Is McDonald's Making our kids FAT?

Is McDonald’s making your kids fat?

It is our job as parents to feed our children at regular intervals and try to feed them nutritious foods as well. Ultimately, we choose to go to McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King or KFC or eat at home. Not all food choices are bad at all these places. Recently, Ronald McDonald was blamed for making kids fat. There are a few things wrong with this statement:

Parents need to be able to say No to their kids. I don’t care how much they beg for that new Happy Meal toy. We are driving the car; we don’t have to pull into the McDonald’s parking lot. If you can’t say no to your children, maybe there are some things wrong with the bigger picture.
Speaking of Happy Meal toys, would your children beg for McDonald’s if there wasn’t a cool new toy?
It's not even the fast food that is really making kids fat, it's that with the combo of candy whenever they want, and snacks at every five second interval!
It’s our responsibility to teach our children to have good eating habits. It is not the responsibility of the fast food industry.
Some children eat at McDonald’s at least once a week. These same children are not overweight because they are active at home, school and involved in sports.

Some say that McDonald's lies, misleads, and tempts people with bad food, food that is potentially dangerous, and they should be held accountable for their effect on the increasing obesity and diabetes in our country. I can see their point, but we put food in our mouths! We are not eating the advertisement; we drive to McDonald’s and eat the food! We watch the TV commercials and read the ads. If you can’t resist temptation, don’t put it in your way.

It is a convenience that is normally less expensive than going to a real sit-down restaurant. I can’t argue that point. I find it sad that the healthy choices, salads for example, are the most expensive thing on the menu.

So, if you don’t want to eat it, don’t. If you don’t want to feed it to your children, don’t! The responsibility of choosing to eat right rests with us, the parents, not the corporations.

Just my opinion. What’s yours?

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Comment by Jill Ervin on January 17, 2012 at 10:22pm: There are several healthy and organic choices for moms to pick from at their local grocery store. Usually organic baby carrots are very affordable. Also organic apples, pears and oranges are just as affordable. :)

Comment by Malika Bourne on January 16, 2012 at 5:12pm: Part of the fast food appeal for the kids is the toy and the play area. The appeal for some parents is no dirty dishes PLUS the kids can get busy playing. blunty, That is lazy parenting unless it is a once in awhile date kind of thing.

These are real issues for any parent though.Kids learn by example. If we demonsstrate, "I don't want to do dishes" attitude that could demonstrate what? I think the lack of motivation does then lead to obesity. It certainly plays into the mood and depression aspect. Keeping in mind we hall are entitled to a 'lazy" day' now and then. But not every day.

The date kind of thing maybe should is not agood idea to always revolve around the higher fat, higheer salt convience food. Why not have a 'play date' that involves good old fashioned running around activity? I think that is why the fast food added the pklayarea. I think though that meal times are not the time for play.

I am trying to keep this short while saying I think the whole attitude of rewarding a child to eat, with a toy, or stuffing their mouths with fat and salt,between gulps of sada mixed with the guise of exercise in a germy play area is not overall healthy.

Comment by Betty Baez on January 16, 2012 at 3:50pm: I couldn't agree more with brea grocerie stores need to lower prices on healthy choices it is so often that unhealthy meals cost less

Comment by Betty Baez on January 16, 2012 at 3:48pm: I agree, our family will make a fast food trip once a month, just as a treat, but I don't understand other parents who take them often during the week. We as parents are responsible for what our kids eat and what their eating habits will become. If you do decide to go to fast food restaurants often they do have alternative options such as apple slices rather than greasy and salty fries, milk instead of juice or soda. It's not like they force you to buy it.

Comment by Malika Bourne on December 26, 2011 at 9:36pm: I agree. Since when do kids drive themselves and pay for fast food themselves. Each parent MUST take responciblity for their own children's health.That is why I think that child care , safety and nutrition should be required for graduation from high-school. Are parents depending on a corporation's advertisements to teach them how to feed a child nutritiously? Why then are so many Happy Meals getting sold? If they weren't selling they would NOT be on the menu. A busines is in business to MAKE MONEY. Parents have the responcibility to teach their own children and not leave it up to an icon on a TV (babysitter) commercial.

Comment by beau on December 1, 2011 at 11:41pm: Great points! I occassionally give my almost 4 year old McDonalds because I am desperately trying to get him to gain weight. He of course loves the happy meal toys, it's a wonderful treat. And have y'all tried the yogurt parfaits? They are on the dollar menu and a great healthy treat for the younger kids or those trying to watch their weight.

Comment by John Joseph on November 30, 2011 at 11:20am: This article hit it on the nose , you have to take your own responsibility and then places like mcdonoalds will have to change prices on menu for healthy things

Comment by Becky Donald on October 15, 2011 at 5:04pm: Fast food is soooo easy and cheap. Leave the house quickly on a way to an event and rush through the drive through to grab something quick and easy for the kids so they shut up on the way. Provide them with a toy so the younger ones don't fight when the older one is playing his game. Sit and enjoy the convenience of throwing away the trash and not packing a bag and cooler full full of waters and Tupperware home. Fewer dishes. No need to shop and stock that fridge or pantry. Just grab what you need when you need it. Ah, that's the life. Sit on your ass in a car for hours a day or weekend stuffing grease in your system, raise your cholesterol, teach your kids its normal for their hands to have a salty, shiney sheen 24/7. Slowly expand your seatbelt and eventually you have to scoot your seat back to get out from behind the steering wheel. Let your kids expect to be fed every time they leave the house.

That is the kicker for me. As a country, we teach our children it s okay to expect food when we are not home. Fast food, grocery delis, convenience stores, candy bars and gum next to the checkout. We pay off our children with treats instead of teach them to behave.

So, McDonald's . . . responsible for how I raise my children? I wish. But sorry, no. Its all my fault, and in turn, I get to reap all of the rewards.

I call my family fast-food-free. The kids may convince someone else to stop off and grab them a cup of grease, but I don't. I am guilty of a stop at the grocery deli or salad bar, but most often, I take the time to pack a bag of snacks and I keep a case of water in my trunk. I leave the house with my own water bottle and my children are learning to do the same. When they ask to stop I ask why they didn't think ahead. There is nothing wrong with teaching them to pack up a lunch before they leave the house. Grab a water or juicy and granola bar for them. Shoot, keep a tote in the trunk. Raise your kids like your Grandma did, in the house and the yard - not the car. If the car is your second home, think a head.

Like I tell my kids, "yep, I learned that in mommy school."

Comment by LaDonna on October 15, 2011 at 3:43pm: Well said Brae. It is less expensive to buy the "less healthy" product than it is to buy the healthy items!

Comment by Brae on October 15, 2011 at 3:35pm: Oh- and McDonalds isn't the only place that makes eating healthier more expensive. Heck, going to a grocery store and buying fresh fruits and veggies and other healthy things are much more expensive than buying frozen goods. And heaven forbid you want it organic.

If the government feels the need to stick their nose into this and MAKE us be healthier, instead of attacking innocent (yes, I feel they are innocent- like you said, they aren't force feeding us, we go there and order it ourselves.) fast food chains and banning fats and toys, they need to figure out how to lower prices on healthy things at grocery store so that those frozen pizzas don't make a cheaper meal than chicken, veggies and other wholesome foods in a meal.

Comment by Brae on October 15, 2011 at 3:22pm: Pam, I love this post and I totally agree with it! I like going to fast food restaurants. I don't want anyone to ban us from them or even ban the toys. We enjoy them.

That being said, we enjoy them once, MAYBE twice a month, and no one in my family is over weight. We make healthy choices at home, and when we go out to a fast food restaurant, if my kids eat a 12000 calorie meal, it's once a month, and it won't hurt them....but that's greatly exaggerated, and it's also me being responsible for MY decisions reguarding my kids health.

I don't know how the toys even relate here, really. Because when we go out to eat, more often than not, I buy a big bunch of nuggets, a large drink and fries, and split it between all my kids- they don't get a toy...and usually the prize of playing for an hour at the playplace is what they're after. If there's a special occasion, we WiLL sometimes get the kids a happy meal, and they enjoy the toy- but it's never been something that they beg for or have been disappointed over if we don't do the whole kids meal.

good job!

Comment by LaDonna on October 15, 2011 at 2:43pm: Excellent post Pam. I know many times the kids will take the toy out of the Happy Meal, and leave the food! And, yes it is our responsibility as parents to help our children develop healthy eating habits.