Are Child Diets Illegal?
While we live in an age where parents are being taken to court for "letting" their children become obese and risking possible health issues a recent court case in the US has posed the questions, is it illegal to put a child on a diet? Is it wrong to force your eating habits or beliefs on your child?
Even though the recent court case in the US also involved claims that children were being under fed and meals withdrawn as punishments the fact that the parents put their children on a vegan diet at an early age was a main element of the case. So what are the rules? What are the laws on childrens dietary needs?
Interestingly while governments around the world complain about the obese epidemic there are very few firm guidelines with regards to the diets which children should and need to follow. We have the basic calorie intake advice, warnings about foods which we should not be over indulging in and the need for a certain amount of exercise per day, but is their a perfect childs diet?
The problem with diets for children is the fact that each and every child around the world is different and may require a different food diet from those in their neighbourhood (or indeed the same family). It is near impossible to pigeon hole every child in the world and state they must eat xyz per day. So is it wrong to put your child on a diet with specific requirements rather than an all round healthy eating plan?
It is a very thin line between right and wrong and what may be deemed "food" abuse in the courts but parents may consider appropriate for their child. Youngsters need all kinds of nutrients and vitamins in order to develop and grow and by taking away any one of these elements, e.g. meat, dairy products, etc are you harming your child in the long term?
Think back to your childhood and the foods which you were allowed to eat and not allowed to eat. These are the days of your life which can and do mould the rest of your life so if you were not allowed a certain type of food there is every chance you will not have that as part of your diet when you get older. Do we all need more freedom of food choice when we are younger? Or should strict "healthy" eating (whatever type of diet this may be) be instilled into your child from an early age?