not surprising, but busy folks can use a heads-up sometimes.

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No doubt state legislators will soon be declaring that as well as kids' own BMI going on their report cards, their parents' BMI should be listed, too, so that entire families can be shamed.

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Hmpf, well there's a shocker.

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that is what is so horrible in this country, Calamari! Why on earth would you want to shame someone, let alone their whole family? First off, Kids have an extremely difficult time fitting in - especially overweight children! Why in the name of all thats good, would you want to make it worse for them? You think shaming someone will make them step on a treadmill? NO! It will cause them to reach for those oreos! Some people have medical problems which lead to weight gain. You have to have compassion for people if you want to see change!

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They had to do a study for this? Just ask any mom...that's your study and no money was spent!!
And yes, this is all sad, but true...

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I always cook for my family I was shocked to find most family just eat T.V. Dinners and such or just junk food at every meal..... My kids eat there veggies and love fruit because thats what I allow in my home for them to eat....Even when I worked full time I knew how to use a crockpot and othere things to help me out...its my kids health and its up to me to make sure they eat right my job as a mother.

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Cyndy should be worried that her children will be able to spell correctly, use good grammer and use the right punctuation. It doesn't look like you are setting much of an example academically. Hmmm, can you do that with your crockpot?

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ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!!
For anyone who cares about their health, please be sure to read this article written by Dr. Mercola: http://www.mercola.com/2003/oct/15/cooking_oil.htm

Coconut oil and Palm oil are the two safest oils to use when cooking! You'll harm your health in a terrible way if you don't understand the danger of heating most other types of oils.

PLEASE visit Mercola.com and type in "Saturated Fat". You'll be suprised at the truth on this topic. This site has excellent health advice if you want to type in any other health concern! I hope this helps somebody! I wish I had known alot of this stuff a long time ago.

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Gee Lisa, you'd think if you were going to correct someone's grammar, you'd spell it correctly. ;-)

Ignoring the grammar mistakes, good for you Cyndy! It is so important that children learn to eat healthily, especially in this day and age where obesity is becoming epidemic. I think we could all learn something from you there.

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FYI Lisa: you spelled "grammar" incorrectly.

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Sorry, I was posting at the same time as Shaina-- I should have guessed someone would catch it:)

I cook for my family almost every night, but we do sometimes grab quick convenience foods or eat out. We try our best to find a good balance, but I know we could do better. I was glad to read that you can "make up for" some bad choices with fruits and veggies, which are our main snacks. Every week, we try to find an exotic piece of produce we haven't tried, and the kids pick their own apples and citrus and such to snack on. All the fun names of the apples sure help (Pink Lady is my younger daughter's current favorite!) I think one of our big issues with fat in our diets is BAKING. We love to bake with our kids, and we do so several times a week, though we give most of it away. This article did make me think about my childless (or child-free depending on how they look at it) friends. At least in my circle, this is right on the money. But I sure wouldn't trade my crazy kids for a smaller waist!

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I agree healthy eating is important, and I cook dinner every night for my family. The thing I think is crazy is how schools are approaching this subject. Just because you eat heatlthy, doesn't mean you can't occasionally treat yourself, they are kids you know?!

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I believe our health is more important than knowing how to properly use grammar and punctuation. I rather use a crockpot and have a healthy family. You can learn to use correct grammar and punctuation...you cannot prolong life with a diseased body; this also affects the mind.

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Everyone is blaming "trans-fats" and crying "obesity epidemic". "Let's get the evil cupcakes out of school and only feed them soy pizza & greens". Come on people! When I was a kid, life was a lot SAFER! We could go outside to play all day without the fear of some creep abducting us or becoming victims of drive-by shootings. We could go out and play in the parks; all over the neighborhood. Plus, we didn't have all these stupid videogames and 250+ channels on cable tv. Health-fanatics are first to point the finger towards "evil food" instead of the real culprit; out-of-control crime and electonic babysitters. If kids were able to go out and run around safely, then we wouldn't have this so-called "obesity epidemic". Also, "hands off my kid's birthday cupcake at school!

A Commonsense Mom

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I believe families just need to get back to the basics. What happened to gathering around the table for meals???? Our Moms are probably turning over in their graves.What happened to going to the movie as a FAMILY??? What happened to THE PEOPLE having a say and having something done to help everyone???WHAT Happened to our freedoms???? Just worries me that FAMILIES aren't FAMILIES anymore!! I believe in eating right as a FAMILY, and cooking good foods for our children but soo much emphasis is put on so many things. Just go back to the BASICS and everything just might fall into place. Thank you for allowing me this oppertunity to have my say, and I hope I didn't injure anyones feelings.

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Everyone knows it; good nutrition is the most important thing we can do to safeguard our health and prevent chronic disease. Our culture is what down plays the importance of healthy eating, and instead puts focus on convenience. Aww… busy mom, boo hoo. I work full time for a large corporation, care for my family and run my own small business. I don’t eat fast food & cook at home. Everyday. All it takes is a little planning and self discipline. People need to own up and take care of themselves now, or they’re only going to have themselves to blame for the health issues that effect themselves and their family down the road.

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I have lost four childless, physically fit girlfriends to cancer. I have not been exposed to STD's like they were living single and with a "free love" mindset. As a result of their looser lifestyles, they had cancer in their reproductive systems. Maybe I like to cook good and that is my downfall weight wise, but I don't have to go the the gynecologist every other month because of foul smelling discharge and to a psychologist to sort through the emotional dilemna of a long list of hit and run relationships with married, and noncommittal men. I want to know how many participated in this test sample of "single" people and what their moral values are lack of are. Until I know, I will conclude that this research is biased.

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For those who haven't been trained properly to use crock pots and to cook meals for their families, it makes it hard to figure out what to make. By the time we get home at night from work and doing the kid's practices we have an hour and a half to get homework done, bath and eat dinner before the kids go to bed. (kids are 3 & 5) How do working moms handle dinner without a lot of dinner knowledge?

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kids are not making us fat!!!! we parents are making ourselves fat! get a clue, we are the grown ups here-

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This is not surprising in the least. Most of the parents I know (moms especially) will finish the food their kids leave on the plate, so not only are they eating their serving, they are getting the extra calories, carbs, fats, etc. that their kids leave behind-- which is wrong for lots of reasons.

This is pretty off topic but I have to say it:
I love kids (though as of yet my husband and I are childless) but one thing I think is so incredibly nasty is when people eat after their small children. Little kids do all kinds of really gross things-- like picking their nose (or other even less sanitary body parts... ahem) and then pick food up with their fingers and eat it. Parents who eat after their kids are LUCKY if all they get is fat!!

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