A blunt new ad campaign in Georgia, “Stop Sugarcoating,” featuring images of miserable-looking overweight children is stirring up a national controversy. While the ad campaign aims to increase awareness of childhood obesity, many parents are concerned it will only cause more stigmatization of overweight kids.
While I agree that these ads are quite shocking and understand why they have been met with criticism, I do believe that a hard-hitting campaign may be the wake-up call needed to prevent a catastrophic public health crisis. The point of these ads is to spark discussion about childhood obesity. And if you have been on Twitter recently, you will see that this has been accomplished. While it is uncomfortable to watch these ads, it’s when people are uncomfortable that change occurs.
With nearly 1 million, or 40 percent, of kids in Georgia considered overweight or obese, it is imperative that parents understand that this is a grave issue that cannot be ignored. The truth is that, as the campaign points out, a whopping 50 percent of people surveyed didn’t recognize childhood obesity as a problem. What’s more, 75 percent of parents with obese kids don’t acknowledge their children as having weight issues. We all seem to think this is somebody else’s problem. Bringing these issues to the forefront sparks discussion and forces parents to confront the problem. These kids can’t be helped if their parents don’t acknowledge that help is needed.
As a pediatrician and child obesity expert who speaks with overweight and obese kids every day, I have seen firsthand the bullying and stigmatization these kids live with. Given my clinical experience, I don’t believe these ads will increase the bullying of these kids; they are already getting bullied day in and day out. As these ads are already out there, we should use them as an opportunity to address the issue at hand; our kids are overweight and we need to help them get healthy.
Here are some dos and don’ts for parents when it comes to talking to kids about weight:
1. It’s All About Health: While the ads may use the word “fat”, your conversation should not. Instead of focusing on “fat” or “thin”, talk about health and good nutrition. This way, even a thin parent can have this conversation. It is very possible that your child will initially get upset and accuse you of thinking he is fat. If this happens, simply steer the conversation back to your child’s health. ““I am not worried about your looks. It is your health that concerns me. Your body would be healthier if you weighed a little less. Let’s work together to learn to eat well.”
2. We Can Do It!: Instead of saying “You need to eat healthier”, try, “We need to eat healthier.” I have chosen to say ‘we’ need to eat healthier’ because this sounds less accusatory and alerts your child that you are both in it together.
3. Let’s Take Action: Be sure that you end the conversation with concrete suggestions of things you can do to be healthier. For example, suggest a trip to the grocery store to pick up some healthy foods, sign up for a local exercise class or go for a family jog each night. The idea is to end the conversation with a goal your child can accomplish so the prospect of “losing weight and getting healthy” doesn’t seem so daunting..
Remember that your long-term goal as a parent is to raise a person who is comfortable with herself and knows that she is loved, regardless of weight or size. Your child should also know, however, that part of loving yourself is taking care of your body and keeping it healthy. Children who feel loved learn to love themselves and are more likely to make healthy choices.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine estimates that at least one out of five children in the U.S. is overweight. There are several reasons why parents need be concerned over an overweight or obese child. Obese children and adolescents have shown an alarming increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes. Many obese children have high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are risk factors for heart disease. One of the most severe problems for obese children is sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while sleeping). In some cases this can lead to problems with learning and memory. In addition, obese children have a high incidence of orthopedic problems, liver disease, and asthma.
How to determine if your child is overweight or obese:
A doctor is the best person to determine whether your child has a weight problem. Doctors will measure your child’s weight, height, age and growth patterns to determine if his or her weight is within a healthy range. Based on your child’s height and weight, they will calculate a body mass index (BMI). If your child’s BMI is greater than 95 percent of children their age and gender, they are considered to be overweight.
Why children become overweight:
Genetic factors: Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. In rare cases, a medical problem, such as an endocrine disorder, may cause a child to become overweight. A careful physical exam and some blood tests will determine if your child is overweight due to this type of problem.
Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves. However, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Genetic factors play a role in increasing the likelihood that a child will be overweight, but shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits also greatly influence body weight.
Lifestyle: A child’s total diet and his or her activity level both play an important role in determining a child’s weight. The average American child spends approximately 24 hours each week watching television – time that could be spent in some sort of physical activity.
What parents can do to help:
Be supportive: Overweight children need support, acceptance, and encouragement from their parents. Children’s feelings about themselves often are based on their parents’ feelings about them. It is also important to talk to your children about weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you.
Don’t use food as a punishment or reward: Withholding food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they will not get enough food which may result in overeating. When foods, such as sweets, are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example, telling children that they will get dessert if they eat all of their vegetables sends the wrong message about vegetables.
Set a good example: Children are good learners, and they learn best by example. Set a good example for your kids by eating a variety of foods and being physically active. Involve children in food shopping and preparing. Children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.
Teach healthy habits: Teaching healthy eating practices early will help children approach eating with the right attitude: Food should be enjoyed and is necessary for growth, development, and for energy to keep the body running. Guide their choices rather than dictate foods. This will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices. Encourage your child to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when eating slowly.
Cut down on fat: Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. Simple ways to cut the fat in your family’s diet include eating lowfat or nonfat dairy products, poultry without skin and lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free breads and cereals. By the time the child is about 5 years old, you should gradually adopt a diet that contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.
Healthy snacking: You should make snacks as nutritious as possible, without depriving your child of occasional chips or cookies, especially at parties or other social events. Healthy snacks include: applesauce, carrot sticks with hummus, peanut butter on apples, yogurt, dried fruit, fruit juice popsicles, low fat cheese, etc.
Increase your physical activity: Regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. Some simple ways to increase your family’s physical activity include the following: Plan family activities like walking, dancing, biking, or swimming. For example, schedule a walk with your family after dinner instead of watching TV or playing video games. Overweight children may feel uncomfortable about participating in certain activities so it is important to help your child find physical activities that they enjoy and that aren’t embarrassing or too difficult.
It’s hard to find a child who doesn’t love sugary foods, and chances are the processed or packaged food your child eats has some amount of added sugar. New research suggests that this trend has spiraled out of control and is causing serious health consequences for families. Foods that are high in added sugar (soda, cookies, cake, candy, frozen desserts, and some fruit drinks) tend to also be high in calories and low in other valuable nutrients. As a result, a high-sugar diet is often linked with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
A recent American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement containing specific guidelines on limiting sugar intake has sparked conversation about just how much sugar people should consume and how to make cutting back less bothersome.
How Much Sugar Should You and Your Kids Consume?
The guidelines, published in the August 2009 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, state most women should consume no more than 100 calories, and men no more than 150 calories, of added sugar. These numbers average out to about 6 to 9 teaspoons, or 25 to 37.5 grams, of sugar a day.
Preschoolers with a daily caloric intake of 1,200 to 1,400 calories shouldn’t consume any more than 170 calories, or about 4 teaspoons, of added sugar a day. Children ages 4-8 with a daily caloric intake of 1,600 calories should consume no more than 130 calories, or about 3 teaspoons a day. As your child grows into his pre-teen and teen years, and his caloric range increases to 1,800 to 2,000 a day, the maximum amount of added sugar included in his daily diet should be 5 to 8 teaspoons.
A study conducted by the AHA found children as young as 1-3 years already bypass the daily recommendations, and typically consume around 12 teaspoons of sugar a day. By the time a child is 4-8 years old, his sugar consumption skyrockets to an average of 21 teaspoons a day. The same study found 14-18 year old children intake the most sugar on a daily basis, averaging about 34.3 teaspoons. That is about four times the recommended amount!
For this reason, it is extremely important to be able to recognize sources of added sugar in your diet, understand why consuming extra sugar can be harmful to health, and how best to limit added sugars.
Beware of Hidden Added Sugars
Added sugars are sugars and syrups included in foods during processing or preparation, as well as sugars and syrups that consumers add themselves. According to the AHA statement, a healthy and well-balanced diet contains naturally occurring sugars present in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and many grains. Naturally occurring sugars supply healthy nutrients while still fulfilling people’s cravings for sweets.
The best way to determine whether a food contains added sugar is to read the ingredient list. Although added sugars may appear in a variety of ways, in terms of calorie content, all added sugars are essentially the same. The names for added sugars used on food labels include those listed below:
Brown sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Dextrose
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrates
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt syrup
Maltose
Molasses
Sucrose
As of now, sugar grams listed on the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels don’t distinguish naturally occurring sugars from added sugar so it is important to scour the ingredients list for hidden sources of sugar.
The main sources of added sugars in the Western diet include soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages such as fruit juices and sports drinks. In fact, according to the AHA statement, between 1970 and 2000, the per-person daily consumption of caloric soft drinks increased by a whopping 70%! While you may know that such foods are sugar sweetened without reading labels, there are other items that may not be so obvious. Examples include ketchup, barbeque sauce, baked beans, and even some salad dressings.
The Problem With Sugar Overload
High intakes of added sugar have been linked to overweight and obesity, a lower intake of essential nutrients, increased triglyceride levels, hypertension, and inflammation. All of these are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is what the AHA scientific statement addresses on specifically. In addition, too much added sugar in the diet can also “take up space,” leaving little room for healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods, and lean sources of protein.
Defeat the Sweets
Start out small, and note that beverages are often a great starting point for change. Beverages are especially problematic because research shows that liquid calories are not as satiating as calories consumed as solid food. As a result, people don’t compensate for liquid calories in the same way they do calories from solid food. Quench your thirst with these healthier alternatives:
Plain or carbonated water being the best choice
Add a splash of your favorite fruit juice to a glass of sparkling water
Although there’s no added sugar in 100% fruit juice, the calories from the natural sugars found in fruit juice can add up. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4-6 ounces (118-177 milliliters) for kids under 7 years old, and no more than 8-12 ounces (237-355 milliliters) of juice for older kids and teens.
Candy is another sweet treat that many may find difficult to relinquish. Try substituting candy with these healthier alternatives:
Mixed nuts, dried fruit (made without added sugar), and low-sugar cereals for candy
1 square of 70% dark chocolate
Apple slices with 2 Tablespoons Almond Butter
Remember, enjoying a treat now and again is not a bad thing, which is exactly why 2 red light foods are allowed on the Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right meal plans. Those who allow themselves an occasional indulgence rather than trying to abstain often find success making healthy lifestyle changes. Those who attempt to deny themselves all sweets may not have as much success, especially if they previously consumed a lot of sugar. By taking small steps, you can begin to cut back on the sweet stuff and get on track to a healthier, green light, lifestyle.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans committee report recommends that individuals reduce their sodium consumption. As they search for alternative ways to emphasize flavor in lieu of using salt, much attention has been given to monosodium glutamate (MSG), the flavor enhancer most often associated with Chinese food and after-dinner headaches.
In 1907, Kikunae Ikeda, a professor of physical chemistry at the University of Tokyo, pondered the unique taste of kelp (konbu) and meat. Ikeda initiated an investigation to identify the taste component of dried konbu and discovered that the sodium salt of glutamic acid (ie, MSG) was responsible. He termed this flavor umami. Umami is described as the meaty or savory flavor found in many types of seafood, seaweed, fish, meats, and mushrooms.[1]
Scientists have recently identified several distinct umami receptors.[2] The receptors found on the anterior and posterior taste buds may explain umami’s complex and varied taste. Many questions about this curious flavor remain unanswered; therefore, umami is under evaluation for its relationship with satiety, taste preferences, and even obesity.
A new study found that people who eat more MSG are more likely to be overweight or obese even after accounting for the total number of calories they ate.
Ka He, a nutrition expert at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who led the study, said that although the risk of weight gain attributable to MSG was modest, the implications for public health are substantial.
MSG is one of the world’s most widely used food additives. Although it tends to be more popular in Asian countries (average intakes range between a gram-and-a-half and 10 grams a day), Americans manage to get their share in processed foods (average intakes are estimated to be half a gram per day), from chips to canned soups, even when it’s not labeled as such. Glutamate has been identified in green tea, seaweed, tomatoes, potatoes, Chinese cabbage, soybeans, Parmesan cheese, sardines, prawns, and clams.[3] Although the FDA considers MSG sage, some people complain of headaches, nausea and other bad reactions it.
Several studies have examined the potential link between MSG and body weight, with conflicting results. In the latest research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, He and his colleagues followed more than 10,000 adults in China for about 5.5 years on average.
The researchers measured MSG intake and asked people to estimate their intake over three 24-hour periods. Men and women who ate the most MSG (a median of 5 grams a day) were about 30 percent more likely to become overweight by the end of the study than those who ate the least amount (less than a half-gram a day). After excluding people who were overweight at the start of the study, the risk rose to 33 percent.
Obesity is not as much of a problem in China as it is in the United States, which might suggest that MSG is not a significant culprit in weight gain. However, He explains, the Chinese tend to be physically active, which might help offset the pound-producing properties of the additive.
Why MSG and weight gain may be linked isn’t clear, He added, but it may have something to do with the hormone leptin, which regulates appetite and metabolism. He’s group found that people who consumed more MSG produced more leptin, which could explain why people who ate more MSG gained weight regardless of how many calories they consumed.
But Ivan E. de Araujo, a Yale University neurobiologist who has studied the effects of MSG on leptin, was not convinced by the new findings.
Leptin is released by fat cells, so as people gain weight they have more leptin in their blood, Araujo said. The effect of MSG on leptin levels, then, may simply be a reflection of growing body mass. Araujo also noted that people who consumed the most MSG also consumed the most salt in their diets, which can itself cause water retention and weight gain.
The link between MSG consumption and increased body weight may have many explanations, some of which may include the most recent findings that MSG/glutamate may have one or more metabolic effects in the body which might predispose consumers to weight gain.
What is required now is for more work to be done to assess what effects MSG might have on human physiology that might cause weight gain. If one of the most commonly used food additives recognized as safe does indeed have the potential to cause weight gain, then it’s only right that we should know.
[1] Chaudhari N, Pereira E, Roper SD. Taste receptors for umami: The case for multiple receptors. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(suppl):738S-742S.
[2] Chaudhari N, Pereira E, Roper SD. Taste receptors for umami: The case for multiple receptors. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(suppl):738S-742S.
[3] Kurihara K. Glutamate: From discovery as a food flavor to role as a basic taste (umami). Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(suppl):719S-722S.
As soon as you become a parent you will frequently be told that you need to get your baby on a schedule for sleeping and eating. While this may make you feel more organized, a new study, finds that parents should “trust” their baby to decide when and how much they want to eat – and even use feeding to soothe them when they are crying.
Researchers at Queensland University Technology in Brisbane, Australia have revealed that “on demand” feeding leads to healthier weights later in the baby’s life than traditional “scheduled” feeding. It seems that giving them food at set times, when they may not be hungry, could over-ride their innate sense of how much food they need which can lead to weight gain when they get older.
What does feed on demand mean? Feed your baby whenever he/she seems to want it–in other words, follow his/her cues. The following list shows ways your baby will let you know he/she is hungry: squirming, increased alertness or activity, snuggling or rooting at the breast, clenching his fists by his face, brushing a hand across his face, putting his fist in his mouth, sucking on his hands, making sucking sounds or little sucking motions, crying, moving their heads from side to side, opening their mouths, sticking out their tongues, and showing the rooting reflex (when a baby moves its mouth in the direction of something that’s stroking or touching its cheek)
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk states, “Newborns should be nursed whenever they show signs of hunger, such as increased alertness or activity, mouthing, or rooting. Crying is a late indicator of hunger.”
Lynne Daniels, a professor of nutrition at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, studied almost 300 babies and their mothers. She found that babies fed on demand were lighter at 14 months than others.
This is important because more and more evidence points to crucial events very early in life- during the toddler years, infancy and even before birth- that can set children on an unyielding path to obesity. Among the findings that predict higher childhood BMI include:
An article titled “Cue Feeding: Wisdom and Science” on the La Leche League website states: Empirical and theoretical evidence combined continues to support current recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics that babies, most especially breastfed babies, need to be fed on cue and should be allowed to set their own routine, rather than placed on a predetermined schedule. It is our further conclusion that practices which interfere with babies’ cuings have been responsible for low weight gains, failure to thrive, milk supply failure, involuntary early weaning, and possibly even some cases of colic, as well as infant regression and depression due to lack of parental responsiveness to baby’s frantic cues.
The consequences of not feeding a baby regularly or feeding inadequate food can be long-lasting. A baby that is not fed well can be slow to gain weight and may show difficulties in developing in various areas. Poorly fed infants may show delays in cognitive abilities, as well. A condition known as failure to thrive is diagnosed in a baby that is not fed properly, causing a lack of important vitamins and iron in his diet. Failure to thrive not only results in a baby that is not gaining weight, but babies with failure to thrive will be more irritable, have poor eye contact and will be slow to reach developmental milestones, resulting in possibly significant delays.
Although the findings from this new study go against the traditional view that babies need a routine, and that by giving in to their demands to be fed could lead them to becoming spoilt, the results are worth much merit. Changing from scheduled feedings to on demand feedings may require deserting some cherished cultural attitudes, such as, the idea that a big baby is a healthy baby or that a strict feeding schedule is necessary for your baby’s well-being.
When schools cut physical education programs so students can spend more time in the classroom, not only are they missing a chance to prevent obesity, they may also be missing an a golden opportunity to promote learning, according to a recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver on May 1, 2011.
Researchers sought to determine how implementing a daily physical activity program that incorporated classroom lessons would affect student achievement. First- through sixth-graders at an academically low-scoring elementary school in Charleston, S.C., took part in the program 40 minutes a day, five days a week. Prior to initiation of the program, students spent only 40 minutes per week in physical education classes.
The program involved using several classrooms, which were revamped into two gyms that housed equipment for an All Minds Exercise (AMX) room for older students and an Action Based Learning (ABL) lab for the younger children.
Younger students moved through stations in the ABL lab, learning developmentally appropriate movement skills while basic academic skills were reinforced. For example, children hopped through ladders while naming colors on each rung. Older students had access to exercise equipment with TV monitors. For instance, a treadmill had a monitor that played geography lessons as the student ran through the scene.
Researchers compared state standardized reading test scores for the year before and the year after initiation of the program. Results showed that the time spent out of a traditional classroom in order to increase physical education improved student test scores. The percentage of students reaching their goal on the state tests increased from 55 percent before the program was initiated to 68.5 percent after the program was initiated.
This study adds to growing evidence that exercise is good not only for the body but also the mind. It also shows that physical education and academic instruction need not be mutually exclusive.
There has been much discussion about cutting out recess and P.E. classes so children can have more time in the classroom for instruction. It’s hard to imagine kids sitting still for eight hours a day and maintaining a high level of concentration. Aside from the issue of concentration, another recent study in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise also found that individuals who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.
Much blame has been placed on fast food, school lunch, soda intake and video games. Perhaps the answer also lies in this common sense approach to learning that includes movement. Providing activity in a safe school environment makes sense for both weight control and better school performance.
“Weight can be inherited, but it can also be contagious.” -Brian Wansink author or “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think”
Brian Wansink, an author of over 100 academic articles and books on eating behavior, has found that when we are with people we enjoy, such as friends, we often lose track of how much, how fast, and how long we are eating for. It seems when we are with others we tend to mimic the speed at which they eat and how much they eat.
Similarly, a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health suggests that obesity spreads socially not because friends have shared ideas about acceptable body size, but rather because they share environments and carry out activities together that may contribute to weight gain.
In other words, shared social behaviors, such as eating out at restaurants, and shared surroundings, likely play a bigger role in the obesity “friend effect” than do shared social norms.
Researchers interviewed 101 women and 812 of the their friends and family members (both men and women) and calculated the Body Mass Index for everyone in the study. The initial women in the study were 2.4 times more likely to be obese if their friends were obese. And they were 3.6 times more likely to be obese if their close friends were obese which confirms earlier findings that obesity spreads in social networks.
Participants were asked to choose their ideal body size from nine line drawings of people of different sizes. They were also asked how much they agreed with stigmatizing statements about obesity, such as “People are overweight because they are lazy.” And they were asked whether they would rather be obese or have one of 12 other stigmatizing conditions, including herpes or alcoholism.
The researchers found very little support for the hypothesis that friends’ shared views about acceptable body size cause obesity. Although friends tended to have similar BMIs, their views about body size did not account for this effect.
Therefore, this may suggest that interventions that try to change people’s ideas about how fat or thin they should be won’t be very effective.
Instead, efforts should focus on promoting healthy environments, for instance, making people’s neighborhoods more exercise-friendly and increasing access to healthy foods, the researchers of this study say.
More studies need to be done to find out what accounts for the spread of obesity among friends, but in the meantime, share these tips instead of fatty dips with your friends:
Pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table
Decide how much you want to eat prior to the meal
Avoid temptation by always leaving some food on your plate as if you’re still eating
It’s a long-honored tradition: several times a year, parents receive report cards showing how their children have done academically. However, with continuing increases in childhood obesity rates, school districts and states across the country have been increasingly considering a new type of parental notification: the BMI report card.
BMI, short for body mass index, is a way of measuring weight relative to height. BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight (in kilograms) and dividing it by height (in meters) squared. Among adults, a BMI of 18 to 24.9 is normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight and above 30 obese. Because children grow and develop, absolute cut points can’t be used in pediatrics. Instead, a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile is considered overweight, and above the 95th percentile obese.
Of course, individuals differ in relative amounts of fat and lean tissue. A teenager engaging in regular, intense physical activities may have a high BMI due to extra muscle. However, for the vast majority, BMI is a good measure of weight status and risk for obesity-related conditions.
The health effects of childhood obesity and high BMI are well-known: excess pounds can lead to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma and sleep apnea, among other serious health problems in adulthood.
Therefore, these school- sponsored messages may give parents a needed reality check. As previously discussed here at Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, parents of overweight children often believe their children are at a healthy weight, even though almost one third of kids are actually overweight or obese.
Although, some critics question the government’s place in getting involved in something as personal as weight, efforts to deal with the problem may be more effective in childhood than any other time in life. For these reasons, BMI reports cards make sense.
The next time you get a BMI report card, first give serious consideration to whether your family needs to improve their eating habits and increase their physical activity level. If your child’s BMI percentile is already high, or climbing fast, discuss the issue with your pediatrician or make an appointment with a childhood obesity program, like Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right.
Parents are encouraged to share this information with their child’s doctor, who can help interpret the results and make recommendations.
To start, here are some tips to help kids maintain a healthy weight:
Encourage kids to be active every day. Experts recommend that kids get 60 minutes or more of physical activity on most — preferably all — days of the week.
Offer fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks
Serve appropriate portion sizes.
Limit sugar-sweetened beverages and offer low-fat milk or water instead.
Limit time spent in front of a screen, including TV and computers, to less than 2 hours a day.
Set a good example by eating healthy, being physically active, and limiting the time you spend in front of a screen.
Every mother has said, “Eat your vegetables,” to her child at some point. As it turns out, mother always knows best. A poor diet, be it too little, too much or the wrong balance of food, can increase our children’s risks of many diseases and illnesses that can become debilitating and life-threatening. A new small study suggests that obese teenagers are at an increased risk for inflammation, insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), and oxidative stress (which can lead to blood vessel damage). These metabolic abnormalities suggest that the process of developing heart disease has already started in these children, making it critical for them to make definitive lifestyle and diet changes.
The researchers in the study compared the diets of 33 young obese people (aged 11 to 19 years) to 19 people in the same age group who were of normal weight.) Unsurprisingly, teens in both groups weren’t getting proper nutrition because they didn’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, fiber and dairy products, but the obese teens in particular consumed less dairy and fewer servings of fruit. Potassium and vitamins A, C and D — which are found in fortified dairy products and deeply colored fruits and vegetables — were all found to be lacking in the diets of the obese children.
Another recent study published in the Nov. 2010 online edition of Circulation suggests that children who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may be able to help ward off atherosclerosis in adulthood, a precursor of heart disease. Kids who eat produce nearly every day develop more flexible arteries. Having arteries that resemble bendy straws is a good thing; stiff arteries make your heart work harder and blockages are more likely.
These studies provide insight into the early development of vascular disease and have important implications for prevention efforts in children.
If your kids are about as interested in broccoli and apples as in math homework (in other words, NOT), these parent-tested strategies can boost their produce quotient without a food fight:
–Eat them yourself. When parents eat their veggies, kids do, too. They’re hard-wired to mimic what you do — monkey-see-monkey-do still works.
–Keep on offering them. Pack red pepper strips or broccoli in lunches. Add sliced kiwi or a mango. If they come home untouched, don’t flip out. Just do it again and again. It can take 10 to 15 “introductions” for a youngster to try and like a new food.
–Invite a friend of your child’s over who likes veggies — your guy may model his behavior.
–Don’t force the issue. High-pressure tactics make dinnertime a downer, and can turn your child off to the Brussels sprouts you’ve finally learned to love.
There seems to be a number of contributing factors to the obesity epidemic our nation is facing. Some of these include excessive caloric intake, decreased physical activity and cultural influences. Now some researchers are investigating whether sleep deprivation may contribute to obesity.
Research presented at the International AC21 Research Festival points out that short sleep duration may lead to obesity through an increase of appetite via hormonal changes caused by the sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep can produce the hormone Ghrelin which can stimulate appetite and creates less Leptin which suppresses appetite.
Babies and children under the age of 5 getting less than 10 hours of sleep at night are more likely to be overweight or obese 5 years later. Insufficient sleep at night may be a lasting risk factor for obesity later in life (napping cannot replace the benefits of nighttime sleep). Babies and children up to age 4 who didn’t sleep enough at night were 80% more likely to be obese 5 years later. In older children (5-13) this same link to obesity was not seen.
As for kids, studies show that most are not getting enough sleep. There is an epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity and video games and fast food are not solely to blame. Researchers uncovered that shortened sleep in children under 5 years old predicts weight problems later on. Also, short nighttime sleep duration increases the risk of early teens to shift from normal weight to overweight. In other words, adolescents who sleep less are more likely to pile on the pounds.
Sleep disorders in young children may be avoided by following established bedtime routines. Begin the calming down process at dinnertime. Dinner should not be served watching T.V. every night. After dinner, allow the child to have some quiet playtime. Offer puzzles, blocks or books ( as long as the activity is relatively quiet ). Run a warm bath and allow for some playtime in the bath. After the bath, get your child in a routine of getting their pajamas on, brushing their teeth and cleaning up. Put your child into bed with a few books ( or feel free to join in this time ). Set a limit and have some relaxing reading time before bed. Have the books seem like a special treat every night which will also help develop a love of reading. Most importantly, be firm with the bedtime routine. The less you deviate from it the easier it will become. This lets your child know what to expect each night. Repetition for young children especially, can be extremely comforting.
Many teen’s hectic schedules keep them up late many nights. Most teens need at least 8.5 hours of sleep. However, studies show 85% of teens are getting less than 8 hours every night. This sleep deficit causes many problems including adverse effects on their health causing weight gain. Some ways to prevent sleep disorders may be to avoid caffienated beverages after lunchtime and limit stimulating activities before bedtime. Also, limiting extracurricular activities and practicing relaxation techniques before bedtime such as gentle stretches help prevent symptoms of insomnia ( Resource-Mayo Clinic 2007).
So, are we overweight because we sleep less, or do we sleep less because we are overweight? Until we know these answers, it makes sense to include a good night’s sleep in any child’s routine. It turns out getting good, regular sleep may help to eat more regular meals which can be associated with better weight control. We should avoid using food as a “pick-me-up” when it turns out, it’s really just sleep we need!
