McDonald's Toy Ban in San Fran & Paula Deen Targeted

   A ban of McDonald Happy Meal toys goes into effect today in San Francisco.  There was a big legal battle to stop the fast food chain from marketing high fat and bad food to children.  So the effort was to not allow a toy to be given away in a Happy Meal.  McDonald's is getting around the new law by charging 10 cents for the toys and donating the money to the Ronald McDonald House charity. 

  I say good for you McDonald's!  I am so tired of people trying to force their lifestyles on society.  Yes, we do have an overweight society and an obesity epidemic among our children.  But why are we blaming fast food?  Why are we not going after all the video game makers?  Why are our children so fat?  It's not just because we are filling them with Happy Meals.  It is mostly because our children are not exercising.  They are getting home from school-- where gym classes have been eliminated-- and they sit in front of their TVs and play video games.  Children no longer go outdoors to play ball or ride bikes.  We sell motorized cars for toddlers these days.  I mean really folks, can we blame a fast food chain for our children not exercising?  We have motorized vehicles for toddlers!  We don't even have to put forth any effort before we are 3 years old to move outdoors.  Parents drive their kids to school and drop them at the front door.  We don't even make them walk to bus stops anymore.  We drive them to the bus stop. 

  I don't want to sound ancient, but in my day, I had to walk at least a quarter of a mile to a bus stop every morning.  We had recess where time was spent jumping rope or playing dodge ball or riding the swings or seesaw or climbing monkey bars.  We had gym class every day in school.  Yes, I hated wearing gym outfits and changing in locker rooms etc, but we had to have those classes.  When I was in school there was maybe one kid in a class who was overweight.  Now fat kids seem to be the norm.  But why are we blaming what we eat?

  We should be blaming the lack of exercise our kids are getting.  Studies show that no matter what you eat, if you don't move, you will gain weight.  Yes, we should all be eating healthier.  But really, in tough economic times it is getting harder and harder to buy fresh vegetables and when both parents have to work 2 jobs to support their family, who has time to cook meals every night?  But it really is the responsibility of parents to insure that they are not feeding their kids McDonald's happy meals every single day.   When I was growing up, eating out was something we did once a month or twice a month at most.  We couldn't afford to eat out with the large family I was a part of.  But now it seems eating out is a twice or three times a week event for families.  Why don't we fight to change that?  Why are we not battling to get gym classes back into our schools?  Why are we not battling against video games?

  I was also watching Dr Oz the other day and he was talking with Paula Deen about her bad recipes filled with butter and sugar.  She is known for her southern home cooking.  Her recipes call for cream, and butter and sugar, etc.  She is coming under fire for the way she is telling people to cook.  Really?  I mean come on folks.  We are not all cooking these rich meals every day.  It would seem that we are all eating out too much to even open a cook book and make a home cooked meal.  I am not preparing fried chicken every day for my family and having them eat chocolate cake every night for dessert. 

  Can't we be a society of moderation?  Must we pass laws and criticize celebrity cooks to control our obesity problem?  I mean why are we not passing laws to reduce gym memberships?  Why are we not introducing family programs at the YMCA to get parents and their kids to be more active?  Why are we trying to take away a toy from a kid who just wants to enjoy an occasional happy meal? 

  I believe our priorities are messed up here.  Why are we trying to get rid of good tasting food and make everything bland?  I for one enjoy an occasional meal filled with fat and sugar and butter.  But I know after eating it, I will have to get my butt to the gym.