Hey all,
I had a pretty good weekend.
I was able to finish my 20 mile run and not be admitted to the hospital.
In the past I have had some trouble cramping in my legs after the 16 mile mark.
I sweat a lot, and everyone was giving me advice on what to do. Get more potassium, so eat bananas and oranges.
Drink this and take this.
So after trying almost everything in every combination I think I have got it.
I ate before the run, which I never do. Not much but a half of a cliff bar.
Then I tried these electrolyte pills. One before the run and one every hour of running.
I took the GU products during the run as well (man they are disgusting) and voila
no cramping.
Then after the run I used a Hammer product called Rejuvinate. I tell you, I felt like a million bucks.
We watched a movie called Unknown. It was pretty good.
Six guys wake up in a locked down warehouse. They all have temporary amnesia. They know
something went down, but they don't know what. They don't know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.
So they are trying to get out, but they don't know whose side they are on.
They find a newspaper article in the bathroom that said what WENT down, but they don't know who is who.
They keep trying to figure out who they are themselves and who the other guys are.
Topic,
The Florida Dental Association just sent a magazine about nutrition that dentists are supposed to put out in our reception area.
I thumbed through it and it struck me funny.
First, I want to tell you about this kid I know. I saw him at the baseball field.
He is a really nice kid and he has some really nice parents.
This kid is overweight. Okay, I am being kind, he is huge. He has got to be about 150-175 pounds, maybe more. Now let's put this into perspective, my son, who is the same age, is 72 pounds. My son is not breaking any height records but...
I am sitting at the baseball field, and I am feeling sorry for this kid.
I see his parents there and they are both heavy. Now they are not nearly as heavy as their kid, relatively.
Now you all know how much I love my kids. But I (think) I know what is best for them.
I know that saying NO to them sometimes is good for them.
I don't know what is going on with this family and whether there are a bunch of emotional issues going on but...
I have to think that in order for this kid to get this heavy he has to eat and eat often. Not only is he eating often he is eat so much crap it is not even funny.
My kids understand at the Gammichia house crap food is a "once in a while" treat. I mean there is still a basket in our pantry that is filled with last year's Halloween candy.
If the kids behave at the dinner table or they have a good day we use it as a reward.
It is not, "Hey Billy, welcome home from school, can I get you a twinkie or something. And, when you are done with that, there is a bag of Skittles waiting for you." (As a dentist my hair on the back of my neck stands up when I hear the word Skittles. When my kids come home from a birthday party and they have eaten Skittles, I have to really hold myself back from screamming NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!)
In everything we do there is some thought (I am talking about now, not in college). We understand that milk is good for our kids. There was some kick back to milk, but never a problem with chocolate milk. So, we buy the 1/2 sugar chocolate syrup.
This is the thing, at our house we are not ogres or anything. Our kids get their fair share of sweets. We have root beer floats as a family at least 2 times a week.
We have sweets. So, I am wondering how this kid gets so large.
I was sitting next to the parents at the baseball game, and they were talking about the brownies they were going to get this kid when he gets home (as I write this I am thinking to myself, brownies are not bad). But when they say it, it makes me cringe.
Try this, lay off the brownies for a couple of months, and see how it goes. I am not just talking about the other kids making fun of him, I am talking about this kid's overall health--high cholesterol, heart stress on his heart. Then it is like, "Oh no, I can't believe Billy has Diabetes." But let's not change his diet, let's just give him shots so he can continue to eat crappy.
I am mad at the parents.
Now back to the FDA magazine. As I thumb through it, and it has chapters on things like "Sodas are bad" and "Veggies are good" and one you probably haven't heard before "Candy and sweets have a negative effect on teeth."
The question begs why do we have to have this magazine.
Do parents really NOT know? How about we have a magazine about how driving with your eyes closed is bad? Or that school and a good education are good.
Then these are the parents that come into my office and are shocked when the kid has 6 cavities. Well what do they drink? Well, in the morning it is chocolate milk and I send them to school with a Capri-Sun. They come home and I give them a Sunny Delight, and then for dinner we drink some Coke. Hmmmm?
And who brushes your 5-year-old's teeth? Well, they do? Hmmmmm?
Don't get me wrong, I know it is hard raising kids. And you are talking to a lazy parent, but I know when I am lazy I try to be lazy in areas that won't physically hurt my kids. Maybe emotionally, like, "No, I won't go bike riding with you, can't you see I am watching the game?"
or "No, I don't want to help you with your homework, I am talking to my friends on the phone."
My kids are going to be so screwed up....But at least they will be physically fit and have nice teeth.
I know I sound like an ass today (no comments on this) and I am being too hard on these parents . But, have to tell you I think as far as that kid on the baseball field, to me I think it is a form of child abuse. It might be a stretch, but the parents may have forgotten about how hard it is for a kid to be in middle school. They have forgotten how mean kids can be, and I don't care if it is at a Christian school or not.
I am going to step down from my soapbox now as long as you parents say, "NO" every once in awhile.
Maybe, NO to brownies.
or
NO, to unsupervised Internet use (if you don't know, your kids are finding porn sites while you are making dinner and watching the game).
or
NO, to Mountain Dew.
or
NO, to (I don't even like writing it) Skittles.
or
NO, to making fun of other kids.
and
NO, to driving with your eyes closed.
I love you, now go say NO to your kids.
I'm glad we had this talk.
Have a good Wednesday,
john
3 comments:
We are so much on the go these days not one has time to eat properly. Let alone cook and eat a proper meal. So fast food it is. Cheap fast kids love it and convienent for parents. Preprocessed foods and of course like you said the junk food and soda. I feel every person should have one of the FDA magazine to read. I sound like broken record when I lecture people about their diets. The answer to your question is no people do not realize what they eat has consequences. The lables are very deceptive and misleading also.
HA...well said. It reminds me of the saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (or something like that). It still surprises me when patients express surprise at their dental condition given the foods they eat and drinks they consume. Unfortunately, I think we still to need these magazines and similar warnings because many people still don't get it. Great post!!
I gotta tell you guys that I really appreciate the feedback. (And in a weird way I even like criticism).
Thanks for your comments and I am glad you like the blog.
john
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