Spanish kids between the fattest of Europe

I bring up this new because there are so many threads talking about how thin and skinny Spanish are... if we don't take care, maybe it won't be like that in the future. I guess it's because we're changing the food habits..
http://www.elpais.es/suple/salud/articul...nchor=elpsalpor

Wow! Interesting article, Miguelito... Thanks for sharing that, but i'm sad to hear it.

I have spent a good deal of time in Japan, as well as Spain, and have noticed a similar trend among Japanese youngsters. Of course, in Japan it's because of the popularity of western style foods (yep, American foods), and the fact that kids think it is not cool to eat what their parents eat, which tends to be more traditional foods. Starting to see some *real* heavy ones there!

In Spain I did not notice so many lardos, altho who could *NOT* notice "Kentucky Fried Chicken," and "Pizza Hut!!??" Let's hope Spanish kids realize how great Spanish food is, and how bland American food is (altho there is some great American food to be had).

Also, Miguelito, your written English is great, and your ability to catch the subtle nuances like 'fattest' is top-notch! Can I offer a tricky-translation correction to you?

"Los niños españoles, *entre* los más gordos de Europa" translates more closely to "Spanish Children *among* the fattest of Europe." I know it's a strange thing to point out, but since your written English is so good I thought you would not mind knowing that word for this particular translation... 'Between' and 'among' have very different meanings. There are certainly words in English that have the same type of ambiguity in meaning as 'entre,' like 'bank.'

Again, I hope you do not mind the tip!

Andrew
:wq

ha ha, thank you, I have notice now what I have writen.
This has remained me the joke about the English Academy...
Is this the English Academy?
If, if, between, between
(sí, sí, entre, entre)

I didn't read the article, but I've noticed that that youngsters the past few years are many that are fat. When I was younger in spain, there were some who were a bit chubby, but not like you see today! Even europeans and other foreigners who come to the US to visit, realize how unfriendly the American diet is on their bodies I eat more in Spain and am thinner - maybe because I insist on if not homemade food, tapas and spanish food when I go out! (Yes I drive my friends quite crazy with my yearning for tapas! ) And we laugh when someone wants to go to McDonalds or something else american and I refuse!

The thought has been tossed around for years that a primary reason for weight gain (other than McD's and lot and stuffing ones face too often) is the amount of chemicals used in the growing and forced rippening of foods PLUS all the additives used in the preservation of food. Be it vegetables, fish, or meat - the amount of chemicals has increased over the years. Any thoughts?

Puna,

totally right on! how can we expect foods to retain vitamins, enzymes, etc.., when we process the hell out of them?

also, Americans are largely stationary / sessile... kinda like sponges! he he he...! last I knew, Spaniards (Europeans) *and* Japanese do a great deal of walking and burn off carbs, while Americans tend not to...

I know we live in largely captalistic countries, but what service are we doing ourselves if we allow people to become this way? (sort of off topic, Arizona has a 'fat tax,' created especially for the burden that 'fat eaters' will eventually cause our health system. when you buy fatty foods you pay an extra tax on them -- taking it too far??) locura! ya os digo!

Puna --

I think you are right on the mark about the over processed foods with all the chemical additives. Since I have been here, I have shed 15 lbs in a year and a half. Believe me, I think it has everything to do with what I have been eating and the altered lifestyle. Rather than my conscious effort to lose the weight.

We do not buy, as a general rule, any processed foods. Most everything that we buy is fresh and all our meals are prepared from scratch. I confess that I do buy the "cheese singles" (individually wrapped cheesefood slices) because I can´t calm my craving for the occasional grilled cheese sandwich. However apart from that... everything is much more elaborated than the "typical" American meal.

I think something else that has an affect is the eating hours. The largest meal of the day here is midday (ok, 2-4pm not exactly midday by Anglo standards), giving you ample time to digest and workoff that food. Dinner, although eaten much later, is generally much much lighter.

I find the proliferation of McDonalds and other fast food restaurants (Spanish, English, French, American etc) here extremely disconcerting. The consumerism hook is fast getting a foothold here in Spain. Everything from impulse purchases (you know, buying candy at the checkout line when you hadn´t really planned on purchasing it) to product placement (paying a premium to have your product placed at eye level on the grocery store shelves) is bigtime here. And unfortnately the biggest names in the game are the ones you will most likely recognize: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, Procter & Gamble, etc..etc.

Globalization. Is it good or is it bad ¿?

I totally agree about the processed foods. When I moved to Spain and had no microwave, I was forced to cook from scratch and low and behold, went from a size 8/10 to a 6. I did nothing more than get rid of my car and cook with natural foods instead of processed foods. Does anyone out there think children in Spain are gaining weight because they are getting less home-cooked meals? I see them eating more in more in school cafeterias and less at home (perhaps due to women working more)?? Plus, I remember in the 80s it was not common to see frozen meals and now the supermarkets are full of them.

Let's talk for a sec about U.S. public school menus, all the junk we sell to kids in the schools, etc.
I work in a public school and the lunch menus are scandalous. There's hardly an ounce of nutrition in what they eat and I wonder how many parents know what their children are eating. Most kids go off campus to fast food but the ones who choose to stay aren't eating any better.

Just had another thought. I think everyone's points are valid as to why Spanish children are fatter than before, but we haven't touched upon why Spain compared to the rest of Europe. I see all the factors we've commented on in most/all western countries, so why are Spanish children the fattest in Europe?

Chica,

I completely agree with your comments about the larger meal being midday and eating lighter at nite. There is also a school of thought that snacking throughout the day keeps the metabolism up and is far more healthy than eating a couple of large meals - especially at night ... and then veggie in front of the 'idiot box'.

Exercise is crucial but not a 'go to the gym - go crazy - hurt - avoid the gym 'til healed - then do it again' syndrome. The streets are full of pedestrians in Spain - people walk daily and for reasonable distances. Thats healthy and consistent exercise.

I always loose weight when I'm in Spain - and because neither my activities nor eating habits chance very much - I know it's due to the quality of the food.

Nevado,

You're right on about the garbage we feed our kids in the school system. It's disgraceful - and far too many kids get fed the same way at home!

It may be a personal perception but... I think that the fast food "restaurants" have grown in number and in usage in the last five years in Spain. We are getting use to it.

When I was a child there could be 40 or so McDonald's, Wendys, Pizza Huts and Burger Kings in Spain. Now there are hundreds, and more companies have joined the market (Domino's Pizza, the spanish Telepizza, Tommy Roma's and even Big Boy tried it).

In 50 years of continuous and steady marketing they have managed to change some of our habits. 15 years ago children went to McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy twice in a whole year. Now it is more frequent.

Not only that, we now live more quickly, with less time to have dinner at midday.

Do you really know how our timetables are?

It is normal for a spaniard to have breakfast at 11-12 o'clock in the morning, to have midday dinner at half past three in the afternoon, or to have dinner at half past ten or eleven in the evening.

When I went to USA I wanted to check by myself if the food was that bad... I manage to go to a supermarket and what I found is that a spanish typical meal could be made without much problem... the ingredients were there at hand, and they were of quality but... the people were used to buy prepared food and didn't like to cook at home. It is not like in England (were finding some ingredients can be a nightmare), you have good stuff to cook, use it! :p

Fernando (which has made a promise not to put a foot in a fast-food restaurant frequently)

My suggestion to part of the problem is that kids don't play outside as much as they used to for whatever reason but ONE reason might be home-bound distractions like TV, videogames, & computers where you just sit for long periods of time.

Maybe the parental control over children is lessening too. Maybe parents don't force (or spank) their kids to eat their vegetables or curb their eating habits like they once did. Sometimes I think THIS is part of the reason why so many North Americans are so incredibly fat is because "Johnny isn't 'made' to eat his vegetables anymore" and parents are TAKING them to eat McDonald's at the busstop or something like this. I'm sure the debate could last years on this topic.

Maybe if families ate their meals together more often.... but I suppose children almost always eat their meals at home with the family... but now that both parents are working, in Spain and everywhere else, kids are having more meals on their own.

I think I'm guessing it's more of a family issue than a societal one but that's only a feeling. My ladyfriend all the time is telling me, "Things used to be 'this way' but I can see it changing and not for the better..." She says often how their culture, along with most western European cultures, are becoming more and more "North American-like" because of all the products, foods/restaurants, TV shows, movies, and other influences we (here in the USA) place upon them... and without their permission.

Maybe if Spanish kids today see TV shows or movies from the USA with heavier kids then they too think it's okay to be fat, that it's acceptible.

Okay.. here's the disclaimer: I am not a parent, I have no children, I have never been a mentor to a child, and probably don't know what I'm talking about. I'm not a know-it-all. I'm more of a know-very-little when it comes to raising a child. There you go! :p hehehe..

Saludos, MadridMan

The average American kid spends about 28 hours each week watching television, and another 10 hours each week in front of computer or video game screens. That adds up to a full-time job in front of screens--more time than they spend in school or doing anything else but sleeping!

I think you're right on, MM, parent or not. Our kids are horribly inactive.

And of course the trend is spreading throughout the world...pick a place where television is a recent introduction and follow it for the next 50 years. The rate of childhood and adult obesity will match ours here in the US, I am sure.

E. B. White said, "Television hangs on the questionable theory that whatever happens anywhere should be sensed everywhere. If everyone is going to be able to see everything, in the long run all sights may lose whatever rarity value they once possessed, and it may well turn out that people, being able to see and hear practically everything, will be specially interested in almost nothing."

No wonder they sit around, bored, eating chips and drinking Coke all day. The combination of poor eating habits and inactivity is dangerous. The rate of "adult-onset" diabetes in children is astonishing...along with high cholesterol, heart disease, and lots of other things that used to only catch up with us in middle age.

Hi everybody,

As I see not many parents around, I thought I'd chip in:

My six year old is a skinny little stick (we live her in Madrid) because:

(1) He has just colacao (chocolate milk) and whole wheat cookies for breakfast, his main meal at school which fortunately is typically Spanish food: for example, he might have lentils and roast chicken and potatoes followed by yogurt or fruit; I think this is typical, so its not the fault of school meals!
(2) His school emphasizes sports: 3 times a week included plus 2 more times extra (we pay a little for it) plus judo for 1 hour (at a private club) three times a week. He's a very active kid, so he loves it! This is probably NOT typical, so one problem.
(3) We try to limit his consumption of "Spanish Junk food" or chucherías; actually, I think that lack of exercise and SPANISH NOT AMERICAN junk food is the culprit. Every corner in Madrid seems to have a junk food store, usually called "frutos secos". So, I think the problem is most families in Spain have one, maybe 2, very spoiled kid and they buy them candy and pastries between meals! The "bollycao" (kinda like twinkies!) syndrome, plus lots of candy.
(4) Sam hates Spanish sandwiches, but many Spanish children seem to eat a big sandwich with chocolate cream ("nocilla") or ham and cheese, between meals, like at 10:00 a.m. Sam likes to eat carrot sticks between meals.
(5)Finally, more and more kids are living in suburbs. They are, therefore, driven everywhere and are driven or take the bus to school.

So, in conclusion, I think its the combination of: less sports and getting driven around; and getting spoiled (which means parents and grandparents buying them treats daily!)

Bye for now, I'd better get back to work if I don't want to get fired,

Val

Hey Val, you have a very important point there: Bollería industrial (bollicaos and such things). When kids eat one of those everyday it is not good for their health. Chucherías may be a problem, but I really don't think parents allow children to buy a lot of these...

MM: The american restaurants are being placed here with our permission Yes, that kind of food is awful, but we are volunteerly eating it; and at leat they generate a lot of work (yes, also bad kind of jobs, but still they generate wealth, most McDonald's are franchises run by spaniards).

It is a very complex issue. In what we all agree is that: Eating home-made food, making exercise regularly and don't sitting the whole day watching TV are healthy things...

Fernando

The deal with school lunches here is not that they're not healthy, it's just that the kids eat the main item and toss the rest out.

My wife spent six years here in LA as an elementary school teacher, and both our grandmothers were school "lunch ladies". The kids dump the fruit and salad, eating only the fatty "chicken nuggets" or "pizza"-style items.

[For me, if the McNugget comes from where I McThink it does, I don't want to McEat it!]

I teach here in SoCal now, and notice that the average school kid here eats a bag of doritos and a 20 oz. sugar-beverage soft drink. After looking at the increase in belly-mass, I know why they're called "soft" drinks!

As for me, I would love to attend school someplace where there was lentils for lunch, as long as I had a bocadillo de nocilla or "un bollycao" waiting later, too!!! ¡Ñam ñam!

http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/