Guess What? It’s Mummy’s Fault Again!
I thought the days of blaming mothers were over.
Nope.
There are a lot of reasons for childhood obesity. We can’t send our kids outside to play because it isn’t safe. They get driven to school instead of walking. They watch too much TV and play too many video games. There are transfats and other preservatives hidden in processed foods that make small portions more calorie dense.
And pregnant mothers program babies to become obese while inutero. That’s according to Scottish researchers who believe that when pregnant women eat a poor diet, their children’s genes mutate to make them obese later in life. An article in the Scotsman quotes Professor Steve Bloom, an expert in obesity at Imperial University in London. The news, Bloom says, is not all bad.
- …although a woman might have an unhealthy diet during pregnancy and her child later becomes obese, the child may be protected from some health problems associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure, because of exposure in the womb.
- Prof Bloom said the UK sees about 1,000 excess deaths a week due to the health consequences of obesity, while in the US it is 1,000 deaths a day.
- He said: “The other factors that play an increasingly important role are simply lack of exercise and eating too much.
- “Genes only play a small part. Tackling weight problems is still in your own hands.”
Well, all I can say is, whew!. I am so relieved. All I ate while I was pregnant was natural yogurt, whole grain bread, salmon, free range eggs, organic fruit, and vegetables grown in the pristine soil of reclaimed lava ash. In fact, my diet was so perfect that my children have perfect genes and are now guarenteed perfect lives. And, I, of course am the perfect mother. Beyond reproach I am. I am thinking of starting a media empire of blogs, television shows, glossy magazines and a line of household table linens to spread my philosophy of perfect eating to grow perfect children.
You know, I cannot even stand this tone as the complete and utter fantasy it is!
Tags: pregnancy-dietRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Nutrition
5 opinions for Guess What? It’s Mummy’s Fault Again!
Babylune » Or, Mummy Really Is Perfect
Jul 3, 2006 at 2:05 pm
[...] And, I think, after being blamed for everything that isn’t our fault, we just might be entitled to get in line for canonisation. [...]
Kailani
Jul 10, 2006 at 12:37 am
My pediatrician mentioned a study that correlates obese babies to obese children. Hmmm . . . I wonder what she was getting at? Does she think my baby is obese? Maybe I just shouldn’t feed her the next time she’s crying and hungry. Oh please . . .
I guess I’m being blamed again :-(
Diana
Jul 10, 2006 at 9:27 am
Thanks for participating in the Carnival of Family Life #9!!!
Babylune
Jul 17, 2006 at 1:29 am
[...] One in eight American babies is now born prematurely. While the odds of survival for babies born even as early as 23 weeks gestation are improving, the risks of cerebal palsy, learning disablities, mental retardation and other health problems later in life remain. Why are so many women delivering early? Multiple births (twins, triplets, and more) are the single biggest cause due to IVF treatments in which more than one embryo was implanted in the mother’s uterus. Other causes are thought to include poor maternal diet, smoking, and giving birth for the first time after the age of 35. [...]
Jeremy
Nov 27, 2006 at 9:15 am
It’s our own fault: we were looking for a way in which to bribe compliance and good behaviour for the start of school with a distant, we-don’t-actually-have-to-do-anything-yet reward, and Christmas just seemed to be the best way to go. If I’d known that it would have resulted in weeks of nagging, whinging and complaining, I’d probably have thought of something else. As it is, he’s spending days pouring over catalogues - Argos, Great Universal, Tescos, and every crappy junk flyer that comes through the door - coveting every Thomas the Tank Engine toy he can find.
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