UK McDonald's chief blames game industry for obesity

haha, oops, I meant the Wii *is* physically involving.

At 15 I am an obese person, but eating at McDonalds is not the reason I am fat. I eat very healthy, as in grilled chicken breast and vegi kind of healthy. 5 years ago i was a stick figure, and ate whatever I wanted but that was because I was running, just running, 9 hours a week. This is where the problem with youth obesity lies. Exercise is key in any healthy lifestyle.

HOW ABOUT BLAMING THE PARENTS, THEY ARE RESPONSIBILE FOR WHAT THEIR KIDS DO, OR WAS THAT ONLY A GOOD THEORY.

How we forget that maybe it is the PARENTS that are making their kids fat??? Don't take them to McDonald's for 5 meals a week and maybe get them to play outside a little bit. I agree that kids play too many video games and sit on the computer too long. We used to ride our bikes everywhere and played games like Tag and wiffle ball. Kids are freakin'lazy and 100% of the time it is the parents fault. They just don't want to be bothered with doing anything with their kids, either. People just look to blame anyone else but themselves for their issues.

Personally, I do not blame gaming or MacDonalds for
children being fat....I blame the parents and only
the parents

EXCUSE ME!!! Doesn't McDonald's have video games and TV monitors in their restaurants? Isn't that a double whammy? First you load up on the high-fat foods and then you sit for hours and play video games or watch a movie. I rarely see kids in the play areas at my local McDonald's.
If it wasn't so sad, it would be amusing.

vid games are more to blame that anything else. kids use to play outside,and ride bikes. now at 16 they drive cars. we walked 3 miles to go fishing,almost every nice day in summer.

fast food from McDonalds is too worse that the fat food mom used to make in the 50's . spoiled kids that are too lazy to walk anywhere, too lazy to ride bikes, and adults are just as bad

What about all the Mcdonalds video games that came out in the past?

The reason children are fat I believe is #1 Pedophiles people are scared to send their kids out to play #2 Taxes we are taxed to death so parents don't have time to be parents we have to work so much just to get bills paid and food in the kids stomach that we don't have time to spend all day outside watching them play. I was a skinny kid me and my brothers spent all day playing outside. My Mom didn't have to worry about perverts stealing and murdering us.

McDonalds is no worse or better than any other fast food or slow food resturant for that matter. People have different tastes and thank god we live in a country where difrerent tastes can be catered to. I was in Saudi Arabia once upon a time and the only thing they had over there was Hardee's. This was a big town, too. If people are getting fat from fast food then they need to slow their intake down a bit. It is NOT fair to blame a resturant for making people fat. Silliest thing I have heard of. This generation seems to hold everyone except themselves for their problems.

and what about those "all you can eat" places....won't this tend to add a few pound?

Instead of being a whinny little bitch, take your food stamps to the store and buy some carrots instead of that big mac!! Maybe then you'll be able to get off welfare!!

I absolutely love playing video games with my son. . .
but we go to the park, and the beach, and bike riding as much or more than the video games. I think the true responsibility is on the parents. Maybe we should tax parrents with fat kids since we all will be paying for it in the long run. . .
BIG UPS to all the video game avatars!
McDonald get a grip. . .

I do not believe anyone on this board would disagree that parents or lack thereof is ultimately responsible. Parenting is truly a lost art. But are kids getting fatter because their parents are letting them eat too much fast food? or is the problem because their parents allow them to sit in front of the TV all day long and excercise their thumbs. Its a combination of both but personally I believe kids need to get out and play more. I am not going to put fast foods at the top of healthy living, but Like I said earlier my brothers and I grew up on fast food and the fat never did materialize. But we stayed active because if we stayed in the house my mom would find something for us to do, usually chores. Which also burns calories.

It all boils down to one word CHOICES!!!!!

what about the parents. isnt it the parents who take their kids to fast food places and not teach them about proper nutrition. isnt it the parents who allow their kids to play video games and not teach them that the also need daily excercise. even when children get old enough to buy their own stuff, it is still their choice. nobody forces them to be unhealthy. everyone wants to blame something else except their own stupid choices in life.

From what I have read so far there are many that did not read or understand the article to comment on it. I don't agree that the games industry is to blame for fat kids and adults. On the kids, it is the parents that find it easier to buy fast food then to cook a real meal for their kids, that is if they even know how to cook a meal. On the adults, well, they make their own choices and buy fast food, again over healthier foods. As far as McDs is concerned, it is simply supply and demand...there is a demand for fast food and they supply it. We all have our personal choices when it comes to fast food, some like McD, some don't and that is fine. I will not list the places that I don't care for but will say that McD is on the list for me. When and until people wake up to the fact that they are eating themselves fat and into the grave there will continue to be fast food joints. I woke up about 6 years ago to this fact and am paying for it still with health issues.

if you notice alot of the game have started to become more physical, esp the nintendo wii so theres more exercise involved. so McDonald's need to look at their food again and stop looking for scapegoats.

I figure it out to be 50/50.

You cant blame marijuana, it speeds your metabolism and if used correctly can help you lose weight

I agree that kids seem to get addicted to these modern video games: http://lowtechtimes.com/2007/12/20/classic-video-games/

I don't think occasionally eating at McDonalds will make an active child obese.

Regardless of how one feels about McD's food, the exec is right. Burgers have been around for a long time. Folks are fat now because we spend too much time staring at screens and not enough time doing actual physical activities. (And respectfully, "gamer" is a term that was invented by the industry to make people whose accomplishments are mostly make-believe feel less like losers. Sorry but it's true.)

It is absolutely nobody's fault but the lazy ass irresposible parents. I don't know too many 8 year olds with jobs, cars, and money to go get fast food on their own.

No one should eat fast food period. Not only for the havoc that stuff causes on your body but also for the environmental effects. What your getting there isn't even really meat but some processed mush that at one time might have been meat. Boycott fast food!

Man, I just took a huge crap. I think I'll feed it to my kids instead of taking the time to make them a sensible meal.

No, the game industry is not in any way, shape, or form responsible for today's children being so obese. It's the food their parents are feeding them or the lack of monitoring of what their kids eat plays a role in this. Parents also need to have their children engage in more after school sports or have them at least, go out and play on a daily basis, whether it is after school or on the weekends when they're off. Kids deserve to live a very healthy life and by having them eat foods that are contained in high fat and cholesteral is what will cause them to gain alot of weight. Not only that, but this can lead to having very serious heart problems and even develop diabetes. They need to eat foods, but they should be served a well balanced diet instead of diets that are nothing, but contained with what I just stated. And as far as the sweets are concerned, they should be given healthy treats instead. Giving them candy is not good. They should be served treats that are of fiber instead of treats that are so full of glucose. Because that is what also causes them besides being obese as having dental problems. The gums becomes inflammed after a period of time and this too, is also a factor of what causes young people to develop health problems.

I'm 50 years old. My mother hated to cook.
She too my bothers and me to, McTrashy, almost every day, for lunch and dinner. When they came out with breakfast, she took us for breakfast, too. I have never been fat, in fact, I'm 6' tall and 155lbs. I don't eat there anymore. Because it made me sick not fat. Just don't eat their sh.t! I blame the parents, they're probably fat, too.

Did you know Mc Donalds has a video game for the old nintendo system? I have it.... ironic huh? And, how come Ronald Mc Donald is so skinny? Things to ponder..... Like Mc Donalds has salads, Nintendo has the Wii.

its about 3 things 1 watching what you eat , 2 getting the right amount of exercise and 3 doing things in moderation. its not where you live that matters it how much you do or dont eat. there are as many overweight ppl in europe as there are in the u.s. if some schools didnt cut back on their p.e programs 4 the last 25 yrs the problem would we have now would be less . it starts in the home combinde w school information about a healthy diet ect .

McDonalds is actually healthier than others... I just can't eat fast food much more myself. I wanted to point this out though, straight from that article:

"There's fewer green spaces and kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they'd have been burning off energy outside,"

"Fewer green spaces"- so its not the kids fault, its the government for adding more housing and such?
"sat home playing computer games on the TV"- Umm last time I checked my computer games were played on the computer not TV.
"when in the past they'd have been burning off energy outside"- Maybe because there is less green spaces to do things in?

They need to clear some facts up on all of this. And what about over protective parents who don't want their kids getting hurt so they don't let them go out and do anything? Or don't get them something that will get them outside because they might get hurt using it? I'm sorry but its more of the parents fault, don't blame kids or gaming industries. Last I knew kids didn't have jobs so they can't go buy all the games for themselves.

YOU WALK IN THE DOOR AND MAKE YOUR MEAL CHOICE. IF YOU ORDER ONE OF THEIR TASTY SALADS AND AN ORANGE JUICE, OR A SIMPLE HAMBURGER AND AN ICE TEA YOUR FINE.IF YOU ORDER LARGER AMOUNTS OF FRIES , CHEESEBURGERS AND A SHAKE, ALL AT ONCE. THEN GO HOME AND SIT ON YOUR FAT AZ ALL DAY AND PLAY GAMES YOUVE MADE THAT JOICE. YOU'LL PAY THE PRICE. BUT YOUR NOT TO BLAME NOW ARE YOU....

We lived on a road that had three McDonald's when our kids were younger, and they had happy meals about four times a week. They never got fat, because they played outside a whole lot. My oldest spent more time blowing playing war with an older neighbor kid, by blowing up his GI Joes with firecrackers than he did playing video games. Both boys were constantly building tents on the swingset when they were not hanging upside down.

Sorry to break it to you all, but I believe video games are definitely one of the reasons why kids are obese. Blame it on the food, but if they were actually OUT being "active" instead of sitting all day playing Halo while stuffing a Big Mac and large fries in their mouths, theyd be alot healthier. Eating whatever you want is ok, as long as you keep your body active.

Game industry? Wow...

The only good thing about McDonalds is the Ronal McDonald house.

So here we are sitting at our computers talking about gross food and fatitude.
I go once a year to Mac's get a 1/4 pounder, fries, and a shake, then feel like crap in 30 min. And, then remind myself why I cook at home.
I have a really bright grandson (don't we all?)
When asked if he wants to go to Mickey D's he says NO, I want to go to Gramma's house she knows how to cook and lets me help.
So, there you go. Teach the kids to cook, they learn to read recipies and do fractions as well as eating healthy. When I taught 5th grade that was how I taught fractions and following directions. We created our own cook book to sell as a class project and learned about enterprise and money. I taught some of those kids Calc in high school and they all said do you remember.... I said what's inportant is that you do.
I'm not fat. Gotta keep fit at 62 so I can at least participate in family touch football and not keel over.
Now go get healthy and cook dinner. We're having real Italian sauce, salad & garlic bread. Stay well ya'll.

I blame the neolithic era for obesity; back when we were chasing mammoths across the tundra who knew eating too much would ever be a problem?