A Sad Day for Happy Meals?
As a chiropractor and a parent I have mixed emotions about the vote today by Silicon Valley county officials to ban (in parts of Santa Clara) restaurants from giving away toys (and other freebies) that frequently come with high-calorie meals for children, i.e., meals that contain more than 485 calories, more than 600 milligrams of sodium and excessive amounts of fat and sugars. The effort, of course, is not to vilify toys, but to try to curb childhood obesity. In fact, county Supervisor Ken Yeager, who pushed for the ban, said “It is unfair to parents and children to use toys to capture the tastes of children when they are young to get them hooked on eating high-sugar, high-fat foods early in life.”
So, here’s my dilemma: As a chiropractor who witnesses everyday, firsthand, the detrimental effects that excess weight has on the musculoskeletal system of my patients as they age (and the degeneration is happening at a far earlier age these days), I am always in agreement with any regulation that favors health. So, if it were true that “toys” seduced children into eating in an unhealthy way, then “hurray,” let’s ban them from restaurants everywhere! But, on the other hand, who’s in charge of a child’s diet? Restaurants? Young children don’t take themselves to McDonald’s for a happy meal! I know that it isn’t easy for busy parents to say “no” to the convenience of fast foods when their children would prefer it anyway. But, I disagree with Supervisor Yeager. A child’s taste isn’t “captured.” Children learn what to eat, and they are taught by their parents and guardians.
Yes, it’s true that one in three American children is either overweight or obese, and I am all for reducing high calorie food from a child’s diet. But, I also believe that education, not regulation, is the answer.
Daniel Conway, a spokesman for the restaurant association, said fast-food chains already offer healthy options for children, including milk, carrot sticks, apple slices and whole grains, and suggested that the ordinance was a “simplistic attention-grabbing move rather than a comprehensive, thoughtful effort to curb a serious problem.” I hardly ever agree with big business, but in this instance, I feel compelled.
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