BONES ACTRESS'S VEGAN PREGNANCY (MNShow 10)

[angecuomoschaffer]

I really dislike this video.....

[MrMaryJanes]

Food addiction is simply people eating garbage trying to fill their nutrient requirements. If you are raw vegan, you won't have this problem. I eat up to 6000 calories a day and I'm fit as hell. 11% body fat.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@luvintherawlife I ate 1/2 a bottle of chewable vitamins at 2 because they tased like candy to me so clearly I had sugar issues before my parents influenced anything :). LOL! Yes, true food addiction needs to be addressed emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.

[fwrightify]

I believe that it is a family issue, but at what point do we have to step in to save the child. That's a tough one.

[godomighty1]

I do believe this is a form of abuse! While there are other circumstances and medical reasons for obese children, most of the time the parents are to blame. If not taking children out of the home, the families should have a good provided support system to help the entire family not just the child.

[TheJoyfuladventure]

taking children away from they're familys is so extreme. I feel like requiring a social worker/nutrionist to work closely with the family and monitor they're progress is realistic. Maybe if they fail to meet any goals or show progress then the child can go to a state required fat camp. Maybe that wouldn't fix things in the long run, but I think a lot of these childs WANT to be skinny, they just need the resources and the support they aren't getting at home

[wlb527]

Maybe instead of taking the children out of the home, the state or whoever could require them to meet with a nutritionist. Have them set goals. Monitor their progress. That seems like a realistic option in my opinion.

[RaWrMunch101]

As a 17 year old girl who has stuggled with obesity my whole life, I cannot say my father didn't push me to get fit. I was given numerous opportunity's to eat healthy, exercise, even see given the opportunity to see a nutritionist. I was the one who needed to push myself. My father did EVERYTHING he could to help me get healthy, and I decided to be lazy. I believe that the person...no matter the age...has to WANT to get better, or they will never have the will to do so.

[katulka2]

Gosh, there is no easy solution to this type of situation. I do think a child's overall well-being should be considered. Physical condition is not the only factor. The trauma of taking a child out of an otherwise loving, supportive home and putting her into a new family and school could cause serious psychological stress, and that's not healthy either. This should only be a last resort, when the parents are intentionally feeding a child so unhealthily and refusing help & education.

[TheAppieShow]

It is supposed to start at home...and if your kids are so unhealthy that they are 400lbs at any point in their pre-/teens, they should be removed, if just temporarily. That is straight up abuse. However, who is the gov't to point blame at home? What are we feeding our children for school lunch? Fries are the top pick because the salads are brown, veggies are boiled to mush and fruit is drowned in syrup.

[MommaBeiler]

yikes!!! 15 minutes? ugh not for me! but as for the question of the week... I don't think removing a child from their home for this kind of an offense is necessary. There is a feeding clinic about 2 hours away from my house they deal with all sorts of feeding issues... I say if they separate the child for the three months to teach them about nutrition in the inpatient setting while educating the parents on the outpatient setting it is beneficial for everyone involved!

[TheCBL2009]

I don't really agree with taking children from their parents. There are many other aspects of parenting besides teaching good nutrition. Parents may be doing great in other departments. I do think they should take an initiative to raise healthy kids. It all starts with the parents diet though. If parents have an unhealthy diet, chances are the kids will too.

[BennyandLore]

I don't think they should families apart but rather educate them. Usually when children are obese, their parents are too and should loose weight too. I think programs should be made where parents and children learn about cooking and eating a healthy diet and do some excersice.

[jonasnjennlove]

Its sad that as a society that we have come to this extreme. Unfortunately I think that in cases of morbidly obese children like the one you mentioned, it may be necessary to remove the children from their family. Who is to blame when an 3 year old weighs 90lbs??? Obviously its the parents who feed them.

[LYONEN5978]

Seeming as tax payers are about to start footing the bill for health care, I say the parents of morbidly obese kids should be charged with child abuse.

[tnrkustoms]

@mamanatural I didn't even think about that, so true.

[CooKieChiKy]

I agree! School breakfast & lunch are just terrible options but most parents are clueless. The government should start by giving kids salads, fruits, veggies for breakfast lunch instead of feeding our children those Nasty sausages, frozen waffles with bad quality syrup, pizza, grilled cheese, etc....during school hours! They should feed kids organic food in schools & set the example! Instead of starting the problem & then blaming the parents. I must say, I never ate certain foods at home until

[sweetlilella1983]

I do not agree that children should be placed into foster care because they are obese. Many of these parents are relying on public school meals to feed their children breakfast and lunch. I'm appalled at some of the options of these children are giving daily. This is a problem bigger than individual families. Removing children from parents to put into an already broken foster care system is not the answer. I think more education on healthy habits is needed.

[dydow]

The money shouldn't be an excuse to be healthy. There are a lot of healthy options that anyone can afford. But I don't think the the children should be taken away from their family. There should be more programs educating families how to eat or how to have a healthier life. It is not the parents' fault 100%, they were educated that way and that is the way they learned from their parents, but it is important that for the wellness of our children we get better educated in the issue.

[TheRedBoxVoice]

I love your MaMa Natural Show. Very concise.

[alaarbena]

I believe that instead of immediately taking the children from a family, the state should first evaluate whether, through mandatory interventions, (outlined by the state to reduce the child's weight) the parents are able to reduce the weight of their child. If there is no progress towards increasing the health of the child by a set date, then the state should take more drastic methods, like taking the child. O and excellent show by the way very informative!! Keep up the great work Mama Natural!!

[lactld]

Children should not be ripped away from loving families just because of obesity. I feel that if healthy foods were availabe and a reasonable price rather than being so outrageously priced then there would be less problems with obesity. Not all families can afford to buy organic and fruits and veggies are so expensive. The parents should be helped to be shown how to reduce weight and the proper resources given.

[importedmama]

with our current income, we would not be able to afford enough fruits and veggies in the states,,let alone organic

[importedmama]

how expensive good food can be. One of my favorite things about living here in spain is the variety and cost of GOOD HEALTHY FOOD !!!! it is sooo accesible. milk, veggies, fruits, cheeses, seeds, milk ..anything delicious and healthy is so well priced.

[importedmama]

thats one tough momma. I personally know a lady from nigeria who lives in spain,, with her 3 pregnancies she traveled to the u.s. illegally, just to make sure her kids had us protection. for the last one she was sent home and as soon as she landed, she got right back on another plane and did it all over again. she was determined.

question of the week: children don´t need to be taken from their homes,the cost of healthy, organic and nutrient rich foods needs to come down !!! it is amazing

[CooKieChiKy]

n. I agree with the ladies on here that have mentioned about resources to better educate these families & the government should absolutely stay out of people's business unless they plan to offer FREE healthcare to everyone in the US...then maybe they would have some authority to even think about doing something soOo ridiculous & I don't see this happening since healthcare in this country is such a dirty business. There's so much $ to be made!! This would be going too far! What the government re

[CooKieChiKy]

This is just my opinion, don't mean to insult anyone...Removing a child from their home is not the solution! There are just so many things that tie into this issue, this is very complex. I personally feel that individuals that do not have the means probably shouldn't have more than 1-2 children. If u cannot afford to properly feed one child, what makes u think u would be able to do it for 2 + children? But thats just me...Anyways...I don't think removing the child from their home is the solutio

[clnishida]

I think there should be more wellness programs available to low income families. First, we should try to educate the family. If that doesn't work, we should look at it on a per case basis. For the parents that simply neglect the childs nutrition and have ignored previous pleas, yes they should be taken away for the childs safety. Its not that they will never get their child back. They need to make some changes to show that they are willing to take this seriously and hep their child succeed.

[WatchJoGo]

I was raised on a poor diet which led to being overweight most of my life. We were pretty low income so I feel my parents didn't think they had many choices. I know they didn't do it out of deglect but out of ignorance. I think that parents should be encouraged to join some kind of wellness programs with their families. I have since changed my eating habbits and am teaching my now 3 year old healthy habbits. Hard work but it will make his life so much easier in the future.

[MrsNorthernChick]

Childhood obesity is such a complex issue that to simply remove the children from their homes is not the solution. Better to provide supports and help educate the parents on healthy eating behaviours, eating competence, and physical activity. Obviously in extreme cases the support may need to be more forceful, but better to improve the health of the entire family than to tear it apart!

[ecbheroes]

I don't feel that children should be taken away from their parents. I didn't really become overweight until I hit my middle school years but it is harder for low income families to provide the healthy foods for their kids. I think the state should stay out of people's personal lives. I grew up in a low income family and I was overweight as was my mom and I wasn't taken away.

[xxsaraah49]

I believe the child should remain in their home unless more serious signs of abuse or neglect are found. A child can be very negatively affected by being forced out of their comfort zone amd away from their.parents to live with strangers. Although, if the family is unable to provide to help that obese child lose weight, they should be helped out by the government or cps or something.

[plus1please]

When a parent is warned about the health of their child and chooses to ignore it, I believe that is reason to take a child from a parent. In this case, it is abuse. A parent is the main source of food for a child and it is their responsibility to keep their child healthy. I don't think a child should be permanently taken from their home- once the parent shows a commitment to making better choices, return the child and continue checking up on the family just like you would in any abuse situation.

[RavenMidnight911]

In my experience, Being over weight adult ( Working on weight loss though.) My mom is over weight, so are my sisters, my eldest sister has diabeties as well as my mom. I mean some people done have the financial means too get healthy food, all though too get motivated and too excersize can be sometimes difficult too do depending on our moods also. I find that getting up early and throwing on my headphones and poping in a richard simmon's tape and doing that for 20 minunteskes me feel better.

[RavenMidnight911]

@RavenMidnight911 20 minutes makes me feel better threwout the day. But I dont think taking away the kids would be something too do. they could offer some excersize dvd's or tapes or maybe someone they know could start a zumba class for free. Or yoga. Or just play basket ball or anything.

Maybe starting a community garden would help them getting too eat better? Also maybe a get together for fitness night twice a week could help? Justa though.

[iheartURhair]

In my experience, I have seen that childhood obesity is the parents' fault more often than not. I have friends now who are morbidly obese in adulthood due to their parents' lax or damaging health influence from back in the day. Maybe just the threat of their children being taken away and sent to foster care would be enough for some parents to get their acts together.

[JHCWillis]

Ok O Mama Natural. Children that are obese should not be take form the home. I think the whole family should go through counseling and training on how to live a healthy life. Lots of training. Get the whole family involved to live a healthy more active life. We teach kids to say not to drugs and alcohol lets teach them to say not to unhealthy food.

[ttchopefulholly]

If the states are going to get involved in overweight kids, I think they should be involved in many other instinces. I do think that it is the parents responsiblity to keep their childern health, but I believe there are worse off children in this country, how about tending to them first.

[amygirl1983]

Parents are the biggest factor when it comes to overweight kids. I was a overweight teen and am an overweight adult mostly because I had NO good nutrition influences and we did not have family dinners together. I am changing now for my son. The custody issue needs to be looked at case by case but it is pretty obvious where it all starts/

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@amygirl1983 Good for you. Break the chain... XO.

[brittany23lc]

I think the government should help the family by educating them and helping them and their children live a healthier life style. If I was a child and was taken away from my family, I would traumatized. Education is the key. I mean, once the child goes back to the parents, then what? Will she gain all the weight back or maintain her weight?

[lolomcgeel]

I don't think that the child should be taken away from the parents, sometimes based on the low incomes some families make they can't afford to have a better diet for their kids. I do believe that there should be more wellness programs for FAMILIES so that the entire family can go and have a positive place to learn about wellness together, and the entire family can begin a healthier life style!

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@lolomcgeel I do believe it is a FAMILY issue.

[GonnaBAMom1Day]

Coming from a child who was obese: I think that a lot of obesity in children is the parents fault(not all because I do understand there are some medical reasons why some people are obese and cannot lose the weight). While I believe that in some cases removing a child from the parents home and into foster care isn't always whats best I can see where it could sometimes be necessary.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@GonnaBAMom1Day Thanks for sharing! XO.

[TheDusTea]

i think education is key here. Fast food restaurants arent the only culprits. I've lived in some school districts where lunch was always pizza and chicken nuggets. And snack time at daycare was frequently cheese puffs or snack mix type stuff. even parents who start their kids out with healthy choices have a hard time gou.g up against that junk.Also, with so many children being abused and starved, dont case workers have enough to do without having to be the 'fat police?

[1mitchypoo]

I don't think the child should be taken away but as others have said the parent's should be educated on the matter. I don't blame anyone but the parent's because they choose what to feed their children. If you are that uneducated that you don't know what's healthy or what's not then perhaps you shouldn't be having children. Sad situation.

[tigerlily168js]

i dont think that they should be taken away but that someone would step in and teach that family how to eat better saving going out to eat for like once a month and it be a sit down resturant (no fast food allowed ) . that would help both the parents and the children . its not right that there are so many unhealthy fast food joints out here ! overseas ... most food is made by every family at there own home and most of them arent overweight .

[hausofcotullo]

I think that the majority of people don't realize what they are doing to their body's as well as their kids. Diet and processed foods now a days "seem" to be healthy and are misleading. People need to be educated on how to read labels of food and choose wiser decisions. I really think that you should educate before you could take a way a child. Most likely, an overweight or obese child has an overweight or obese parent, help them both fix their problems by teaching them to make the right decisi

[AllThingsMothering]

I think that it is defiantly the parent's fault! But the problem is the fact that most parents are way over weight as well and simply don't care, which is so sad. I know that if American parent's actually cared about their kids then they would take charge and make a change. Maybe the threat of having the kids taken away would be enough to whip them in shape.

[PaigeAbove]

I am a foster parent and it does not matter the reason a child is removed from a family it still hurts the child. I believe that services should be offered to the family before removal is considered. I would be shocked if I received a child do to weight, most of my kids are due to drug use or medical neglect. When I say medical neglect I mean the child was in the picu and near death. I can see why the threat might be used, try to get parents to really pay attention.

[heyheybeauty87]

mamanatural can you do somemore cooking videos

[JSSmith4273]

Yet again another wonderful video. I do not believe that children should be taken away from their parents just for being obese. We can't put all the blame on the parents. In this economy today "healthy foods" are a bit more pricey in all the grocery stores, and places like McDonalds and Wendy's who offer the "Dollar Menu" make is more affordable and convenient. Then try to make it look more healthy by offering apples instead of FF. But lets get real what kid wants to go to McD's and not get FF?

[simbarae]

I don't think taking a child away from their parents is ever good, however I think it's a form of child abuse if the parents keep enabling this behavior. I think the state should assign a nutritionist which will educate on healthy eating for both the parents & child.

[Jlk6532]

Maybe the states can offer nutritional counseling services for free to the families before they take their children away. How can you not in some way blame parents if that is where the children get their food from? Eating at McDonalds everynight because it's cheap isn't an excuse, you can buy a box of pasta and some canned bean and sauce and feed a family for 3 dollars if you need to.

[fattiecane]

taking a child from the family for that reason seems absurd. Instead of helping and providing resources they give warnings and then take the kid. I'm glad she is losing weight but wonder how she is being treated. The foster system can be a brutal place and I don't think kids should be taken away cuz they over eat. they should implement a program to help families, not rip them apart.

[whittyray]

Ultimately though, it is the parents responsibility to do what is best for their child, and as we see with parents who adopt their children out to give them a better shot in the world, it may be the hardest thing to do but the best for the child. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying they should give away their children, just think about weather or not the think they have the capability to do whats best for their children, and go from there.

[whittyray]

I think that depending on the situation certain services should step in. For example, if it becomes a serious threat to the child's health and the parents are just turning a blind eye or rejecting help then it is acceptable. However some things can be out of the parents control, like if obesity runs in the family. However, I don't think it should exempt them from taking action, things like the child's diet and the parents capability to do something should be factored in.

[MBShrewsbury]

I think this is a very touchy subject as some parents give in cause they don't want to hear there child fuss, or wine. I'm sorry my child's HEALTH is MUCH more important to me than if they want a whole bag of chips. Dr. Phil just did a show on this like 2 weeks ago. A parent had a 8 yr old that was 1oo lbs over weight, and she didn't want to stop him from eating cause he would get upset. REALLY!?!?!?! WOW, some parents just Shock me.

[GrowingAlways]

I don't think that a child should be taken from the parents in this situation- but surely something needed to be done! Gosh, that's a tough one! I do think childhood obesity is the parents fault though, we are responsible for all areas of our children's health and safety and it's a shame because diet related health issues though tough are preventable.

[MistressUndress]

It's all about education, in my opinion.

However, there are people who are willfully ignorant, and it's harmful.

Monitor the family and provide them the resources to help them become healthy.

Taking the children away should be the very last action take.

Then who'll be paying for the program that will help those children?

[fluffywanderings]

Why not start with a intervention for the family? Give them some education and perhaps if it is extreme, a court ordered dietitian and personal trainer. Then if the parents still don't cooperate perhaps taking the child away may do the trick. But you don't want these children developing eating disorders and other neurosis just to get back to their families!

[fakecrab]

if the parents didn't have the resources to help their child, i think that should have been the first step - help provide these parents with the resources they need to help their child.. monitor the situation and if there is no improvement, THEN get the kid.

[jenniq4]

The other day I did an experiment with the kids on how much sugar we took in in a day. Each 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp. of sugar. We were shocked when we actually measured it out and saw with our own eyes just how much we took in! So should we be taking away obese children from parents...that's a tough one. if parents don't want to be educated and willingly help their children, then maybe the children should be taken away.

[jessinjamie2006]

I am so on the fence with that one. But I will say, maybe if Social Services started looking into it, I would hope some parents would get scared and start making changes themselves.

[bnjshepherd]

If the weight is affecting the childs health, then yes someone needs to step in.

[doogan17]

allowing your child to become morbily obese is neglect. plain and simple. I understand what some mean when they say removing the child from the family is more harmful than good. coming up with some a therapy course that the child/members of family are required to attend would be a good first option. if after there are no changes, this is where removing the child would take place. neglect is abuse and leaving a child in a situation where parents arent willing to take necessary steps isnt fair.

[DanielleBabyBliss]

wow thats a tuff que.I once read of a mom going to prison for feeding her daughter a vegan diet. Chances are that the obesity at ages 0-12 years are much more under the parents control, and yes I do think its irresponsible and dangerous but in general unless the child is starved/abused or they are straight up shoving the food down the throat I dont think its a good idea to pull the family apart. I think its better as a family they establish healthy lifestyle and parents be lectured.

[OffbeatMama]

I don't think people seem to realize how serious diabetes is to children and how hard it is to maintain a healthy life style once they have become so over weight. The parents are trying to make their children happy by feeding them what they like but at the same time their slowly killing their children and setting them up to a very difficult life. I would only stand behind this if the parents were warned numerous times and nothing was done about it.

[elisam34]

I think it's a little too much to take the kids away, getting them court ordered support might be a better idea.

[phatNaturals]

Raising morbidly obese children is child abuse in my book, but how is it fixed and avoided with out bleeding out taxpayers? Educational programs, sending social workers for "check ups" will all cost a lot of money. Since obesity seems to hit the middle lower class hardest, maybe we can limit food stamps and WIC programs to only health foods and Farmers markets. That solves two problems in one, because not as many people will want food stamps if it can not buy chips and soda.

[phatNaturals]

@phatNaturals adding.... I live in a "poorer" part of town. Every time I go to the grocery store it never fails. I see an obese mom with her obese children buying foods that make them obese with their EBT card(food stamps). So essentially we are paying for these children to be unhealthy. Throwing more money into a problem, with health initiatives will not solve it.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@phatNaturals SO SAD!

[phatNaturals]

Raising morbidly obese children is child abuse in my book, but how is it fixed and avoided with out bleeding out taxpayers? Educational programs, sending social workers for "check ups" will all cost a lot of money. Since obesity seems to hit the middle lower class hardest, maybe we can limit food stamps and WIC programs to only health foods and Farmers markets. That solves two problems in one, because not as many people will want food stamps if it can not buy chips and soda.

[Nomesay1]

I think that obesity is a very serious thing that needs to be addressed but exactly how we should do that i am not sure because there has to be a point where it is okay to take the kids out of their homes because of there weight and i don't know where that point is or should be.

[NaturallyThriftyMom]

Wow! I can't believe that many couples sleep in separate beds!

[phatNaturals]

@NaturallyThriftyMom I know, right! I was shocked I mean SHOCKED! It made me think of I love Lucy.

[Fiestafreak1978]

Wow, tough one! I for one believe that what kids learn about food comes from the parents. At our house we strive to eat healthy, organic, fresh food on a daily basis. If a child is brought up eating junk, they never have the chance to learn how to eat to live. Maybe education is the key here instead of taking the children away, who knows, maybe the parents might learn something too...

[MommaPiano]

I'm not sure about pulling kids from their families but I feel that people really need to be educated about what they are doing to their children. I think that we assume that people know better when in alot of cases they actually don't. Also, I think that parents are letting the public schools feed their kids and in general are putting the responsibility for nutrition in the hands of others. It should start at home with education and action!

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@MommaPiano School lunches scare me... LOL!

[lizseibert2436]

I dont know that that is a great idea. I think that there are too many blurry lines with this action. How will they discern when the child sneaks food, has a health issue that produces obesity, unfortunate genetics, or they just have an extremely slow metabolism? I just think they could go overboard with it and result in many amazing parents being childless.

[joannerenee]

As much as I hate people telling me how to raise my children, I have to agree! Those kids are not being taken care of properly. Their poor little bodies should not be going through that. I would hate to see a child die becuase of their eating habits that their parents made for them. To me this is borderline abuse. It's a sad situtation, but if it has reached that point then action needs to be taken.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@joannerenee No easy answers, that's for sure.

[ObbsAndLala]

While I don't think obese children should be taken away from their parents, I do think (with the exception of medical reasons resulting in obesity) that parents are to blame for the most part.

Sure, blame the media, celebrities, peers, society. But it's not the media putting fatty foods on their plate for dinner. It's not their peers who are stocking their cupboards with cookies and cakes.

If you, as a parent, fill your house with only health options - that's what your kids will eat. Simple.

[MrsAlinaG]

I don't think taking the child away from their parents should be a first response. Perhaps they should start with counseling and talking to the parents and warning them that this could happen. Many children do not listen to their parents and very well could be fully responsible. But, a lifestyle of extreme obesity does usually stem from other emotional and physical problems and perhaps those should be what are first looked into. 

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@MrsAlinaG I agree. Definitely not the first response.

[naomrs1]

I think that in extreme cases, the children should be temporarily taken from the parents and into foster care of people willing to help teach proper nutrition and excercise. Meanwhile, someone can work with the parents on practicing healthy food choices.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@naomrs1 I'm curious if the 12 year old girl that I talk about in show stayed in touch with family...

[naomrs1]

@MamaNaturalBlog Im curious too! If I were her, I think id find new people to call family!

[loganjessey11]

Why don’t they try to have program to educate the family on healthy living habits and have weekly check ins to the family home. Maybe that would jump start a change.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@loganjessey11 Yes, like coaches who would keep them accountable. Like that idea!

[ObbsAndLala]

My husband and I have completely separate comforters, otherwise we would be fighting over the blankets all.night.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@ObbsAndLala LOL! That's actually a great idea.

[millfeather]

I believe that it should be off-limits to the State.. but I am not condoning feeding your child to the point of obesity. I think that there should be some sort of intervention... but I'm not exactly sure what!!

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@millfeather I like the idea of a family coach who would help them slim down.

[tnrkustoms]

On another note, I see that a lot of people don't have access to a lot of healthy food. I live in California and can get fresh veggies and meats from farmers markets or even the grocery store here in town, but when I went to visit my family in a rural part of Texas, the grocery store is 30 miles away and it would be impossible to make a salad everyday or eat fresh items. I see that they rely more on boxed frozen foods or foods with a ton of preservatives.

[tnrkustoms]

Yes, I think that in extreme cases, the state should intervene. When/If a child dies from causes brought upon by childhood obesity, will the parent get charged with murder? I mean, they are the ones who provide the food in the first place.

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@tnrkustoms I hear you. I also know that if parents were starving their children, the state would intervene.

[jeanandcoltansmommy]

I think that yes it should be serious enough especially if parents do not try to help their children be healthier because that is neglect just like leaving your child home alone to go out to the bar!!!

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@jeanandcoltansmommy I hope you don't know anyone that leaves their kids at a bar :). That's brutal...