I've just watched a programme called "Supersize vs superskinny: kids." It's a child's version of the adult TV programme. I had VERY low expectations for the show's morals and techniques, but, apart for a few hiccups I was pleased.
The layout of the programme is a very overweight and a very underweight child go to live in a 'nutrition house' for a week with their parents. There is a quite a large focus on the parents. The programme also showed one girls story of anorexia.
So, the points I liked about this programme: The emphasis that parents do play a role in how the child views food, but the programme didn't 'blame' the parents as they made a point that the child has a mind of their own.
I did like the fact that this programme was bringing up the importance of good nutrition from an early age, and developing good habits. I think parents and children should be given a choice to go to free classes on nutrition and how to adapt healthy eating to your lifestyle.
You know what? Writing about the programme makes me think there are mre points I didn't like.
The bad points: At one point a doctor was talking to a group of early teens and asked "So who had chocolate for breakfast this morning?" A healthy normal sized girl put her hand up. The doctor said "Do you care about eating healthily and getting fat? (or something like that)" the girl shrugged and the doctor said "clearly not. You're eating chocolate for breakfast." The girl asked later if she ate more veg would she loose weight, the doctor seemed encouraged and said yes. Wellll this rang alarm bells in my head. Hell I've eaten chocolate for breakfast so many times, and am I fat? No. Obviously it's not a good practise, but I just felt for this girl, and didn't like the message is was sending her and other teens like her.
Another point I didn't like was the short exert about the recovering anorexic girl. The way she spoke made it sound like she choose to be anorexic and then recovered in a day. For example she said "then after seeing the doctor I loved eating because it felt like I was slapping her (anorexia) it felt great." I thought this gave the impression it's easy to start eating first thing in recovery. I think it supported the whole "why can't you just eat? Just have a burger!" theory that many people think about recovery from an ED.
If anyone watched it I would love to hear what you think? Does your country have anything similar to this programme, and what do you think of it as a theory?
4 comments:
Oh hey :)
So the program you're describing makes me a touch upset, but that's really not what this comment is about.
This comment is about how excited I am to read about your new blog subjects. And how excited I am to be back blogging and all that jazz.
I miss your words :)
This sounds like an interesting show. I also think what that doctor said to the girl about chocolate for breakfast is out of line. Yes, there are more nutritious choices that she could have made, but chocolate =/= fat. When the doctor said that I feel like he was planting a seed for a fear food.
I like the new blog layout!
Wishing you well,
NOS
HEY your blog no longer crashes my IE! I'm very happy about that.
I'm with you the doctor needs to get their priorities straight.
And I hate it when you read a book or see something where an ED is cured over night. Where are the slips? Sure I love to say see I did good today. But lets face it there are bad days and good days, that's what life is all about.
I had chocolate for breakfast! It was awesome.
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