Why we have fat children

​A friend of mine has two children who never saw a vegetable for most of their childhood. I mean, yes, the kids saw vegetables at the supermarket, but their mother never bought any of them. Her idea of “fresh vegetables” was french fries.

A typical dinner for this family was fried chicken nuggets. Mom says it was easier, you know. The kids loved them, and she didn’t have to come home from work and have to make healthy salads and stuff she said the kids wouldn’t eat anyway. “They don’t like vegetables,” explained Mom.

The kids are both teens now and — surprise! — obese. I’m reminded that my own parents didn’t give a crap what I — or my three siblings — wanted to eat during our childhood. We had salads with our meals, and eating the vegetables on our plates, even lima beans (which I detest to this day) was mandatory. I griped at the time, but my folks had our best interests at heart. And I was pretty thin until I started reviewing restaurants in my 30s.

This week, Mead Johnson — responding to a firestorm of consumer complaints — dropped its chocolate-flavored Enfagrow Premium toddler drink (it’s going to continue to market the vanilla-flavored beverage), which boasted as much as 19 grams of sugar. What’s next, cheeseburger-flavored vitamins?