Children's Book Causes Stir

[LinasK]

I agree that it's outrageous to talk diets to 6 year olds! Talk about a way to foster anorexia!!!:banghead::banghead::banghead: I'm struggling with a 10-year-old who is getting a little chunky, but... when she mentioned dieting a year or two ago because she has a friend who is very overweight and she talked about dieting, I put a stop to that nonsense and threw out my bathroom scale! We are trying to manage it like others say by teaching her about portion control, healthy eating choices- no rootbeer floats every day and decreasing dairy, and normal exercise!
P.S. It also bothers me that the reason the girl lost weight was in response to bullying. That's not how you handle bullying and doing it for all the wrong reasons!!! Doesn't sound like this is a book I'll be buying!:snooty:

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I'm bumping this thread to include a proposal by Michigan's Governor to keep track of children's weight.

RE: Children's Book Causes Stir
Last Updated: September 14. 2011 2:02PM.

Snyder calls for smoke-free beaches, coverage for autism treatments

Karen Bouffard/ Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Grand Rapids— Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday called for smoke-free beaches in Michigan, a state registry of childrens' weight information and insurance coverage for autism treatments in his health and wellness address.

In his comments at the Heart of the City Health Center, he also called for getting more veterans enrolled in health care offered by the Veterans Administration, giving children better access to healthier foods and exercise, and making sure young pregnant women get prenatal care.

Doctors would calculate childrens' body mass index and report it to the Michigan Care Improvement registry, Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said on Tuesday. The child would remain anonymous. The registry run by the Department of Community Health is the same one used to report childhood immunizations.

Snyder introduced Wednesday a 4-by-4 program asking people to work on BMI, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. To drive his point home he announced his own statistics: "I'm stepping up today to say I'm doing 4-by-4, and I'm happy to share my BMI, 26.8, and weight, 192 pounds. My blood pressure is 102 over 60..."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110914...e-beaches--coverage-for-autism-treatments#ixz

What are your thoughts on having Michigan's Governor tell parents that their children are overweight? Do you think this is a good idea, or is it too much government interference? I heard the report this morning and wasn't quite sure what to think about it. Yes, I agree that parents should want their children to be healthy and happy, but I don't know about a state-wide program aimed at curbing obesity by telling folks what they should eat and how much they should weigh.

I was also kind of surprised when I checked the menus for our local school district and noticed that there haven't been many changes in what is being served despite national efforts to improve school lunches. The elementary menus are basically what I remember from when DD was in school in the '70s/'80s. Kid-favorites like pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, French toast sticks, sausage links, fried chicken, mashed potatoes w/gravy, tacos, tater tots, etc. dominate the menu with second-tier choices that are healthier options. I wonder how many children actually choose to eat a salad, yogurt, fruit, etc. instead of the tasty stuff that their friends are enjoying.

 

[Velouria]

I'm all for promoting healthy nutritional choices for our kids, as well as incorporating regular exercise...

However, I do find this amusing and a tad ironic: Have any of you ever seen the author of this book, Paul M. Kramer, also known as the author of that renowned bestseller, Booger Bob? (And yes, that book is just as icky as you think it is.)

Here's a link to his recent interview on "Good Morning America":

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/diet-story-year-olds-author-defends-work-14362471

JMHO, but perhaps Mr. Kramer ought to follow the advice in his own book before he seeks to instruct our children.

 

[DollyPardonMe]

I would totally agree with you except that, as Quiche points out above, the very title of the book is a large part of the problem. "Maggies Gets in Shape," "Maggie in Training," "Birth of a Soccer Star," etc., all are possible, positive titles for the story described.

Instead the title focuses on the problematic word, "diet".

All those titles would have been excellent. Unfortunately, any book nowadays with the word "diet" in it is a bestseller! People are looking for an easy way out and if they can buy a book that can help them lose weight, they will pay the bucks!