ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

My thought on obesity in our culture are based on a whole lot of research I did for a series of speeches which I gave concerning big business and the health of the nation.
I discovered that the use of MSG in all factory produced packaged and tinned foods was after much lobbying by big business condoned that is agreed to, by both the American and the Australian governments.
MSG is a drug which promotes the feeling of hunger (just needing one more...) and cuts off the body's' natural feeling of fullness, so instead of being and feeling full after ten chips we eat the whole packet!
Same with a packet of biscuits or tin of soup or anything flavor enhanced with MSG.
The horrible thing the big business boys have done is to get permission to call MSG other names too so its harder for us who care to tell where it is. Some other names are yeast extract, flavor, gelatin, sodium caseinate,hydrolyzed protein, and calcium caseinate.
If parents become aware of this additive and stop feeding it to themselves and their families they will be amazed at how much money the save and how much less they eat!
Obesity is controllable we just have to be given a fair go by those who we trust to produce our food!
Courage to you all!
Juliana

As a child care health consultant in Washington state I see many child care operations in both the home and center. The ones where children move the most are where there is no or limited play equipment outside and inside is easily adjusted to create an open space. Mounded dirt covered with grass for rolling, old truck tires for climbing, cones for an obstacle course and a chunk of concrete for an adjustable basketball hoop keep children plenty busy outside. An open indoor space where tables and chairs are easily pushed to the walls is enough to guide children to be animals in a rain forest, an airplane flying over the neighborhood or a train passing by farmland. If the TV is off and cardboard blocks, a box of play clothes, a bin of Kinex, a rubber ball etc. are available kids will move...all on their own.

On the other side of the child obesity issue is child nutrition. The CACFP plays a huge role in child nutrition. CACFP is a quality indicator of child care programs and should be viewed as a player in the fight against childhood obesity.

Our profession needs to work diligently to educate licensing organizations on the urgency of this issue; and to partner cooperatively in creating movement-friendly learning environments. The "safety" restrictions put unreasonably on classroom and playground equipment have effectively removed swings and slides by shortening them to the point of futility (How can a three year old get a great head rush if his feet touch the ground from the top step!?) - it's a serious obstacle to physical development and social-emotional well-being.

Now some state licensing agencies even require one chair per child. There are no good reasons for a classroom to have chairs - children prefer to squat or stand, it supports their reach and balance. Chairs create an unnecessary power struggle between teacher and child, used unreasonably to define a child's "focus and attention" when teachers use chairs for "classroom management". Better to use interesting content! Chairs rob classrooms of square footage that can be put to better purpose. Children can safely eat seated on the ground or taking turns at a defined dining table (and eat when they are hungry) without every child needing to sit in a chair at the same time.

The ideal classroom has a wall of mirrors, a wall of windows, a wall of ladders, a floor of futon mattresses, and three trapeze bars. Movement will be restored to Early Childhood when learning environments better reflect young children's interest rather than adults' neurosis.

Having Pet CHICKENS to chase around the yard is one of my favorite "weapons" in fighting childhood obesity

Being active is key. Move more, eat less. Child care programs need to rethink how we help children be active. We have also done children a disservice in removing much of the risk from spaces and restricting active play as in games of tag, chase etc. Organized physical activity in the form of games is making a come back. climbing, running, jumping.

Risking the fall, the scraped knee, the turned ankle, the split lip, is hard to do when it can easily end up in a lawsuit or a CPS investigation.

Regulators, many parents, and the world, have forgotten that childhood is a time for bumps and bruises and scrapes and stitches and the occasional broken wrist etc.

When a parent files a lawsuit, and settles out of court , or wins a judgment because "little Freddy" got a green stick fracture when he jumped from the climber and landed in the 13 inches of impact absorbing play chips, it makes it scary to embrace greater activity. When "Mary" is running with a group lead by a teacher and she falls and chips her tooth, and her parents want pain and suffering compensation and the insurance company settles,, what message is that sending us?

Welcome to Kids' World. Ms. Smith.... Please place Freddy in his personal "Ultra Shield Hypoallergenic Padded Latex Capsule" and be assured no harm will come to him while you are at work..

Thank you

Michael