Nancy Was Right: Just Say "No"

Kellogg to raise nutrition of kids' food By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 14, 7:51 AM ET WASHINGTON - Kellogg Co., the world's largest cereal maker, has agreed to raise the nutritional value of cereals and snacks it markets to children. The Battle Creek, Mich., company avoided a lawsuit threatened by parents and nutrition advocacy groups worried about increasing child obesity. Kellogg intends to formally announce its decision Thursday. (Yahoo News)

OK, it is time, once again, for me to get out my whipping stick and use it against the backside of some people's heads. Let us start first with a reality check shall we. Everyone who was born before 1980, raise your hand please. Now how many of you ate Froot Loops (and those other confectionery yummies) on a fairly regular basis? Now, how many of you that did not, asked your parents for them on a fairly regular basis?

Two questions then: 1) Were you obese during your school years and do you think it had ANYTHING to do with the cereal you ate? 2) Do you think, for those parents that did not buy it, that they were in any way influenced by your begging for it?

Folks, let us be honest here. Sugary cereals are no better and no worse for our children (or us) than anything else they put into their bodies, including but not limited to juice boxes, peanut butter (except those with allergies of course) Domino's Pizza or a Big Mac. What is bad for them is doing it in excess and as an excuse for poor nutrition. It is also not good that most children today get less exercise in a week then we used to get in a day. Between the elimination of exercise (gym) classes, busing and limited outdoor play time (remember you would walk to school, then have to wait outside until they opened the doors? And you would do that at the beginning of the day, at lunch and at the end of the day, and have two recesses as well - at least at elementary school level?). Now they pick you up by bus, even if you live across the street from the school (yes, I am not kidding - there is a tunnel under the street and everything too so they could walk), march you into the gym and make you sit quietly in rows before marching you off to class. You get one recess and that is it. They come home and maybe get a few minutes of play time before being rushed off to this or that activity (which results in more sitting in the car than time spent at the activity) and then home to do a couple of hours of homework.

And we are wondering why our society is fat? Give me the study money and I will tell you why, and all I will have to do is take a chair out to the corner of walk and don't walk and count pedestrians. Our society is fat because we have gotten lazy. Pure and simple. It has nothing to do with advertising on TV and it has everything to do with parental responsibility, personal responsibility and the willpower to say enough is enough.