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"As
parents and educators, it is our job to create a new culture for health,
one where we role model good eating habits, provide regular and shared
meals and set limits on foods with little nutritional value."
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ECLECTIC!
"Composed
of elements drawn from various sources" - Merriam-Webster
On the Tufts Nutrition
Navigator site, the Feeding Kids Newsletter is described as "an
eclectic mix of practical articles, written in a warm, humorous tone."
This month's newsletter
may seem, at first glance, to be more eclectic than most. The articles
jump from obesity to eating disorders to a recipe and then back to research
briefs (more obesity news, unfortunately).
The topics are
more related than first meets the eye, however. Children face an increasing
number of nutrition problems these days, including fragmented eating
habits, poor food choices, obesity and eating disorders. The common
denominator of all these issues is that the culture we provide for our
children fails to promote healthy eating and fun physical movement.
As parents and
educators, it is our job to create a new culture for health, one where
we role model good eating habits, provide regular and shared meals and
set limits on foods with little nutritional value. After all, soda pop,
candy, chips and other goodies aren't really "treats" if they
are eaten every day!
This issue provides
information and tips on how to promote a more healthful food culture
– from setting limits on sweetened beverages and making a healthful
holiday treat to the serious issue of identifying warning signs of eating
disorders in children. I'm grateful to author Abigail Natenshon for
contributing such a helpful article.
I am grateful also,
to my faithful and encouraging Feeding Kids subscribers! Your comments
and feedback have motivated and challenged me. I'm hoping to have a
more productive 2002 and release some new resources. I'll keep you posted!
Best wishes for
the holiday season!
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ASK
CONNIE: Soda Pop and
Obesity
Q.
During the holidays, we seem to have a lot more soda pop around the
house. Is it true that soft drinks can contribute to weight gain in
children?
A. "Got
pop?" seems to be the real slogan for today's kids. Over the past
twenty years, soft drink guzzling has soared among kids while intake
of milk and 100% fruit juice has taken a dive. This tendency to pick
soda pop over more nutritious beverages actually begins in the early
preschool years. By the time kids reach the teen years, nearly a fourth
are downing more than 26 ounces a day.
"It seems
likely that increased soft drink consumption may be one of the contributing
factors to an increase in childhood obesity," notes Lisa Harnack,
DrPH, RD, Assistant Professor with the Division of Epidemiology at the
University of Minnesota and lead author of a study which looked at the
nutritional consequences of soft drinks among kids and teens.
"Soft drinks
are a source of calories and little else," said Harnack. Her study
documented that when children consumed an average of 9 ounces of soft
drinks daily, their total daily calories increased while key nutrients
such as folate, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium took a nosedive.
Research with 500
Houston 9 to12 year-olds found similar results in kids' drinking habits.
Karen Cullen, DrPH, RD, LD, Assistant Professor at the Children's Nutrition
Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, found
that the quarter of kids in her study consuming more than 12 ounces
soft drinks daily had higher calorie intakes. Of the total beverages
consumed by the children she studied, 28% came from soft drinks while
23% were from other sweetened beverages.
What to Do
What's the best way to convince kids to make better beverage choices?
"I think that
it's a family/parenting issue. What's in the house will dictate what
the kids will consume. Families need to make a decision regarding the
beverages of choice," according to Dr. Cullen.
The following practical
pointers will help your family in achieving better drinking habits:
- Keep water readily
accessible. Consider installation of a home water cooler or purchase
sparkling mineral water instead of soft drinks. Refrigerating ordinary
tap water (in "cool" looking water bottles) increases its
appeal.
- Make sure your
child has a personal water bottle to take to school, the playing field,
during active play or when traveling. This constant reminder will
cue kids to drink water when thirsty.
- Say NO to the
super sized soft drinks offered in restaurants and turn down "free"
refills. Stick with the child-sized portions or ask for milk or juice.
- For parties
or just for fun, make juice spritzers by mixing half 100% juice with
half sparkling water.
- Don't make soda
pop and other sweetened beverages "forbidden." Especially
as kids get older, restricting choices will make them more desirable.
Instead, set a reasonable limit on how much and how often they can
consume these "treat" beverages.
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Psychotherapist
Abigail H. Natenshon has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders
with individuals, families, and groups for the past 28 years. She is the
author of When Your Child Has An Eating Disorder, A Step-by-Step
Workbook For Parents And Other Caregivers, Jossey-Bass, 1999.
FMI, check out www.empoweredparents.com
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Eating
Disorders in Children: Warning Signs for Parents
by Abigail H. Natenshon
Author of When Your Child Has An Eating Disorder
The table is set,
the company is about to arrive for dinner, and your child has just disappeared
into her bedroom with a stomachache. Are you aware that this may be
an early warning sign of an eating disorder? Eating disorders afflict
8 –10 million Americans, 90 percent of whom are adolescents and
children. The average age of disease onset has recently dropped to 9
- 12 from 13 – 17 as younger children are becoming increasingly
vulnerable. A recent study reported that 40% of first graders surveyed
were dieting, still another signal of an impending eating disorder.
Early detection of eating disorders is key to disease prevention or
a timely and lasting recovery.
Anorexia and bulimia
are typically well-kept secrets, but even when recognized, they do not
generally appear as pathology at all, leaving their victims feeling
and looking better than ever. The most lethal of all of the mental health
disorders, eating disorders have the potential both to maim and to kill.
The good news, however, is that they are curable in 80 percent of cases
where parents know how to detect and respond to early signs. Though
parents are not the cause of their child’s disorder, those who
are knowledgeable and appropriately proactive can prevent these diseases
in their children before they strike.
Eating disorders
are more likely to show up at home, in kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms
than in doctors’ offices. The upcoming holidays offer families
the opportunity for togetherness and joyful interaction; there is no
better time to observe a child in question. Anorexia and bulimia are
the misuse of food to resolve emotional problems, affecting the total
child whose emotional development and maturation have been derailed
or temporarily put on hold. The warning signs of disease are a parent’s
call to action, insuring the child’s healthy maturation into his
or her adult years.
Look for signs in the
child’s:
Parents and families
must understand the importance of their role in their child’s life,
in disease prevention and cure, understanding that the child with an
eating disorder hasn’t the judgment or accuracy of perception to
acknowledge the problem, nor to assume any degree of self-control while
malnourished. By taking charge of their sick child, parents encourage
and enable the child to eventually take charge of herself. Natenshon
cautions parents not to confuse appropriate parenting interventions
with intrusive parenting.
When a parent senses
that a problem exists, he or she should:
- Confront the child
with his or her observations and concerns; be prepared to educate the
child about the dangers of ignoring an eating disorder. Defining a problem
is the first step towards solution.
- Parents must
understand their own issues regarding food and weight that could inadvertently
interfere with their ability to accurately assess or respond to a problem
in their child.
- When looking for
professional help, parents need to find clinicians who will welcome
parents as an intrinsic part of the treatment process and team, who
are capable of and willing to involve the total family in family treatment.
Family treatment has proven to be more effective than individual treatment
for children living at home who have been sick for less than three years.
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REINDEER
FACES
This healthy
holiday sandwich is a low-sugar treat that is as much fun to make as
it is to eat!
1 can water-packed
albacore tuna, drained
1 T. reduced fat mayonnaise
3 slices whole wheat bread
6 olives
3 small "grape" tomatoes (or small cherry tomatoes)
6 pretzel twists
1. Combine tuna
and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
2. Place bread slices on a cutting board and cut each into triangles
using a serrated knife or bread knife.
3. Spread triangles with tuna salad. Create a reindeer by decorating
each triangle with two olives for eyes, a grape tomato for the nose,
and two pretzel twists for the antlers.
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*It
is recommended that all women of childbearing age (defined as ages 14-50)
and those who are pregnant consume 400 micrograms from supplements or
fortified food (in the folic acid form) in addition to consuming folate-rich
foods such as liver, dark green vegetables, orange juice and fortified
cereals.
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News
in Brief
Does folic acid
during pregnancy protect against childhood leukemia?
A new study from Australia found an unexpected link between folic acid
supplementation in pregnant women and reduced risk of acute lymphoblastic
leukemia (ALL) in their children. While it is known that maternal folic
acid supplementation is protective against neural tube birth defects*,
this is the first study to suggest a link between nutrition in pregnancy
and later development of childhood cancer.
Source: Lancet 2001; 358:1935-40
Surgeon General
issues obesity guidelines for Americans
On December 13, The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and
Decrease Overweight and Obesity was released. This report details the
many health risks associated with obesity and outlined strategies that
communities can use in helping to address the problems. Those options
included requiring physical education at all school grades, providing
more healthy food options on school campuses, and providing safe and
accessible recreational facilities for residents of all ages. The complete
report can be accessed at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/
. For guidelines specific to children and adolescents, point your browser
to
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm
.
RECOMMENDED
SITE:
NEAT Solutions for Healthy Children
NEAT (Nutrition Education & Training) Solutions for Healthy Children
is a nutrition education resource company owned and managed by dietitian
Brenda Metzger. Her goal is to give educators, teachers and parents
the tools that will make their job easier, more fulfilling, and fun!
She carries a wide variety of books and resources designed especially
for children. Visit Neat Solutions on the web at http://www.neatsolutions.com/
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The
information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute
for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered
dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.
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©2002,
by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee
for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic
publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com
for details and rates.
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