Well just another sign that our food system is fucked. This NYTimes article discusses how they've seen approximately a quadrupling in the number of cases of children with kidney stones. What are they caused by? Salt (and not drinking enough water- see -soda pop). What is one of the largest constituents of highly processed foods? Sodium (see -Salt). Just look on the back of anything that is a highly processed food like twinkies, microwave dinners, Doritos, any fast food, snacks, etc. Now compare that with the back of a tomato, potato, or oregano- oh wait, you don't need labels- they only have one ingredient, go figure...
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We've been covering endocrinology and GI this semester in school and the things that are becoming rampant in the population are pretty ridiculous. You have mentioned here children with kidney stones, but I think it's MORE RIDICULOUS that children are getting epidemic with type II diabetes!
I don't think it's because mom and dad don't care, I think that they have to work 40-60 hours/week, are too fucking tired, and genuinely don't know what they're doing to their families - the education surrounding these issues (coming from the dr's) SUCKS! I get so pissed about this in class, but that's mainstream medicine for you!
I'd have to agree that pediatricians could really do more on this subject, but I think that it is much deeper than a problem with our medical system. They are just one link in a long chain of causation wrt the food problem. They probably don't eat well themselves, so how can they say what is good food? I certainly remember plenty of overweight Drs. Also, I'd like to point to rising rates of obesity in places like Japan and China- eastern last I checked.
I think more important is our education system. Pollan suggests waiving fed. student loans to graduates of culinary schools who go and cook in the lunchroom and teach in the classroom about cooking and food. That in conjunction with gardens at schools (God forbid we give up some precious lawn space) would make a big difference in how people, children, and society feel about what they eat.
It seems to me that there is a fundamental disconnect between people and their food, and I believe that we are finally seeing the fallout from this 50+ year detachment.
part of the reason that obesity is becoming more prevalent in asian countries is because of the western influence that's growing over there.. McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut.... you know the kind.
Jack Johnson has been working with a lot of schools here trying to start gardens for the kiddies - I think it's an awesome idea. You can talk to Angelica if you're curious because she's heading it at her school.
Yeah, that was kinda what I was trying to say...it's not necessarily the doctors, or the style of doctoring, but rather it's the type of Food that people are eating.
Speaking of schools promoting/teaching kids to eat their fruits and vegetables..... read this LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fruit31-2008oct31,0,3828582.story?track=rss
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