Playball40
Veteran Member
I wish all teachers, schools and coaches were made to read.
https://cheriemonarch.com/2017/02/27/dont-look-in-my-lunchbox/
https://cheriemonarch.com/2017/02/27/dont-look-in-my-lunchbox/
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Enjoyed this blog post - Don't Look in my Lunchbox.
- Thread starter Playball40
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thebeave
Veteran Member
In general, I agree. People need to just STFU in situations for which they don't know the background or full story. I find that people who go around thumping their chest about how knowledgeable they are about nutrition are often the most misguided. I do disagree, though, with this statement from the blog:
Mothers (or parents for that matter), can be severely misguided when it comes to knowing what's best for their child, particularly if they adhere to some food ideology, like the "raw foods" movement, anti-gmo/pro-organic, veganism, etc. I just had a long talk last week with a guy who works at a teen eating disorder clinic (his wife works there too) and he tells me its usually the parents who are responsible for their kids' eating problems. Though, often its not just the foods they give their kids, but psychological abuse (fat shaming, etc) is huge as well. And their clientele is mostly very well educated and wealthy.
Mothers (or parents for that matter), can be severely misguided when it comes to knowing what's best for their child, particularly if they adhere to some food ideology, like the "raw foods" movement, anti-gmo/pro-organic, veganism, etc. I just had a long talk last week with a guy who works at a teen eating disorder clinic (his wife works there too) and he tells me its usually the parents who are responsible for their kids' eating problems. Though, often its not just the foods they give their kids, but psychological abuse (fat shaming, etc) is huge as well. And their clientele is mostly very well educated and wealthy.
Playball40
Veteran Member
I appreciate your response, but I will say this....your guy that 'works at an eating disorder clinic' is about as WRONG as you can get. Not to say there are not bad parents out there - fat shaming is a huge problem in this country and can lead to low self esteem and children inappropriately 'dieting'. Kids/teens that have the predisposition genetically to ED can fall down that hole very quickly once they start to restrict or purge. But there must be the genetics there first - it's a brain disorder with psychological components, not the other way around.
thebeave
Veteran Member
Well, I searched briefly to see whether its genetics or parenting that's the dominant cause of eating disorders but didn't find anything definitive. If you have anything, I'd like to see it. Its possible I may have misused the term, "...usually the parents", but I do know that he specifically singled out parents as a big problem when it comes to teen eating disorders. His clinic brings the parents on board for its therapy sessions to get at the root causes of the problems, and he told me, in a rather shocked manner, just how screwed up they often are. He did acknowledge and affirm the genetic component, which I asked about. I may email him the article to see what he and/or his wife has to say about it
It could be that there are just a lot kooky parents in the Bay Area. We have a lot of anti-vaccination and alternative medicine activist parents here, especially in Marin County.
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Playball40
Veteran Member
Root causes are irrelevant in recovering from an eating disorder. The ED itself is the problem and, with respect to anorexia, the ONLY known successful medicine/treatment is food (weight restoration). I'm not saying there are not triggers, influences or bad parents though. I will find you the latest research if you are truly interested. The last few years have been very informative, especially with brain imaging.
While all her points about reasons for unusual food choices are valid the usual thing is the parents being lazy or the parents packing what the kids want even though there's no good reason for it. All her valid reasons are things they should have gone over with the doctor anyway so it would not be unreasonable for the school to ask for a doctor's note about "unhealthy" lunches.
Playball40
Veteran Member
Bullshit. And it's not really up to the school to second guess my kids food choices, EVEN IF they think they are not 'healthy'.
Playball40
Veteran Member
This site has the most up to date information if you are interested, but here is a pamphlet that they provide.
Ok never mind, I can't get this to upload properly.
Ok never mind, I can't get this to upload properly.
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Underseer
Contributor
Stopped reading at number one:
Negative energy balance?
I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in non-fact-based health claims. Fuck this naturopathy bullshit.
Elixir
Made in America
Obviously you need your toxins cleansed and your meridians re-balanced. Crystal therapy might help somewhat, but you probably need this:
thebeave
Veteran Member
Did you read the link about the negative energy balance? To be fair to the OP, I don't think it means what you think it means. I thought of "woo" too when I first saw it. I read the "negative energy balance" link, and I believe its being used in an informal context of calories in versus calories out. That is, people with anorexia have a "negative energy balance", since they expend more energy than they take in (in the form of food). It is a poor choice of words to use, that's for sure if you want to lend credibility to your audience.
I'm still mostly disturbed by the blanket statement that the school should just, well, "Fuck Off" when it comes to the health and nutrition of the school kids. There are most certainly misguided or, worse, abusive parents (Manchausen by proxy, anyone?) out there. It would be such a tragedy if everyone stood by and watched a kid slowly die of malnutrition just because everyone was too afraid they might offend the parent. Parents of kids with EDs should let their teachers, coaches, school nurses, etc know about their kid's ED on the first day of school, so everyone is well informed of the situation from the get-go. If another parent wants to be a busy-body, they should go talk to the school authorities about it to get the straight scoop.
bilby
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This claim I have a big problem with - "I am my child’s mother and I know their nutritional needs better than anyone."
It could be true. But it's far from certain, or even likely. Anyone with a functioning reproductive system can become a parent; and the act of giving birth does not confer a degree in human nutrition, epidemiology, biochemistry, or toxicology upon a person.
When you give birth, you get a child, not an education; Having to learn how to care for that child by total immersion can certainly be an effective incentive to learn a lot of new things very fast, but it doesn't guarantee that such learning will be a success, nor does it insulate a parent from error. There's a lot of misinformation out there, and being a parent is no indicator of an ability to tell fact from fiction.
Parents may (or may not) be competent to determine a child's nutritional needs. Teachers and school staff who are required to know about nutrition as part of their job are more likely to be competent in this regard than parents (although there is plenty of scope for one or both to be incompetent).
Expertise is obtained via education and experience. Parenthood provides (at best) only the latter; The former is optional, and while it would be unwise to assume that it is absent in any specific case, it is far from certain to have occurred.
There are only three options: Become an expert; Defer to experts; or Fuck things up. When it comes to raising children, there is no certainty that all (or even most) parents have done the former; So they should not be encouraged to ignore experts, given the high cost to their offspring if they fuck things up.
It could be true. But it's far from certain, or even likely. Anyone with a functioning reproductive system can become a parent; and the act of giving birth does not confer a degree in human nutrition, epidemiology, biochemistry, or toxicology upon a person.
When you give birth, you get a child, not an education; Having to learn how to care for that child by total immersion can certainly be an effective incentive to learn a lot of new things very fast, but it doesn't guarantee that such learning will be a success, nor does it insulate a parent from error. There's a lot of misinformation out there, and being a parent is no indicator of an ability to tell fact from fiction.
Parents may (or may not) be competent to determine a child's nutritional needs. Teachers and school staff who are required to know about nutrition as part of their job are more likely to be competent in this regard than parents (although there is plenty of scope for one or both to be incompetent).
Expertise is obtained via education and experience. Parenthood provides (at best) only the latter; The former is optional, and while it would be unwise to assume that it is absent in any specific case, it is far from certain to have occurred.
There are only three options: Become an expert; Defer to experts; or Fuck things up. When it comes to raising children, there is no certainty that all (or even most) parents have done the former; So they should not be encouraged to ignore experts, given the high cost to their offspring if they fuck things up.
Playball40
Veteran Member
LOL - negative energy balance is a phrase used when referencing caloric intake. Kids suffering from eating disorders fear words like calorie so parents will substitute "energy" for the word calorie. No woowoo intended. And remember, it's a blog.
Playball40
Veteran Member
Thank you Beave - you are exactly right.
Unfortunately even with a 504 plan in place at schools, many times they are not taken seriously. Often kids with different nutritional requirements don't "look sick" (think bulimia or a recovering anorexic) so their needs go ignored.
Unfortunately even with a 504 plan in place at schools, many times they are not taken seriously. Often kids with different nutritional requirements don't "look sick" (think bulimia or a recovering anorexic) so their needs go ignored.
Playball40
Veteran Member
I think it's things like teachers or administrators making claims about food being 'bad' or 'good', "healthy" or "not healthy" and other such judgements. Obviously if a child is NOT being fed, it should be noted/reported.
Playball40
Veteran Member
I disagree. I find parents know their kids needs pretty darn well - and since each child is unique, there is no way a teacher is going to know more than me. Obviously if a child isn't being fed at all, by all means intercede. But if a child has food and is functioning fine, then butt out. My father fed me bread and butter sandwiches my entire elementary education. The same thing every day. Bread and butter, a cookie and milk. Not because he wasn't creative....not because he couldn't cook (he was an excellent cook) but because that is ALL I could eat. I (and my Dad) would have flipped if someone tried to imply he was harming me and I would have been horrified if someone tried to feed me different.