This is how it starts
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'd know that childhood obesity is a huge problem affecting kids today. Tonight, I was out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant and at the table next to mine there was a young boy, no more than 6 years old who ate an entire bento box dinner, which included:
miso soup
salad
chicken teriyaki (crispy fried skin)
stir fried veggies
rice
gyoza (fried dumplings)
california rolls
tempura (deep fried)
This kid also drank a Coke. His dinner was probably well over 1000 calories with more processed carbs, fat and sugar than I'd care to consume in a day, much less in one meal.
Why are parents allowing their children to eat that way? The kid wasn't really overweight, but I'd hate to see what he looks like in a few years. I think by far the best things parents can do to help combat childhood obesity is to set a good example by exercising and eating healthily, and by not having junky shit food around the house. It's pretty common sense advice. Unfortunately, my parents are basically sedentary slugs but I choose to be different from them and have a much healthier lifestyle.
Comments
OMG that kid can EAT! yikes!!!!
Posted by: Amanda | September 27, 2003 06:37 PM
You're like the rest of us, envious that a 6-yr old's metabolism is so hyped that he can down that bento box, and follow it with an ice cream sandwich, bag of skittles and milk with cookies before the day is o'er, and never gain an ounce. I hate that too, lol. :cry Aging sucks harder than my 8-lb. Oreck....
Posted by: The Vox | September 28, 2003 02:16 PM
Vox - you have completely missed my point. It is NOT AT ALL about being "jealous" - if you know me, I find the taste of all greasy, unhealthy foods to be positively nauseating and do not miss eating them at all.
My point is about parents setting limits for what is appropriate for their kids. NOBODY - I don't care if their metabolism is off the charts - should eat 1000 calories in a meal. It is not healthy. And it will catch up to the kid someday.
Posted by: Zorbs | September 28, 2003 02:23 PM
I agree - parents should definitely have more of a say in what (and how much!) their children eat. Especially in one so young as the boy you saw. That box was intended for an adult, not a child.
I also think that the restaurant is partially repsonsible - why have the option of a 1000+ calorie meal? What is the need? Why have 3 deep fried foods in one bento box? Even if the chicken teriyaki was grilled or stirfried, it would have knocked a couple of hundred calories off of the plate.
Posted by: kelly | September 29, 2003 02:07 PM
But Zorb, did you ever wonder why the average Japanese person is so thin? It's because meals like that bento box that you're slamming are actually NOT that high in fat. Take the miso soup, for example...it's made of water, fish stock, processed SOYBEANS (which I don't think is very high in fat), tofu, seaweed, and green onions. The salad needs no explanation, as we all know that salads (without high fat dressing, which the Japanese DON'T believe in) have virtually no fat. The rice is served in tiny portions (no more than a small handful), and is not cooked with oil or salt. With Chicken Teriyaki, I see where you MIGHT be coming from there...but the fat is trimmed off, and the glaze is with soy sauce and mirin (both aren't really fattening). As for the Gyoza and Tempura fried veggies, they are served in such small portions, that it is quite negligible (2 tempura fried veggies, and like, 1 or 2 dumplings). California rolls have what...seaweed, vinegared rice, avocado, and crabmeat...that's not really anything to worry about, nor are the stir-fried veggies. I will, however, agree with you on the Coke. Soft drinks should be banned.
Posted by: Wayzel | November 2, 2003 12:30 PM