Thai Children Prone To Obesity, High Cholesterol

[toybits]

It is not surprising. Just look as what is being sold outside of school. Look jin thod (friend meatballs) slathered with sweet chilli sauce, Kiow thod (fried dumpling wrapper with a little bit of ground pork), crepe, deep fried hotdogs, moo ping (pork bbq) etc...

[peterbkk9]

It is the parent's responsibility.

But parents themselves have not a clue on what a healthy diet / healthy lifestyle is.

Anyway all the fruits and vegetables are full of pesticides. Sometimes i dont know if it isnt best to not eat them

And anyway the air is polluted. Have you seen the "Bangkok Air quality index" in the Bangok Post lately? I dont know why but it is getting well over 100 micrograms / m3. Which is an outrage. And the best part is: Thais dont care.

So sometimes i dont know if it isnt best not to exercise.

What a sad, pathetic country.

Edited February 8, 2013 by peterbkk9

[Lancelot]

I have to admit one of the surprising things about Thailand is the realization that most of what is eaten here everyday by most people is total crap.

I would agree. I'm always amused when people rave about how "healthy" thai food is

[MaxLee]

I'm just saying there's one problem that started this obesity sh****t: Education system. Children sit on their a$$es all day long listening to boring a$$ classes with unproductive Waste that the authorities try to push into their heads...

You learn more if you move your body, you get inspired if you move your body, and never sit still and start to explore... FACT

[anonymouse]

It is the parent's responsibility.

But parents themselves have not a clue on what a healthy diet / healthy lifestyle is.

Anyway all the fruits and vegetables are full of pesticides. Sometimes i dont know if it isnt best to not eat them

And anyway the air is polluted. Have you seen the "Bangkok Air quality index" in the Bangok Post lately? I dont know why but it is getting well over 100 micrograms / m3. Which is an outrage. And the best part is: Thais dont care.

So sometimes i dont know if it isnt best not to exercise.

What a sad, pathetic country.

I think it is time you went home Pete

[SICHONSTEVE]

I have to admit one of the surprising things about Thailand is the realization that most of what is eaten here everyday by most people is total crap.

I would agree. I'm always amused when people rave about how "healthy" thai food is

I think you mean how healthy food WAS. Thanks to the US of A it isn't any more!!!!

[robblok]

I have to admit one of the surprising things about Thailand is the realization that most of what is eaten here everyday by most people is total crap.

I would agree. I'm always amused when people rave about how "healthy" thai food is

I think you mean how healthy food WAS. Thanks to the US of A it isn't any more!!!!

I am Dutch, so you don't think i'm defending the USA but every country has its bad foods... fish and chips.. so greasy its a killer. Dutch food also has its bad foods. Some people seem to think all the US has to offer is Mc Donalds and Burgerking, those are just fast-food chains every country has those.

You can still prepare your own food I haven't seen an US soldier putting a gun to your head.

Your in control, nobody else.

[Bagwan]

She said a black strip on a child’s neck is a sign of being at risk to several ailments including diabetes, heart and coronary artery diseases.

It was all going so well, until this bit of hokum.

She forgot to mention ingrowing toenails.

[Bagwan]

A black strip on a child’s neck is a sign of not washing.

But seriously, in BKK few places to play (exercise), parents to busy trying to make a baht, computer games and of course the mini version tablets.

Wonder what the result of a similar survey would be in a rural area where the kids can run around and play?

And there is an absence of fast food outlets and they probably don't get enough nourishing food to eat anyway.

[Pib]

Let me see... sugar on everything, deep fried everything, lack of exercise all going square faced at computers iPhones and tablets, fast food invasions from international and attitude. Yep that will do it. Look forward to looking like the American populace within 10 years.

Maybe another "Hub" possibility for Thailand.

[Bagwan]

“Thai children prefer sweet, fat and salty food."

And what should be the problem with salty?

Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Cast afloat seamen know that drinking sea water is very much a NoNo if they don't want to suffer from a form of insanity and then die.

What Thailand needs is a big brawny Scottish Highlander with a big red beard in every village telling the kiddies to eat up all their breakfast porridge or he'll strike up a tune or two on his bagpipes. Nothing better for you than getting your oats two or three times per week.

[Bagwan]

I have to admit one of the surprising things about Thailand is the realization that most of what is eaten here everyday by most people is total crap.

I feel the same way about Thai cuisine. Walking around the local street market and seeing great basinfuls of sludge being ladled out into plastic bags makes me feel nauseous. Barrar is banned in my house.

[Bagwan]

Habits picked up from fat Americans.

When in doubt, blame America!

Colonel Sanders, KFC, Pizza Hut not from the US then?

One Thai doctor was aghast when I told him that I ate cheese. He asked what cheese and I rolled off about 12 different varieties. He told me that I die soon from heart attack, Just a minute or two before he said that I had passed my annual checkup with flying colours and was good for another 20 years.

[trainman34014]

Let me see... sugar on everything, deep fried everything, lack of exercise all going square faced at computers iPhones and tablets, fast food invasions from international and attitude. Yep that will do it. Look forward to looking like the American populace within 10 years.

Maybe another "Hub" possibility for Thailand.

Yep; that's it.....Hub of black strips !

[Bagwan]

I try to limit the amount of crap that my 7 year old eats. It's a battle though, her Mother actually thinks that she is being good to her child by bringing home loads of sweet fatty cakes, milkshakes and cookies.

At least I've managed to replace the sweet condensed milk on sweet white bread with honey on wholemeal. A small step, but at least in the right direction.

honey is still pure sugar....OK a bit better than the cheap sweet condensed milk (with added cheap fat), but not a big improvement....Honey is not as good as its reputation....

The honey that I like is usually excellent, it is the ladies who provide it who have a poor reputation.

[SICHONSTEVE]

I have to admit one of the surprising things about Thailand is the realization that most of what is eaten here everyday by most people is total crap.

I would agree. I'm always amused when people rave about how "healthy" thai food is

I think you mean how healthy food WAS. Thanks to the US of A it isn't any more!!!!

I am Dutch, so you don't think i'm defending the USA but every country has its bad foods... fish and chips.. so greasy its a killer. Dutch food also has its bad foods. Some people seem to think all the US has to offer is Mc Donalds and Burgerking, those are just fast-food chains every country has those.

You can still prepare your own food I haven't seen an US soldier putting a gun to your head.

Your in control, nobody else.

I know, and do have decent food prepared for me - that's why my cholesterol shot down from 260 to 150 in 7 weeks and I stopped feeling like death warmed up every day plus a whole host of other health improvements were gained including my blood sugar level plus blood pressure returning to better than normal and my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a thing of the past now!!!

I also reversed my mates type 2 diabetes in less than 2 months - so I am in total control of my health now and educating others!!

[Soi Sauce]

Every country has this problem , Thai children and lets not ignore adults, are the same as the rest of us when it comes to this subject, where you've been raised on junk food outlets you are sure going to put on those kilo's , the shame of it all, asian people have a different shape bone structure to Europeans in the high and weight area, so when the kilo's get added they look right out of shape. But don't worry, help is at hand, there's sure to be another junk food outlet opening at a big super store near you shortly.

The problem is that, the entire food industry in Thailand, has pursued a make profit at all costs approach. The research is there, the studies are there, the causality is understood. But where is the discussion about just about every seasoning sauce in Thailand being rammed full of sodium either salt or MSG? Where is the discussion to explain to parent and children that a snack from 7-11 is NOT breakfast, that kao niao (sticky rice) is not the best thing to eat (even though it supposedly makes you strong), that white jasmine rice is not the best stuff to be eating to excess? That deep fried pad thai is not something to be eaten for dinner 4 days a week?

I am all for the land of the free, but reality is, when you actually go through the ingredients on many products here in Thailand there is a startling amount of unecessary salt and sugar in it, be it sauce maggi, or dipping sauces, or oyster sauce. As for palm oil, well......This is not done unitentionally, but the consequences, if kids eat this stuff repetitively day after day, is known. SO WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT????

Deathly silence, because to discuss it, would mean to debate whether rice is actually healthy, whether Mae Ploy sauce is actually crap, and that the whole basis of food here needs to be understood and improved back to what it was before big THAI and FOREIGN business got involved.

Luminescent deep fried pink sausage anyone, with a splosh of syrupy sauce?

Superb. Says it all!

[hellodolly]

They need to change the idea and outlook of Thai Families then. To them, a fat child means they are wealthy and they are shoving these sweet foods down their throats.

Many Thai parents definitely keep shoveling food into their children's mouth's....can't tell you the number of times I heard how cute the cubby kid looks which signifies the family is taking good care of the child....and a person would have to be blind not to see all the sweet foods/snacks sold "everywhere" in Thailand....a quarter of the Thai population must make their living from making & selling sweet foods/snacks. Plus, Thai's just like to eat!...nothing wrong with that as long as the body can handle it in a healthy way. But if I ate like most Thai's eat my body would have exploded from sugar build-up decades ago.

Here in Chiang Mai we get threads blaming it all on the fast food franchises. Even though per capita we have very few of them and they are in the tourist areas and western shopping malls.

[crazygreg44]

I met my (Thai) husband in the uk - he has some relatives there and I was surprised how they always seemed to be eating KFC and McDonald's - I just assumed they ate fresh food the rest of the time until my husband said no they often ate junk. When we moved here I was honestly unprepared for how much junk people ate and it was hard to try and stop people feeding my son crap. Of course the odd treat is fine and I understand that relatives like to spoil kids but the fact that I never saw anyone put a vegetable or glass of water in front of him ended up putting me off spending time with them as I just wanted to avoid any stress though of course we still see them a lot.

I always hold Italy up as an example of a country where the poor eat well and of course Italy now has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe - it is starting to happen here now.

I don't think junk food is 'american' any more - it's pretty international nowadays and the fact that the issue of eating junk and obesity has already happened in the uk and USA is irrelevant - its not about moralizing and saying who did it first or whose fault it is,but it's more about the fact that countries like Thailand (and Italy) need to learn from the mistakes of other countries. The information is already there for governments and other institutions. Let's hope someone does something to stop it getting so bad here but it's hard to see it happening unfortunately.

I agree. I think this issue is not only related to Thailand, but to the whole world. It's manifested in the success of the food processing giant conglomerates to have successfully manipulated people into gorging up their industrially processed foods. Rather than giving in to Grandma's receipts, today's eating habits tend to the "fast" delivered foodstuff. Processed food wins over "raw" foods. It happens worldwide and will create generations of obese and diabetic people

[hellodolly]

I would agree. I'm always amused when people rave about how "healthy" thai food is

I think you mean how healthy food WAS. Thanks to the US of A it isn't any more!!!!

I am Dutch, so you don't think i'm defending the USA but every country has its bad foods... fish and chips.. so greasy its a killer. Dutch food also has its bad foods. Some people seem to think all the US has to offer is Mc Donalds and Burgerking, those are just fast-food chains every country has those.

You can still prepare your own food I haven't seen an US soldier putting a gun to your head.

Your in control, nobody else.

I know, and do have decent food prepared for me - that's why my cholesterol shot down from 260 to 150 in 7 weeks and I stopped feeling like death warmed up every day plus a whole host of other health improvements were gained including my blood sugar level plus blood pressure returning to better than normal and my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a thing of the past now!!!

I also reversed my mates type 2 diabetes in less than 2 months - so I am in total control of my health now and educating others!!

Care to expound on

"reversed my mates type 2 diabetes in less than 2 months"

[brianP]

Well well, let's see, urbanization,westernization,instant gratification, modernization, etc. Structures where fields and jungle was, cement lined un-swim-able rivers and creeks, polluted talay's, every natural playground paved and built on and over. Malls,computers, constant commercials pounding graphical fat-sweet-salt saturated foodstuffs, sumo envy, every thing is stacked against the kids, specifically the city kids. Their folks bought into the world of material gains and white skin so they can spend more on acquiring a material world. And to be better than the Somchai's next door. They are buying into the same crap the media world is shoving up everyone's kazoo. I used to see those beer commercials where a 6 pack of Coors brought dozens of bikini clad babes to fondle me, and that Marlboro dangling from my mouth would help me to tame the wild horses and turn every cowgirls head,just had to tip my hat.

Found out that a fat gut and lung cancer were the only byproducts you could count on! Oh yeah,obnoxious friends to emulate my behavior.

[uptheos]

Here in Chiang Mai we get threads blaming it all on the fast food franchises. Even though per capita we have very few of them and they are in the tourist areas and western shopping malls.

Don't worry where they are, look at who is taking up the majority of seats. I was in Airport Plaza yesterday and entered by McDonalds - full of Thais (Asians). Top floor Pizza Hut where the cinemas are - full of Thai's (Asians). If you think Thai's don't make up the majority of customers in the malls, then you obviously don't get out very far and are just assuming.

[rotorbreeze]

They need to change the idea and outlook of Thai Families then. To them, a fat child means they are wealthy and they are shoving these sweet foods down their throats.

The wealthy Chinese Thai families seem the most of of shape, yes it starts with the families, the easy life with no concern of what they eat, pork (hardest to digest). I would recommend a video of what has happened in America with obese children, the junk food that fuels their cravings for nutrition made available in the Thai school program. I personally am fortunate to know nutrition and cook 90% of my own meals, my girlfriend loves my cooking and NOW knows what is good and easy to make. The Thai school should have a cooking class for healthy eating and benefits of a balanced diet.

Here is a saying I truly believe.."Food with indifference FEEDS only Half a Man's Hunger" another is "You are what you eat!"...Fast food Fast death...Trust all the readers know this, it is you personally to make the choice in what you eat and just maybe others watching you (like my girlfriend) will make a life changing in "what she eats" is passed on to her families and friends. My peace I leave with you and peace in what you eat is truly fulfilling in both meeting the spiritual and material needs of the day! Mr. Ron

[Thai at Heart]

They need to change the idea and outlook of Thai Families then. To them, a fat child means they are wealthy and they are shoving these sweet foods down their throats.

The wealthy Chinese Thai families seem the most of of shape, yes it starts with the families, the easy life with no concern of what they eat, pork (hardest to digest). I would recommend a video of what has happened in America with obese children, the junk food that fuels their cravings for nutrition made available in the Thai school program. I personally am fortunate to know nutrition and cook 90% of my own meals, my girlfriend loves my cooking and NOW knows what is good and easy to make. The Thai school should have a cooking class for healthy eating and benefits of a balanced diet.

Here is a saying I truly believe.."Food with indifference FEEDS only Half a Man's Hunger" another is "You are what you eat!"...Fast food Fast death...Trust all the readers know this, it is you personally to make the choice in what you eat and just maybe others watching you (like my girlfriend) will make a life changing in "what she eats" is passed on to her families and friends. My peace I leave with you and peace in what you eat is truly fulfilling in both meeting the spiritual and material needs of the day! Mr. Ron

And the Chinese most definitely didnt learn this from American fast food.

[ginjag]

Apart from my earlier post, I do blame the parents, or those who are in charge of the kids welfare

Just look around the world, see for yourselves-Yes the very fat and getting fatter ADULTS, sorry but it makes me want to pewk. How the hell can you expect kids to eat healthy food when you see their parents WADDLING down the street, addiction to food is on the mega increase, Lazy-itis is another.

O.K. we can blame food outlets, education in schools, BUT if your parents are fat a good chance their kids are the same, alcohol, smoking, violence,.sexual activities, greed, KIDS COPY their parents.

Blame the parents for their upbringing, not the food outlets, it's CHOICES, if you don;t make the right ones the kids suffer.

[robblok]

I think you mean how healthy food WAS. Thanks to the US of A it isn't any more!!!!

I am Dutch, so you don't think i'm defending the USA but every country has its bad foods... fish and chips.. so greasy its a killer. Dutch food also has its bad foods. Some people seem to think all the US has to offer is Mc Donalds and Burgerking, those are just fast-food chains every country has those.

You can still prepare your own food I haven't seen an US soldier putting a gun to your head.

Your in control, nobody else.

I know, and do have decent food prepared for me - that's why my cholesterol shot down from 260 to 150 in 7 weeks and I stopped feeling like death warmed up every day plus a whole host of other health improvements were gained including my blood sugar level plus blood pressure returning to better than normal and my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a thing of the past now!!!

I also reversed my mates type 2 diabetes in less than 2 months - so I am in total control of my health now and educating others!!

I saw very little educating and a lot of blaming in your post. Educating would be something like, don't eat too much of processed carbs (rice included) in one sitting, combine it with a vegetable and some protein if possible. Make sure you get your healthy fats. Stay away from sugar coated things and deep fried stuff. Alcohol is a killer both for your weight as for your liver. (depending on dose of course).

That is educating, saying its all the fault of the US is blaming. Like i said last time i checked fish and chips deep fried in oil that is re used isnt the best for your health either and that is a typical English thing, now take the loads of snacks that are here and Thai made not that healthy either.

Fact is in general healthy food does not appeal or taste as good as the fast food that is promoted. Other fact is you wont loose your weight automatically you will have to change your diet habits be it lower carb (helps for people who are insulin sensitive) or just cutting out drinking (many an expats could benefit from that instead of complaining about the Thais)

[hellodolly]

Here in Chiang Mai we get threads blaming it all on the fast food franchises. Even though per capita we have very few of them and they are in the tourist areas and western shopping malls.

Don't worry where they are, look at who is taking up the majority of seats. I was in Airport Plaza yesterday and entered by McDonalds - full of Thais (Asians). Top floor Pizza Hut where the cinemas are - full of Thai's (Asians). If you think Thai's don't make up the majority of customers in the malls, then you obviously don't get out very far and are just assuming.

You really should get out more there are many areas where there are very few farongs. Also NO fast food outlets. Are you sure the Asian's you witnessed in the Mall were not from the buss loads of Chinese tourists we are experiencing here in Chiang Mai.

Would you say that the number of them was equal to 50% of the Asian population here in Chiang Mai or closer to .01%. Not really a significant amount of them. Were they all overweight?

You obviously don't get out very far.

[NoshowJones]

A black strip on a child’s neck is a sign of not washing.

But seriously, in BKK few places to play (exercise), parents to busy trying to make a baht, computer games and of course the mini version tablets.

Wonder what the result of a similar survey would be in a rural area where the kids can run around and play?

I was a teacher in a high school with about 4000 students, (not in Bangkok) there was an area of the school with exercise machines, I hardly ever saw any students using it, but on the other hand, there were always lots of students playing ball games in the playgrounds out side of school hours, It would seem that giving children exercise that is enjoyment for them would be the answer.

[NoshowJones]

I try to limit the amount of crap that my 7 year old eats. It's a battle though, her Mother actually thinks that she is being good to her child by bringing home loads of sweet fatty cakes, milkshakes and cookies.

At least I've managed to replace the sweet condensed milk on sweet white bread with honey on wholemeal. A small step, but at least in the right direction.

Would it be too much to ask Farmhouse to come up with a low sugar bread?

What non alcohlic low calorie drinks apart from Coke which I don't like, can you buy in Thailand? Orange, Lemonade? None that I can see.

[robblok]

Here in Chiang Mai we get threads blaming it all on the fast food franchises. Even though per capita we have very few of them and they are in the tourist areas and western shopping malls.

Don't worry where they are, look at who is taking up the majority of seats. I was in Airport Plaza yesterday and entered by McDonalds - full of Thais (Asians). Top floor Pizza Hut where the cinemas are - full of Thai's (Asians). If you think Thai's don't make up the majority of customers in the malls, then you obviously don't get out very far and are just assuming.

You really should get out more there are many areas where there are very few farongs. Also NO fast food outlets. Are you sure the Asian's you witnessed in the Mall were not from the buss loads of Chinese tourists we are experiencing here in Chiang Mai.

Would you say that the number of them was equal to 50% of the Asian population here in Chiang Mai or closer to .01%. Not really a significant amount of them. Were they all overweight?

You obviously don't get out very far.

Too be honest where i live there are not many foreigners but there are Mc Donalds, they are always full of Thais not Chinese. This is not a tourist area and just my observation. But on the other hand you see Thais waiting in line too for their deep fried sausage on a stick (not an US thing). People will eat fast food no matter where it is from because it often has a better taste. I could now try to argue that my bowl of salad is as nice as a good pizza I don't because if they were both as healthy id go for the pizza (calories aside). But i don't go for that pizza or fried chicken wings or whatever. Its called self control not every need needs to be satisfied.

However most Thais have absolutely no idea about what is healthy and what is not (same goes for a lot of foreigners too). Then you got the fact that Thailand has an eating culture, it all ads up and as long as there is no good education about this Thailand will continue to suffer. But even where there is good education people will still go for bad things it can't be stopped and banning food is not a good idea because it would also impact the people who are healthy and once in a while indulge in something bad.