Should parents of obese children be forced to attend a Nutrition course? I bloody think so!!?

Question

Should parents of obese children be forced to attend a Nutrition course? I bloody think so!!?

Answer 1

i think so .... nut dont be to harsh on the child =]

Answer 2

It's a nice idea.  Too bad not all obesity is due to eating too much...  Some of it is genetic.

Answer 3

yes they should , i think this is an exellent idea ,then watch all those fast food chains start to close down ,this will not be a bad thing either

Answer 4

Surely it is common sense to eat a well balanced diet. I am healthy and my children are active and healthy. I think some of these parents need to be educated on normal everyday exercise such as walking to and from school and at weekends perhaps playing games with your children. Far too many parents rely on DVDs, PlayStation's and other electronic equipment to entertain their children. My children do have these things but they also play outside and very often we all go on bike rides. More than anything it is the parents who are lazy or over worked who are setting such a bad example to their children. My children have a hot meal at school everyday and then when they come home in the evening we all have a cooked meal together which they help to prepare, it takes no longer than heating up a ready meal usually. Perhaps these parents do need nutritional advice, but, they also need to be taught the importance of exercise and good parenting.

Answer 5

I agree 100%

Answer 6

This is not straight forward, i was the 'fat 'child at school. But not because of my eating habits.I was luck to have a biscuit for a treat. I stayed''fat' untill i was 13 then that summer it all just fell off. So sometimes it is nothing to do with the familly habits. But i think you can generally tell by looking at the whole familly not just the child.

Answer 7

Definitely. I think this alone won't help though. Many parents know their child is over weight, and they know why too!! Parents know what a healthy diet includes, though some may need more info on this!! I think that parents of overweight children should face neglect charges though. After all it is as bad and as threatening to their lives as under feeding / under nourishing. After they have attended such a course they should be monitored by doctors / health and social workers and those who do not make changes to their children's health should face prosecution. Particularly with young children (it's harder to control what an older child eats).

I strongly believe that if you set good standards for a healthy diet and lifestyle (exercise, not smoking) whilst your children are young, young people will grow up with a much better diet and will naturally make better choices regarding their lifestyles.

Any takers??

(Can i please make it clear that this does not apply to children with hormonal / glandular inbalances, this would not be included as the route problem is not diet / exercise)

Answer 8

I don't get why the people who answer this question are getting a thumbs down. Why not? If the parents of these kids were healthy and cared about what their kids were putting in their mouths then they wouldn't be obese would they?  healthy eating habits are learned at home.

Answer 9

most definately....and not one that just "tells" them what to eat...they need hard cold facts on what happens to their poor bodies...this is certainly a case where Ignorance is NOT bliss

Answer 10

Spoken like somebody truly on the outside looking in who doesn't have to deal with it! Most parents are aware of the trouble that comes with obesity and the related problems. NOT all children are obese just because their parents stuff them with junk. Many special needs kids also have problems because of their disease/diagnosis and or the medications they have to take. Most do get nutritional advice from many sources too. Also you can't force anybody to do anything. How would you like somebody to FORCE you to take sensitivity classes?!!!

Answer 11

Except those doing the nutrition course might actually give out disinfo.

For example--We're told that polyunsaturated fats are good for you and saturated is bad.  The opposite is true.

We're told that low-fat is good for you.  Still isn't true.

Counting calories isn't enough.  You need to check for things like MSG, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, etc.

I've been using coconut oil for cooking (which is saturated fat) and my weight has been dropping.  My son's weight is normal and he's usually a happy little boy.

Answer 12

Most certainly, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out when a child is getting fat, or infact when your getting fat youself, by educating the parents the children will benefit enourmously in all areas of life, FAT children are not happy children no matter how much of a front they put on their bullied at school and the health implications can be very serious both physically and mentally, PARENTS of obese children if you love your child then educate yourself and help your children to lead an active, happy and bully free life.

Answer 13

Excellent idea

Answer 14

ABSOLUTELY NOT.  At least if you live in the United States, or other free nation.  We do not need the government to be the parents of our children. They don't know our situation, and they don't know our kids.  As a previous answerer explained, disinformation is rampant in so-called nutrition classes.  I happen to be a diabetic.  If I eat the foods that nutritionists tell me are healthy and balanced, my blood glucose levels spike, and I also gain weight.  Diabetics, and people with other metabolic diseases, don't need the typical healthy diet.  In fact, it could kill some of us.

Besides, are you going to trust your kids health to the same people that designed the school lunch programs?

AZ

Answer 15

Star for you! Brill Q.

I really cant understand where theyre comin from?? Apparently in the 'post war' years, ppl used to make their babies fat, cos they thought it was cute, and that it indicated they are well looked after? Dunno if that has any significance?

Answer 16

It depends. Are the family eating habits the cause of the obesity? That's not always the case. What if the obese child has non-obese siblings?

Your question is obviously very judgemental. It may be that these parents should get some nutritional training in order to deal with a metabolism problem or something like that. But don't just jump to the conclusion they are feeding their kid Twinkie-sandwiches for lunch.