching TV and eating potato chips and the fast-food their parents feed them instead of eating healthy and doing something more productive than watching TV??? Even with exercising, it’s hard to burn off all the calories you eat if you eat too many, especially too many from fat. Most fast food has a large amount of calories, and a large amount of those calories are from fat. That seems to be a given common sense sort of thing. The ill effects from being obese are also fairly well known. It causes high-blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, liver/gallbladder disease, high-risk pregnancy, hernia, varicose veins, depression, and low self esteem. Gina Kolata talks about how fat people are being stigmatized more and more each day. They are even being blamed for global warming. This latest contribution to the obesity debate comes n an article by Sheldon H. Jacobson of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and his doctoral student, Laura McLay. Their paper, published in the current issue of the Engineering Economist, calculates how much extra gasoline is used to transport Americans now that they have grown fatter. The answer, they said, is a billion gallons a year. ( For a World of Woes, We Blame Cookie Monsters ) Hampton 10 The article talks about how some people say the more we stigmatize fat people, the more likely people are going to refrain from getting fat and lose weight. It worked with alcohol and cigarettes. The article says the problem with stigmatizing fat people is it doesn’t work. In reality, the more people bother fat people about being fat, the more they eat. One problem with blaming people for being fat, obesity researchers say, is that getting thins is not like quitting smoking. People struggle to stop smoking, but many, in the end, succeed. Obesity is different. It’s not that the obese don’t care. Instead, as science has shown over and over, they have limited personal control over their weight. Genes play a significant role, the science says. ( Kolata ) Ok, so it’s unhealthy to be fat, and that causes rising healthcare costs. There are also a number of other social issues being blamed on fat people. We can’t deal with it the way “ we “ deal with other “ social ills “ because stigmatizing it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work to get rid of it, it may work to reduce it though. People who are already fat are bothered about it and eat more. People who are afraid of being fat may eat less, or more healthy though. Something important to remember is, that fat people can’t just quit being fat. It’s not like where people can decide to quit smoking, or quit drinking “ cold turkey “. It’s not something they just make that conscious decision not to do anymore. It took a long time to gain the weight, and it’s going to take a while to lose it. The genetics thing is also important to remember. Some people have higher metabolisms, and some have lower ones. It’s not fair. It’s just like some people are naturally stronger, or smarter than others. You have to “ play the hand you are dealt with “. People should take their weaknesses into account and live accordingly though. If you aren’t very bright, make sure Hampton 11 you study more than the smart guy before you take your test. If you aren’t naturally big and strong, it’s going to take more effort to gain muscle, and be stronger. If you are genetically inclined to be overweight, you need to watch your diet carefully, and make sure you exercise regularly. Science also says if you use more calories than you take in, then you will lose weight. Run four miles each morning, or two miles each morning and 4 or 5 once or twice a week, lift some weights, and eat a healthy diet. If you are prone to being fat, you need to exercise more, and eat healthier, just as if you are prone to being stupid, you need to study a lot more. I haven’t exercised much lately. I don’t eat much either. I’m skinny. I know if I want to get bigger, and be more muscular I have to eat a lot and lift a lot of weights. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of work, and no matter how hard I try, I’m not going to be as big as some people. Other people aren’t going to be as smart as me no matter how much they study. Or as small as me. David Zinczenko, in “ Don’t Blame the Eater “ talks about the fast-food industry being scandalous by not giving out nutrition facts, and giving out confusing ones when they do give them out. He also talks about the rising amount of money spent on healthcare for diabetes. “ The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that diabetes accounted for $2.6 billion in health care costs in 1969. Today’s number is an unbelievable $100 billion a year. “ ( Zinczenko ) Those are some scary statistics. All that money being spent on a preventable illness. Well, not all of it, it doesn’t specify type-two diabetes, which is the preventable kind. Much of it was though. Zinzenko also trys to imply that grocery stores are much harder to find than fast-food places. I don’t know where he lives, but there are four grocery stores within a couple miles from my house. Hampton 12 There may not be as many grocery stores as fast food places, but I’ve never had a problem finding one, just about anywhere I have been. ( in America ) The last part is really good though. Fast-food companies are marketing to children a product with proven health hazards and no warning labels. They would do well to protect theselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products. Without such warnings, we will see more sick, obese children and more angry, litigious parents. ( Zinzenko ) I won’t say I couldn’t have said it better myself, but I will say I’m too tired right now to think of a better way to put it. I don’t care about the “ litigious parents “. Adults should be smart enough to make their own decisions and take responsibility for them. The children should be the litigious ones, they should be suing their parents. We give children a certain amount of leeway, because they often don’t have a choice in what they eat, and are too young, or not experienced or knowledgeable enough to fully understand the consequences of their actions. Adults, especially parents, should know better though. If they don’t know about nutrition, they should care enough about their children to learn what the best things to feed them are!! In summery, ( incase you skipped all the rest of my paper cuz it seemed borring ) Commercials may increase children’s demand for fast food. Adults are the one’s who buy their children fast food. Adults are the one’s that are responsible for teaching their children about health, and nutrition. Adults are the one’s responsible for getting their kids to exercise more instead of watching so much TV ( that advertises to them ) and playing Hampton 13 videogames. I remember when my dad would be sitting on the couch watching TV, and tell me to get out of the basement and do outside and play. Uh, he was sitting on his ass watching TV, and telling me to go play outside. Adults need to lead by example. I don’t think it’s right to market unhealthy things to children. To me, fast-food, and soda pop fall into the same category as alcohol and cigarettes. I don’t think any of these things should be sold, or marketed to children. I don’t think people should be able to buy them with any type of “ food-stamps “ either. Water, fruit, vegetables, and nuts are cheaper, and more healthy for you than junk food. Grow a garden, save some money, and be healthier. Set a good example for your children with your exercise habits, dieting, as well as your budgeting. Being healthy, and having healthy children saves you, and your children money ( or the taxpayer money if you are on State or Federal insurance for low income families ) in the long run in less doctor visits, and less medical bills. That 99 cent “ value “ menu might look cheap now, but the hundreds or thousands of dollars you spend on medical bills from problems with obesity later on, might make you think differently. If nothing else, don’t eat and feed your children fast-food for the financial reasons. Bottom line is - Take responsibility for your actions; if parents don’t do this, how do they expect their children to??? End note: I obviously don’t support the onemilliondads.com website at all. They were trying to say that Arby’s supporting that kind of programming was wrong. They are all into the FCC. Good dads are spending time with their children, and don’t have to worry about what’s on TV not only because they don’t use the TV as a babysitter, but because they have talked to their children enough that they know that their children aren’t going to be easily negatively influenced by the few commercials they might see while watching the little bit of TV they do watch. Skrew those fuckers that complain about the TV not raising their children right. They are the same parents who didn’t uste to be “allowed” to not buy fruit snacks and other items advertised with Disney characters for their children… Hampton 14 References http://www.onemilliondads.com/IssueDetail.asp?id=286, accessed 30th, July, 2007 http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.happymeals.index.html accessed 30th, July, 2007 Food Guide Pyramid Kolata, Gina “ For a World of Woes, We Blame Cookie Monsters “ Chicago - The Associated Press Tanner Lyndsey “ Television commecial could be bad influence of impressionable youths in United States “, Chicago - The Associated Press. The Associated Press - Chicago “ Research says fast food in hospitals sends mixed message “ Thomas, Landon Jr., “ Disney Says It Will Link Marketing To Nutrition “ ( News paper clip you provided. ) Zinczenko, David, “ Don’t Blame the Eater “