What Every Parent Should Know About Childhood Obesity

Reposted from June 19, 2010

Sadly, sodas and other sugary drinks have become the beverage of choice among America's children, as indicated in a USDA report. This report, based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1988-94, shows that the daily soft drink intake of children between the ages of 14 and 18 was almost 4 times more than milk intake (0.7 servings of milk versus 2.7 servings of soda). Younger children were also consuming more soft drink than milk. 

And in a study reported by Harvard University School of Public Health (February 2001), soft drinks were listed as the leading source of added sugars in the diet of children. Researchers also found that the odds of becoming obese increased 1.6 times for each additional can or glass of sugar-sweetened soda that kids drank.

There is compelling evidence to show that children who drink large amounts of soda daily are prone to become overweight or obese. That is why it is important for you to pay attention to what your child is drinking and take steps to reduce his or her intake of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages to less than one serving per day - down to zero. Offer more milk, water and a limited amount of 100% fruit juice instead.

10 Kitchen Rules for Healthy Dieting

Overview

Successful dieting is about making the right food choices. And what better place to start but right in our own kitchen. But let's face it - dieting or not, in today's fast-paced society, convenience rules. You eat out because it's convenient. You buy packaged food because it's convenient. You grab snacks from the vending machine because it's convenient. Even though you know that these foods undermine you diet, convenience rules. But, you don't have to ruin your diet with convenience foods. Here are 10 kitchen rules that will help turn your kitchen into a convenience center for healthy dieting.

Rule 1. Pray

Prayer will put you in touch with your higher power and allow you to gain the insight that you need to stay focused on healthy dieting.

Rule 2. Have a Healthy Attitude

Attitude is the great motivator. If you believe that you can, you can’t. Don’t let negative thoughts keep you from focusing on losing the weight. Keep in mind that dieting is not just about losing weight; ultimately, it's mostly about your health.

Rule 3. Clean Your Cupboard and Refrigerator

The less temptation you have around, the easier it will be for you stay on your diet. So, look around your kitchen and get rid of all those high calorie, high fat, high sugar and high salt foods you've been storing. It's time for a fresh start.

Rule 4. Stock Up on Healthy Alternatives to Junk Food

Don’t leave your cupboard and refrigerator bare. After you have thrown out the junk, replace them with healthy options, including fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. This will make dieting a lot easier.

Rule 5. Make It Easy to Snack on Healthy Food

You shouldn’t have to rummage through your cupboard or refrigerator to figure out what to eat when you want a quick bite. Keep a variety of fresh fruits in plain sight. That could be a bowl of fresh fruit, nuts and seed on your kitchen counter or dining table, or a container of cut fruits and vegetables, cheese and yogurt in plain view in the refrigerator. 

Rule 6. Toss 'n Go

Keep a few brown bags, sandwich bags and other convenient food carriers in the kitchen. Then, when you are in a hurry, you can just pack your own take-out lunch or toss some of your favorite snack foods to eat on the go. Convenience goes a long way towards making it easy to diet.

Rule 7. Cook It Right – Keep It Light

It is so easy for unwanted calories to sneak into your diet when you are not paying attention. So, stay focused. You don’t have to avoid fat, sugar or salt altogether, but you do have to limit the amount that you use in cooking or at the table.

Rule 8. Eat In More and Dine Out Less

Fast food places and the restaurant industry could care less about your weight or your health. Their concern is their bottom line. Your is your waistline. A few minutes in the kitchen could help you maintain a healthy diet and work wonders for your weight and your waistline. 

Rule 9. Get a Better Perspective on Portions

Do you know what a standard portion is? If not, take a look at the USDA food guide pyramid. Portion out your meals and snacks based on the guidelines provided. Just keep in mind that two portions mean two times the calories. Take time to read study portion sizes on food labels, as well.

Rule 10. Drink Your Water

With water flowing freely from your kitchen faucet, there is no excuse for not drinking lots of water. If you'd rather drink filtered water, purchase a water filter for your kitchen faucet or other type if you prefer. Bottled water makes it convenient for you to drink water anytime, whether you are in your kitchen or not. Make no excuses.  

Should You Be Concerned About Your Child's Weight?

We all know that obesity is a major problem in the United States. According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 9 million children in this country are obese. And the government spends over $147 million dollars annually on hospitalizations due to medical conditions associated with childhood obesity.

But the issue hits home for parents who watch helplessly as their children begin to gain excessive weight and ultimately reach the point of being diagnosed as obese. Fear, sadness, depression and loss of control may describe their daily lives. Obesity also takes a toll on the physical health of the child who may be diagnosed as having diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and a number of other conditions that were once considered adult onset diseases.

If your child is so unfortunate as to become obese, it is important to focus on what could be done to reverse the problem. You should know that your child does not have to life the rest of his life as an obese person. It will take a great deal of effort to turn things around, but where there is a will there is a way.

You will need to work closely with your child's pediatrician and a registered dietitian to design a weight management plan that is uniquely suited to meet your child's need. In some cases, a number of other healthcare professionals may be there to help.

Keep in mind that diabetes, heart disease and other obesity-related chronic diseases could be fatal. So, it is important for you and the whole family to keep a positive attitude and make some critical changes to your son's diet and lifestyle habits. Your doctor might recommend eating enough to lose a small amount of weight monthly, to stop weight gain or to slow the amount of weight gained to see if height will catch up with weight, thus reducing the BMI to within an acceptable range. Whatever the advice, work with a registered dietitian for the best results.

Here are a few tips:

·      Teach your child to make healthy food choices from early on. 

·      Teach your child what are the right size portions for their age.

·      Make sure that you stock fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grain breads and cereal and other nutritious foods that your child can have when he or she needs a snack.

·      Encourage your child to drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Keep in mind that food does more than please the taste buds or fill the stomach. Food must provide the nutrients that your child needs for healthy growth. The earlier your child begins eating the healthy way, the greater the chances of preventing childhood obesity.

About the Author

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant with over 25 years of experience in teaching, counseling, training, project development and writing. Dr. Carter earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently President & CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project. 

Steps to Preventing Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a major problem for millions of children and families in the United States. Simply put, obesity is the result of eating too much and not exercising enough. Usually, the foods that these children eat are high in calories and of poor nutritional quality.

What’s so troubling about childhood obesity is that it takes a toll on the lives of those affected – socially, psychologically and physically. Our children deserve better.

Certainly, no parent wants their child to experience lifelong health problems, particularly when they could be avoided. So, what can you do to keep your child from becoming overweight or obese?

Preventing childhood obesity starts with making the right choices.

Let's take a look at some things that you can to do to keep your child from becoming obese:

Rule #1. Learn what children need for good health. You can use the food guide pyramid, MyPyramid for Kids, to learn more about what to feed your child.

Rule # 2. Serve nutritious foods in the right portions.

Rule #3. Keep a variety of fruits, nuts, dairy and other nutrient-dense foods on hand for children to snack on.

Rule #4. Limit the amount of sodas and other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that your child eats.

Rule #5. Read food labels to learn what is in the foods your child eats and shop accordingly. Avoid buying commercially packaged foods with large amounts of sugar, fat and sodium,

Rule #6. Get the whole family moving.

Keep in mind that it will take time for your child to develop the taste for more healthful foods. Be patient, but don’t give up.

Copyright 2010 Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD. All rights reserved. Copying or reprinting the information on this page without written permission of the author is strictly prohibited.

The information provided herein is for education and information services only and is not intended as a substitute for proper, personalized medical attention.  

Childhood Obesity - The National Agenda

Dr. Carter’s Nutrition Journal

Childhood Obesity: The National Agenda

By Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD

5-14-2010

Miami, FL

Child>Nutrition>Obesity

Overview

First Lady Michelle Obama is at the helm of a huge challenge. Her goal is to reduce childhood obesity within the next generation. With this task force, we should see a lot more movement towards preventing childhood obesity and providing obesity management services that children and families need to treat obesity where it exists. One thing is clear, registered dietitians and professional nutritionists will have a major role to play if we are to reverse the course of childhood obesity in this country.

Who is affected?

Today, childhood obesity is considered a major public health epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in three children are overweight or obese. This epidemic has put America’s children at risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and a number of other diseases that were once considered adult-onset diseases and rarely seen in children.

Causes of childhood obesity

In simplest terms, childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not burning enough. There are a lot of other things that contribute to childhood obesity and we have to address those issues.

According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, some of the things that are contributing to childhood obesity are:

Children are eating more fast food, foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar and salt.

Children are eating more foods away from home.

More parents are working outside the home and spending less time preparing meals.

Fewer families are eating together.

Portion sizes have double and in some cases tripled compared to what they were a mere one or two generations ago.

Children are less active. They spend more time in front of the television or playing video games instead of engaging in real physical movement.

Lack of safe places for children to play causes parents to keep children indoors, thereby reducing the chance to exercise and  burn any excess calories that they may consume.

Children are exposed to a great deal of advertising for low-nutrient, calorie dense foods that do little to promote health and may increase the risk of unhealthy weight gain.

There are also other factors like genetics, prescription drugs that increases appetite or slows metabolism, among other things that also influence children’s weight gain and ultimately their health.

Steps to preventing childhood obesity

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity recently provided a Report to the President outlining the challenges the Task Force and the nation face in combating childhood obesity. This report also outlines some key strategies that might be able to help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in one generation.

Those recommendations include:

Improving prenatal care, encouraging breast feeding, reducing the amount of time that young children spend in front of the television and quality care and education in the early years.

Educating parents and caregivers about nutrition, food marketing and health care services.

Improving the quality of school meals by engaging families, communities, businesses and all levels of government to foster healthier food choices.

Mobilizing public and private sector resources to improve access to healthy food, affordable pricing and product formulation. Resources will also be allocated to reduce hunger and obesity among children in this country.

Additionally, the task force addresses the issue of physical activity with a look at ways to increase the level of physical activity among children. These approaches will include school-based and afterschool activities, as well as the build environment and community recreation centers.

Reversing childhood obesity is a tremendous challenge for the first lady and all Americans. The outcome will have far-reaching effects. Consequently, we have no choice but to rally around Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and give America’s children the chance for a healthy weight and a long, healthy, happy and productive future.

References

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

http://letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html

Your comments and questions are welcome.

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant, specializing in child health and nutrition, with special emphasis on childhood obesity. Dr. Carter, who earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley, is CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project. To learn more, visit www.dailydietguide.com and www.chanaproject.org.