Prince Charles suggests banning McDonalds

[Grace]

I saw some news coverage of this kid. Did you see the plate that his mother served him? Not one piece of green - it was all brown and white and swimming in gravy. No wonder he's morbidly obese.

Charles, at least, has a suggestion, a starting place. That kids mother seems to think it's perfectly fine to serve her kid food loaded with calories, carbs and fat.

[Marigold2]

I think what the Prince did was a good start. It gets people thinking. If parents don't go to MCD maybe they will do something healthier. I believe part of the problem is TV and video games. Kids used to go out and play, running, playing freeze tag, playing on the swings, going sledding, playing baseball, football. Now they sit in front of the TV and eat, the only thing moving is their mouth and thumbs. The schools really need to change their menu, school menus are awful. And how about an hour of PT, whats wrong with making track a must in school?

[sparks19]

never mind school menus.... what happened to packing a lunch?

And didn't ya hear.... Tag is a game of exclusion and violence How can a school ban TAG? It's sad. NOT that I am blaming schools what so ever for the obesity problem in kids. I remember going for bike rides with my parents as a family.... I can't remember the last time I saw parents going for a bike ride with their kids.

[caseysmom]

never mind school menus.... what happened to packing a lunch?

And didn't ya hear.... Tag is a game of exclusion and violence How can a school ban TAG? It's sad. NOT that I am blaming schools what so ever for the obesity problem in kids. I remember going for bike rides with my parents as a family.... I can't remember the last time I saw parents going for a bike ride with their kids.

We go for bike rides all the time...as do many families in our neighborhood.

[sparks19]

We go for bike rides all the time...as do many families in our neighborhood.

GOOD I love that. that was always one of my favourite things to do as a kid. go for a bike ride with my family. We always had so much fun. I never see that around here

[caseysmom]

Well you'll have to change that when you have your baby

[sparks19]

Well you'll have to change that when you have your baby

LOL I will Although.... I will have to get a new bike since every bike I own gets stolen LOL.... I need to invest in better locks lol.

[Miss Z]

I'm not Prince Charles's biggest fan, but I think at least he's thinking about ways to combat the situation. McDs, Burger Kings, and all the other greasebowls are popping up everywhere in the UK. I live almost on the borderline of farmland countryside, and it would take me about 10-15 mins to walk to the nearest fast food 'restaurant'. No need for any driving there.

We need to drastically reduce the amount of processed food available in supermarkets more than anything else, because it's just too convenient for people's own good. Burgers that are ready in less than two minutes are a god-send for mothers working full time and are tired, and it's what the kids will happily eat. This becomes routine and that's where the problems lie. I think a complete change of lifestyle is in order for obese families, not necessarily just the food they eat.

The schools really need to change their menu, school menus are awful.

Hehe, yes, well they used to be. After Jamie Oliver's campaign that was a massive success throughout the UK, school meals have become so much more varied and healthier, or at least most have. That is the sort of action that needs to be taken!

[Puckstop31]

That kids mother seems to think it's perfectly fine to serve her kid food loaded with calories, carbs and fat.

Pray we never have socialized medicine in the US. If we do, WE have to pay for this kids heart disease when he is 30, because of his own stupid choices.

Personal responsibility.... PERSONAL being key.

[Miss Z]

I saw some news coverage of this kid. Did you see the plate that his mother served him? Not one piece of green - it was all brown and white and swimming in gravy. No wonder he's morbidly obese.

I agree, it was revolting. It seems the whole family had some serious issues, a lack of a father and the mother had some sort of depression. Some days she would never get out of bed or bother sending the boy to school. Now, if they don't need counselling, no-one does.

Pray we never have socialized medicine in the US. If we do, WE have to pay for this kids heart disease when he is 30, because of his own stupid choices.

Personal responsibility.... PERSONAL being key.

I hope he goes private!

[mike001]

I don't know if Prince Charles was that misguided. Out here there's talk of raising the tax for anyone eating at a fast food junk outlet and it's a start. If people are forced to dish out double the tax on the food they might consider it cheaper to eat at a healthier place.

[Freedom]

I jsst read the link in Pam's post - the first in this thread. The NZ report is QUITE different from the report in our newspaper here in RI, USA.

OUR report ALSO says that Prince Charles MADE this comment while at a presentation at the London College Diabetes Center in Abu Dhabi, and that Saudi Arabia has the SECOND HIGHEST incidence of diabetes world wide. (The report does not say who is first, but I am betting on USA). And his comment about banning McDonald's was NOT made in reference to the obese 8 year old, but in reference to the high incidence of diabetes.

Having been through diabetes education classes with my Dad three times, I gotta tell ya, what Prince Charles said is repeated many, many times in diabetes education. We took it at three DIFFERENT medical institutions, the instructors were all different; but of course, all taught by the same central national diabatese educators' organization.
Sandra

[Pam]

My apologies if anyone thought I was being rude to Prince Charles. I just found his suggestion to not be addressing the problem at all. To ban McDonalds because of obesity would be like taking sugar off the shelves of supermarkets because of the increase in diabetes (which, by the way, goes hand in hand with obesity). The key is education, as others have said, and personal responsibility.

I just do not see why that child was not taken away from his mom at least for a time. There was a little girl recently in the news (maybe a year ago) with the same sort of problem only I believe she was younger (maybe age 3). She was temporarily removed from her home and her food was monitored although it did not help her. With controlled feeding her weight continued to rise so it was ruled some sort of medical condition. I think that boy should be given at least the same chance to be evaluated temporarily away from his mother. It could save his life. I just envision him becoming one of those 1,000 lb. people we often see on Discovery Health who are homebound and eating themselves into an early grave.

[CathyBogart]

Children are their parents' responsibility, not anyone else's. I like to treat myself to a package of fatty, fried, salty McD's fries on occasion, I don't want that option taken away from me because some incomptent people refuse to do what's best for their own offspring.

[carole]

Trust the kiwi reporter to get his facts wrong eh lol.

Firstly i think even if his suggestion is a good one, i cannot see it really working, there is much more out there than just mcdonalds, let's face it, you would have to ban all fast foods really to achieve any results worthwhile.

There was talk of putting a fast food tax here too, but it never eventuated, personally i think it would only make a very few people think ,cigarettes have always had tax on them here and they keep increasing it, but people continue to smoke, honestly i am not a big fast food eater, but if i wanted mcdonalds, no food tax would stop me .People just accept what they have no power to change, we never had gst tax on our goods, but that has been in place for years now, and we can do nothing about it, we still continue to buy goods regardless. I think people will still continue buying fast foods, they just realise that they will pay a bit more, so what.

Yes children are indeed their parents responsibility, but sadly not all parents are just that responsible, that is why we as a society have to interfer sometimes,it's a fact the bad ones always spoil it for the good ones, in general in most things in life, and therefore we all end up paying the price, if we did not interfer, then those children, who become adults do infact become a burden on society, i refer to obesity here, as then the tax payer, at least in my country end up footing the bill,for say health care etc etc.