Disturbing New Children's Book 'Maggie Goes On A Diet' Encourages Young Girls To Diet
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-stampler/disturbing-new-childrens-_b_931532.html
A chubby young girl with Pippi Longstocking braids stands in front of the mirror holding up a too-small pink dress and sees a different -- some may say better -- version of herself. Her mirror image is thin. No, this is not an after school special on eating disorders; it's the cover of a (disturbing) new children's book with the (possibly more disturbing) title, Maggie Goes on a Diet. And, this will be in bookstores October 16.
W. C. Fields once came to Adelle Davis, the world-famous nutritionist, and told her, "Look: I'm going to eat, drink, smoke, and be merry any damned way I want, just as I always have, because those are all things I like. What supplements should I take to stay as healthy as possible anyway?" Ms. Davis was cool with that, and drew up a list of supplements he should take, and healthy but good-tasting versions of some of his favorite foos, that would help him maintain his health. Another reason I love Ms. Davis to pieces. After all, he wasn't hurting anyone with his lifestyle choices, and he was willing to add the supplements, etc. to maintain health. He paid her fee and was happily on his way, with nary a complaint.
I think too many people equate "fat" with "enjoying food too much." Not good. Food that really tastes good -- assuming you have ever experienced it -- usually has something going for it, nutritional aspects you need in your diet. Junk food, on the other hand, is something people can continuously, mindlessly consume all day long, something to make you feel full and maybe give you a white sugar or other carbohydrate jag, and never interfere with your lifetime obsession with being entertained. People who consume huge amounts of junk food over a long period of time will probably get fat as a result, but the real problem is that also become terribly malnourished, their various organs and organ-systems -- especially the liver and brain -- starved for various mission-critical nutrients and malfunctioning more and more. In short, fat isn't the problem -- malnutrition is. Clear that up and fat will start going away as people concentrate less and less on quantity and more and more on quality of food. It takes far more junk food to feel satisfied than it does truly nourishing food, after all.
But that isn't my real beef here -- and it isn't aimed at the author of the article linked above: My real beef is that the First Lady or anyone else has no more right to shove nutritional and other regimes and obsessions on us, especially on our children, than anyone else does. None. Zip. Nada. As usually, Michelle Obama is shoving her damned nose into our business and that of our children, trying to change our minds by thinly veiled intimidation on everything from food to politics. Yes, being fat can kill you. Last time I looked, there's nothing in the US Constitution that says ". . . and the First Lady must give orders to all our citizens on their diet or any other personal thing." Parents have that right when it comes to their children, not politicians. When will they ever learn -- and how, dammit?
A chubby young girl with Pippi Longstocking braids stands in front of the mirror holding up a too-small pink dress and sees a different -- some may say better -- version of herself. Her mirror image is thin. No, this is not an after school special on eating disorders; it's the cover of a (disturbing) new children's book with the (possibly more disturbing) title, Maggie Goes on a Diet. And, this will be in bookstores October 16.
W. C. Fields once came to Adelle Davis, the world-famous nutritionist, and told her, "Look: I'm going to eat, drink, smoke, and be merry any damned way I want, just as I always have, because those are all things I like. What supplements should I take to stay as healthy as possible anyway?" Ms. Davis was cool with that, and drew up a list of supplements he should take, and healthy but good-tasting versions of some of his favorite foos, that would help him maintain his health. Another reason I love Ms. Davis to pieces. After all, he wasn't hurting anyone with his lifestyle choices, and he was willing to add the supplements, etc. to maintain health. He paid her fee and was happily on his way, with nary a complaint.
I think too many people equate "fat" with "enjoying food too much." Not good. Food that really tastes good -- assuming you have ever experienced it -- usually has something going for it, nutritional aspects you need in your diet. Junk food, on the other hand, is something people can continuously, mindlessly consume all day long, something to make you feel full and maybe give you a white sugar or other carbohydrate jag, and never interfere with your lifetime obsession with being entertained. People who consume huge amounts of junk food over a long period of time will probably get fat as a result, but the real problem is that also become terribly malnourished, their various organs and organ-systems -- especially the liver and brain -- starved for various mission-critical nutrients and malfunctioning more and more. In short, fat isn't the problem -- malnutrition is. Clear that up and fat will start going away as people concentrate less and less on quantity and more and more on quality of food. It takes far more junk food to feel satisfied than it does truly nourishing food, after all.
But that isn't my real beef here -- and it isn't aimed at the author of the article linked above: My real beef is that the First Lady or anyone else has no more right to shove nutritional and other regimes and obsessions on us, especially on our children, than anyone else does. None. Zip. Nada. As usually, Michelle Obama is shoving her damned nose into our business and that of our children, trying to change our minds by thinly veiled intimidation on everything from food to politics. Yes, being fat can kill you. Last time I looked, there's nothing in the US Constitution that says ". . . and the First Lady must give orders to all our citizens on their diet or any other personal thing." Parents have that right when it comes to their children, not politicians. When will they ever learn -- and how, dammit?