The Proof is in the Pudding

All my life I’d been thin, even skinny. I thought I knew enough about good nutrition and that’s why I never had a problem with weight. But as I got older I found the person I saw in the mirror was someone who no longer matched the picture I had in my head. When I went clothes shopping and tried on “my size”, the clothes didn’t fit my body as I was used to! This image change was even more evident after I had a baby.

I grew up with all sizes around me, in my family and my friends. I had friends of mine who were called “Fatso” and “ Chub-a-lot”. I was angry and hurt with and for them. I just saw them as people but I figured out early that not everyone was kind to people who looked like them. Thankfully, I didn’t see many instances of what we now call “bullying”. But then again, growing up I don’t remember that there were so many overweight people or kids as there seems to be today. It looks like I’m not alone in thinking that and in fact, the proof is in the pudding. This means that I’m not just being mean but there is more and more research out there that proves that obesity is increasing and childhood obesity is on the rise!

The research shows that obesity rates doubled since 1984 for young children in the US while the rate tripled for teenagers. Most significantly, it was found that 15% of children ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight. In October 2018, information from The National Survey of Children’s Health revealed that almost 17% of Florida children between the ages of 10 and 17 were obese and that Florida has the 13th highest rate for childhood obesity for states across the country. In healthcare, these numbers translate into kids with diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression related to decreased mobility, self-esteem, and peer acceptance. Many times parents believe that children will just grow out of their baby fat but the numbers are showing that fat kids will become fat adults with even more health and social problems.

Those are some scary numbers as well as some frightening problems to imagine that my kid or yours may have to face some day if we just let kids be kids. I remember when I got pregnant I got a little paranoid about putting on weight. I hadn’t read any stats but maybe somewhere at the back of my mind was the thought that my not-so-thin childhood buddies also had not-so-thin parents. I wasn’t sure how those two facts came together but my vanity motivated me to casually keep track of my weight and not to indulge in every craving that came my way in the name of pregnancy. Much later I would think to myself that maybe it was because the kids ate what and how the parents ate. So just as casually but more intentionally, I paid attention to how and what my little one ate too.

Turns out I was onto something… good. I breastfed my baby because I had read somewhere that breastmilk was like baby’s first inoculation against disease. The experts say that breastfed babies are 15 to 25% less likely to become overweight and the longer they are breastfed the likelihood decreases even further. They also talk about things you and I can do to help prevent children and teenagers from becoming overweight or obese. First and foremost is to remember the do-what-you-do, not the what-you-say rule of childhood, which means parents introducing and maintaining good eating habits and consistent exercise for themselves as well as the kids. Healthcare providers recommend that children have at least an hour of even moderate physical activity several days per week. It makes sense to me as a parent to encourage kids to get out and get moving especially when physical education in schools are being cut or made optional. More importantly, I’m embarrassed at how much time I spend in being a Real Housewives couch potato or a Facebook junkie. It would probably help me too if I took the expert’s advice to limit not just my kid’s electronic face time but my own to less than two hours a day.

Maybe I have to give credit to my mom who was a nurse and probably set a good example for me. I never paid attention or thought I didn’t. She’d always encourage us kids to eat only when we were hungry, eat slowly so that we didn’t overeat. I never felt any pressure from her to “clean my plate” and I got the message that my plate didn’t have to be empty in order for my stomach to be full! My mom never used food as a reward nor did she threaten to withhold food as a punishment as some parents do. She didn’t cave into the dislikes we voiced of vegetables as she recognized that our palettes were as underdeveloped as our childish minds. Our snacks were fruits, a slice of cake usually when there was some occasion and soft drinks tasted only during parties. Most times, water was our king! In fact, I remember my mom watering down any soft drinks or fruit juices before she gave it to us. I didn’t question this and later I found myself doing the same thing so that my little one would not acquire a sweet tooth too soon. After all, he was heir to both diabetes and hypertension from both sides of the family tree. Food was therefore just food, something to have if you were hungry, to nourish you if you needed energy and to enjoy. We never saw food used as a replacement for affection, confidence, company or comfort. Bravo Mom, you didn’t need a Ph.D. to be an expert in good sense! I’m living proof of that…..and so is, my little puddin’.

Sallye Forth is a mom working outside of the home, a co-parent, life coach and writer. She’s a citizen of the world who shares her world view on varied topics of interests on her blog, Blogstown; a cybercafé for grown ups.