Talking about a revolution...

So, my friends - what do you think about the so-called food revolution?  I would like your feedback, because I for one, am all about it.  I recently spent some time at an indoor water park, and well, the mall, and the playground, and my daughter's school.  Let's just say, pretty much everywhere I go, I see them.  Children who are overweight.  The chicken nugget generation.  It troubles me.

It troubles me not because the children are, well, fat.  What troubles me is the fact that they've been given no say in the matter.  They are tiny little kids.  They are not making their own food choices.  They are the direct product of what their parents are feeding them.  And it's sad. 

I am not the food police.  I allow my children to eat the things that are brightly colored and lack any sign of being the product of anything organic.  (You are what you eat?)  But I also try very hard to make sure they eat a variety of healthy foods on a daily basis.  (and for that matter organic too.)  It's important to me.  It's important to me that their little bodies are healthy.  I don't care what they look like, but I love that every day they have more than their daily allowances of everything they need and lots of antioxidants, and all that good stuff.   I feel good knowing they eat well.

As for the "looks" part of it.  I feel sorry for the kids I see.  I feel sorry for them because I was a kid once and kids can be cruel.  There were two kids that were particularly heavy in our class.  They got made fun of a lot.  And I am pretty certain it was detrimental to a lot more than their self-esteem.  I can't imagine what it felt like to be chided every day with nicknames and gestures.  One of them became the class clown and spent all his time deflecting his own feelings with humor.  The other one became so painfully shy, she barely made eye contact with anyone.

What bothers me, pisses me off, is that these innocent little children are being "made" into something without being given a chance.  To be honest, I don't know how it happens.  I don't know if it's lack of education, if it's laziness, selfishness or just stupidity.  Yes, I get it.  Some children have medical reasons for their weight.  I'm not talking about those kids.  I'm talking about the pizza roll, chicken nuggets, few products of the earth, sitting on the couch playing video games kids.  Do I think those things should be banished from the world?  No.  But perhaps some moderation would be nice, peppered with some veggies, some fruit and a lot of physical activity. 

Are any of you watching Jamie Oliver's show?  The one where he's trying to overhaul a school lunch system (with a lot of resistance) and turn basically the fattest city in the U.S. into a healthier one?  I find it fascinating.  And sickening.  I am the first to admit I love convenience.  But where do we draw the line between what's easy and what's HEALTHY for our children?  And who draws that line for the kids whose parents won't?  I don't know what my point is as I stand on this soap box.  I just feel sorry for the kids.  I'm sure they're quite happy, I mean, who isn't happy when they're eating a ding dong?  But seriously?  Wake up parents.  Give your kids a fair shot at a healthy life. 

Your thoughts?  Spill it.