i find it hard to put the risk factors solely at the door of food and cigarettes. I am 'fat' and get my 'fat' genes from my Mum. No eye problems.
My Dad was skinny and from a family who were all tall, slim and nearly blind , i.e. not allowed to drive or worse by 50. My brother is tall, slim and ...nearly blind. Just about still allowed to drive.
I married a man who came from a fat thin combo. His sisters are short and skinny as were their parents and grandparents.
All my three children are taller than me and their Dad and as a friend is fond of saying, she has seen more fat on a chip. Despite my attention to their diet - breakfast, lunchbox and evening meal, at every and I mean every opportunity they will eat junk, Friends all eat junk and as a result they got a taste for it. feeding their friend when they came round was nightmare that had to be planned for.
I cook with salt but we don't have it on the table.
We have puddings but generally ice-cream or yoghurts. Not big fruit eaters, though a cucumber or tomatoes won't last a day!
After watching the TV talking about how much sugar was in a can of beans etc, I was surprised. But with each generation there seems to be something else to worry about.
I currently have an issue with the way Midwives do not educate new mums to be in the importance of good nutrition. yes its well known in some circles that Folic acid should be taken well before the thought of trying for a baby. How can some mums feed themselves for 'two', nutrition rather than portion wise, if they are not earning enough to pay the bills as well. With those that do have enough it is not trendy to be eating full fat anything. With todays anti sun and low fat culture, how many babies are being born with less strong bones due to a mothers insufficiency? If that mother then goes on to breast feed compounding the problem. then finding themselves in a Jayden Wrays parents situation or worse ours. This is well documented, however ignored by doctors, social workers and their so called experts out to snatch babies for adoption. Now I could write a thesis on that subject.
Full fat milk is needed to help prevent rickets, how many children are on the green top before they go to school? Bony changes on an X-ray are difficult to see metabolically speaking until a child is 6 months old, so how can an expert categorically say nothing seen in a younger child!
Older women have to choose between the rising numbers getting cardiovascular disease at the expense of their bones leading to osteoporosis. Exercise is the only common positive link. But catch 22 scenario. not sure if I would rather have heart disease or osteoporosis.
I think we should be worried about what goes into processed foods, eat fresh at every opportunity, cut down on sugar salt and fat, but don't go crazy. Its about balance. I am not sure that reducing the RDA further is going to make that much difference.
Heart Disease, strokes and osteoporosis all cost the country millions. There is no simple fix. Diet exercise and reduce intake of alcohol and stopping smoking are all part of the puzzle.
I am very fond of telling people at work, when they finally 'own up' to smoking 20 cigarettes and drink 2 bottles of wine a week. I could be run over by a bus on my way home or my next biscuit may see me off.
We have a duty of care to educate our patients in the risks. I make sure my patients know why I am asking, why I am advising and what the benefits will be if only in the short term while they are receiving treatment. Almost exclusively my information is not needed. School children know smoking kills. However my patients often appreciate what I am saying. they are then minutely more likely to comply and continue to refrain than when too many of my colleagues berate them for even smoking or drinking in the first place. If I know that the nurse smokes or drinks, I generally have a word with them about pots and pans. Just because my trust has made a 'stand' on these two issues it doesn't mean we have to police them.
As for children, like mine, the odd 'wrong tea' is not going to do that much harm unless 'wrong teas' are the norm. then you have to think are these children spending all their time in front of a tv or video games or are they out exercising in the park. The latter is easier if you can trust them to be safe out of the house. this has an impact of what a childs body does with all the excess food rubbish. not a simple fix.
I am sure there will be people who disagree with my view point. give me 50 years and I will be right again, but not alive to know it.
Sorry for the waffle, can't be bothered to reference my meanderings.
