Real problems with childhood obesity

Childhood obesity has been at a forefront of everything.  In education, child development, pediatricians, and parenting.  So much so until our current pediatrician, it was nerve wrecking to go to a wellness visit in fear of scrutiny.  Simply, according to the charts my kids are fat while they look nothing like it and everything else is very healthy.  They eat healthy, appropriate amounts, hounded to take in enough fluids, and are active.  Screw the chart.  But that’s not my rave for today, another day.  My rave is school practices and its contribution to childhood obesity. 

 Schools have made strides in the quality of food, mostly.  Children are more active during school, mostly.  However, putting our daughter back in school after a year of homeschooling had me apprehensive particularly because of health reasons.  We eat small meals every three hours or so.  Maintain correct fluid amounts, at least the kids.  I'm a working progress.  We try to take time with meals and have family meals more.  Turns out those concerns are very valid and I’m not completely nuts.  I know kids go entirely too long between meals at many schools.  Then we wonder why they become sluggish and/ or crash.  That apathy may be a indication of imbalanced blood sugar.    How is a child supposed to concentrate when their hungry?  How can they make healthy food decisions with an over grown appetite? Thankfully within a couple of days our daughter’s teacher remedied this issue and now afternoon isn’t so bad.  

The first week of school my daughter tells me that she cannot get water while at bathroom break.  WHAT??!! Thankfully mommy calmed down and we sorted out a miscommunication and she can get water at several points throughout the day.  Dehydration is a real issue and affects kids for real. Check out the last two links below.  Since academics are the goal, dehydration acutely affects the brain along with much more.  I have seen you educators first hand tell a child we don’t have time to get water, repeatedly and consistently.  If a hungry child is dehydrated, why are you surprised by behavior challenges and poor performance? How can they learn about healthy habits on diminished brain capacity?  It’s a not a cure solution for obesity to be hydrated but definitely a major part. 

These are all things I’ve seen with our oldest three kids in school and as an educator.  But this one got to me today.  Ten minutes to eat lunch.  Whatever reason this may be, it’s absolutely unacceptable.  Chances are you have at the very least a hungry child or the worst a dehydrated, starving child on free or reduced lunch.  Why is that an issue? That child needs time to completely eat all of their lunch just for body function then reality of the worst case scenario is they may not have much to eat at home.  They may be perpetually hungry. The worst case scenario child, you know him or her or them.  Nutrition and appropriate time is important to every child, crucial for this particular child.  You can't expect them to learn about healthy habits and make healthy choices when basic needs are over riding prominent brain function.

Now I hear those irritating, whiny voices saying “but they socialize the whole time.” Excuse me… I need a minute.  Okay bad words aside.  ISN’T THAT THE WHOLE ARGUMENT AGAINST HOMESCHOOLING?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I THOUGHT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO SOCIALIZE! Should we not encourage families to sit at a meal together and converse? Do we not seek this out with our friends? So our children need to be coached to find balance between a conversation and eating a meal.  Educate your parents on that, I’ll be the first to volunteer to do it.  Seriously, however long it takes, let me at them.

Not all schools are the same and some are better than others.  However, in observation and research, more base their time on dated research (second link below) and priority of test scores rather than best practice.  Are we really setting up our kids for success in life by creating unhealthy habits and priorities?  I cannot see my child nor any other child being able to make wise food choices, be at her academic or physical best if they cannot literally see straight due to hunger and dehydration.  Wise food choices and activity go along with appropriate eating practices.  

 Congressmen are already hearing from me and they should hear from you too.  There are multiple factors in childhood obesity, these practices are definitely part of the problem.

http://depts.washington.edu/nutr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Time-For-Lunch-Policy-Brief-NUTR531_winter2015.pdf  (suggestion school nutrition guidelines based on more current research)

http://www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/resources/eating_at_school.pdf (dated research but eye opening in breakdown of the “time” students had for lunch, twenty years ago)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20336685 (research on effects of dehydration on the brain)

http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v57/n2s/full/1601898a.html (article on effects of dehydration based on solid research)