Well, you also have to keep in mind that most people would consider a candy bar "bad for you" while ignoring that a bagel has the same amount of carbs. How many people gave up Snickers and donuts only to eat bran muffins and bagels with fat-free cream cheese not realizing there was little or no difference. A carb is a carb is a carb.

And that's the problem - so many people just don't realise that there's little difference between a candy bar and a bagel. I think generally people just don't have any understanding of what they're eating... not that that's an excuse!

We're talking about kids here. My kids never wanted more than one bagel or oat bran muffin. So, to a kid's taste buds, there seems to be a big difference in potato chips and dried apple chips.

I seriously wonder how much of the article is sensationalism versus how much is really how this kid eats each day?

Sensational journalism? Say it ain't so....

But a 30 pound 18 month old is not "obese."

Two of my three kids weighed 30 pounds by their first birthdays, and all they ate was breastmilk with a bit of homemade "babyfood" (mostly boiled and ground meat and veggies).

I wonder about the sensationalism angle, too, which goes back several pages in this thread when several of us wondered about whether the reporter accurately represented the woman.

Getting downright honest about it, I don't think anyone believes candy bars and french fries are healthy. Yeah, they might think bagels and low fat yogurt is healthy. I see a lot of people who just don't give a damn one way or the other. If it's ignorance then its willful ignorance -- there are news shows on the same channel that carries Family Guy.

This, though, ignores the impact of poverty. I look at Indian Fry Bread, eaten by the tribes in my area, which is likely the #1 killer of tribal people here, despite what the government says. It is a creative use of commodity foods, delicious and addictive. Or ramen noodles eaten by people trying to stretch inadequate resources. For many people who live inside communities where this is the norm, the idea of nutrition is lost because they see no opportunities for different food. What is the point of listening to news stories about food that is completely out of your reach? And honestly, who would choose to eat an expensive bagel that doesn't taste half as good as much cheaper Indian Fry Bread or hot ramen noodles?

[QUOTE=faduckeggs]But a 30 pound 18 month old is not "obese."

I'm glad you pointed that out. My son is a strapping 18 month old and he is around 30 pounds, but I wouldn't consider him obese. He prefers to eat whatever I'm eating so he consumes lots of meat, eggs and some veggies and berries.
I am guilty of feeding my kids things I wouldn't eat like white bread, pasta, milk and mashed potatoes, but I guess I rationalize it because I am the one with the carb problem, not them. If I'm not careful they will be in the same boat as me.

I'm looking at the girl's picture and I just don't see "OBESE"....I see what appears to be a fairly normal pinchy-pudgy cheeked toddler, but not insanely obese, so fat she's on the verge of major health issues or death.



While I definitely don't agree with mom feeding her french fries and coke, I do think this isn't the kid to make a fuss over....she's a baby for goodness sakes! irks me television shows find this sort of 'entertainment' appropriate!

Her mom looks overweight to me. What I took away from the story is that the little girl eats crisps and not much else. That's the bad thing: no nutrition.

I could, and often would, eat the whole bag. I was skinny as a kid, but carbs were addictive to me even then.

That is disgusting and I question this woman parenting skills that poor little girl...I have a feeling this won't be the only problem this woman is going to have. Who is the parent and who is the child here....she won't starve herself so if she only offers healthy foods she'll eat it. You know I am overweight and my mother is overweight and her mother and so on...I have tried to teach my children what I know and I don't let them eat whatever they want as I was able to do as a child and hopefully they won't have to go through what I have. Not that I blame my mother but I think that if I was taught a different way of eating I might not have so much trouble now.

I suppose that would be something to watch for in kids. The little girl in the story seems to be a carb addict already. But most people don't know about carb addiction. It never crossed my mind when my kids were growing up.

While the media likes to pick on the kids who are heavy, no one seems to blink when the thin kids are eating utter crap and that, IMO is the problem....if your kid doesn't gain weight eating junk, no harm no foul....but watch out the minute the child registers at or above the 85th percentile for BMI-for-age!

There's a huge correlation between obesity and type 2 diabetes - somethng like 90%. I think national governments are worried that their health care systems are going to implode if they don't stem the trend of obesity.