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How has this happened in our society and how do parents deal with it?

Misra says there are too many factors to name them all. They include parents with busy lifestyles who no longer have time to participate in outdoor activities with young children. Also busy parents have resorted to the option of relying too much on fast food as a source of regular meals for themselves and their families which in turn leads to many health problems. Added to these factors is the fact that children are not as safe playing outdoors as they once were, so they stay in more often and watch TV or play video games.

There also is the perception that eating healthy is more expensive. For some lower-income families, eating burgers and fries from the dollar menu during a busy day pleases the whole family, but that can lead to problems.

"For example, a large burger, fries and a soda can be as much as 1,500 to 1,800 calories in one meal when the daily calorie intake for an adult should be around 2,000," Misra points out.

She adds that a good portion of those fast-food calories come from sugar or fat because these are the ingredients that make food "tastier" and more enticing to the palate. So she believes the food industry must bear some responsibility for portion sizes and fat and sugar content and she is pleased to see that some fast food chains have taken the initiative by providing healthy alternatives.

Misra hopes that parents would first opt for healthier meals for themselves for their own sake but also as a way of setting an example to their children to demonstrate the virtues of eating healthy. After all children being children they cannot be expected to make "healthy choices" and it is incumbent upon the parents to make such choices for them. This can range from avoiding fast food altogether or making changes in their preferences such as opting for water or diet soda instead of the calorie ri
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Contact: Tura King
tmk@univrel.tamu.edu
979-845-4670
Texas A&M University
12-Mar-2004