IN THIS ISSUE:
NUTRITION SENSE: Striking a Balance
HOW MUCH TO EAT: Using a hunger scale with children
NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH®: Advice from kids
NEWS IN BRIEF:
Snowshoes shape up kids in Michigan's upper peninsula
Fast food fattens kids
The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity
Parents and Teachers Agree on Solutions to Childhood Obesity
Recommended Site: National Nutrition Month®

NUTRITION SENSE: Striking a Balance

“What in the world do you teach people about nutrition anymore? The cows have mad cow disease, the fish have too much mercury, the chickens have the flu, half the fruits, vegetables and bread and grains have too many carbs. But people are living longer than ever, go figure. And yet with all the diets out there everyone is too fat.”
— Recent email from Connie's mom

March is National Nutrition Month®, making it a good time to reflect on our collective national nutrition status. In over 20 years of dietetic practice, I don't think I've ever witnessed such a frenzied approach to feeding ourselves and our children. While scientific studies were once primarily interpreted by scientists and health professionals, they are now reported daily, one-study-at-a-time, by the media. Instead of looking at a body of data, we are hearing nutrition piecemeal and expected to draw conclusions on our own. And yet we wonder why so many Americans are giving up and heading straight for the drive-through!

Pyramid Under Attack
While I welcome change and improvements to the US Food Guide Pyramid, the critics who blame the pyramid for our health and weight woes fail to realize that the vast majority of Americans don't even closely follow the pyramid. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a 100 point score of American's collective adherence to the pyramid and other dietary advice, has consistently shown that most of us eat a diet that “needs improvement.” If you translate the HEI to a nutritional “grade,” most school-aged children are getting a “D”. Adults don't fare much better – a mere 10% of adults eat a “good diet,” defined as a score of 81 or greater. (FMI on the Healthy Eating Index, see http://www.usda.gov/cnpp)

In the revised edition of How to Teach Nutrition to Kids, I include a table which reflects my views on needed changes to the food guide. Promoting whole grains over refined grains, distinguishing foods within food groups that are more nutrient dense, defining the more healthful types of fat and cutting down on simple sugars (especially sweetened beverages), are major areas to target, in my view. Beans and legumes, which are rich in protein, fiber, complex carbohydrate and a whole host of other nutrients and phytochemicals, don't easily fit into any of the current food group classifications and certainly not alongside meat. A plant-based food, legumes are different from most vegetables and grains. I say give them their own space somewhere in the foundation of the food guide.

With an expected release in early 2005, it could be a very long year of food guide debate. Because both the food industry and the weight loss industry have huge financial stakes in the outcome, we will continue to see a lot of versions and ideas about what the food guide should look like.

Advice for today
So, getting back to my mom's question – what do I teach people about nutrition? In a nutshell, here's my advice for families:

• Eat a balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat.* Choose mostly lean protein sources, low-fat dairy products and focus on healthful carbohydrates such as fiber-rich whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. Aim for heart-healthy fats such as canola oil, olive oil, nuts, avocados and fatty fish.

• Enjoy eating a wide variety of foods. Learn to eat smaller portions of “treat” foods.

• Don't eat too much of one thing.

• Stop eating when full (see hunger scale below).

• Spend more time playing. School-based physical education and competitive sports are not the entire answer for kids. They need daily active play. Not only do kids exercise their bodies when they play, they also hone social skills, learn to play fair and engage their creativity.

*For a basic primer on protein, carbohydrate and fat, refer to my past “Nutrition 101” series:
http://nutritionforkids.com/emlnews/FK-MayJune00.htm#101
http://nutritionforkids.com/emlnews/FK-JulyAug00.htm#101
http://nutritionforkids.com/emlnews/FK-SeptOct00.htm#101

 

HOW MUCH TO EAT: Using a hunger scale with children

This is a new activity from the 2003 edition of How to Teach Nutrition to Kids. Studies on food regulation show that many children lose the ability to listen to their bodies and respond more to the size of portions on their plate. It's important to remind children that their own body is the best indicator of how much to eat.

How full are you?

How do you know the right number of servings for you? The servings listed in the Food Guide Pyramid give ranges, like 2-4 or 6-11. But what's right for you?

Most children need to eat at least the minimum number of servings for proper nutrition. But many kids will need more, especially those who are active in sports and play. The best way to know how much to eat is to listen to your body! Eat until your body feels comfortably full. You should feel satisfied but not overly stuffed.

Lead children in a discussion of how it feels to eat too much, not enough and just the right amount. Next, ask them to develop a rating scale for hunger and fullness, with 1 being really hungry and 5 being overstuffed (like Thanksgiving.)

Example:

Starving!	My stomach feels empty	I feel just right ; not too hungry or too full	I'm feeling too full.	I ate way too much! I don't feel so well.
1	2	3	4	5

For 1-3 days, ask them to use the scale to note their level of hunger/fullness before and after each meal. Ask them if they noticed any patterns. Are they eating about the right amount of food? Discuss how this assignment can help them to regulate their food to more closely match their body's needs.

"It is when you eat food from the food groups - fruit, vegetables, meats, and another thing but I forgot what it is."

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH®: Advice from kids

Several years ago, I polled third and fourth graders during National Nutrition Month® to see how they defined “eating right.” Many of their responses were right on target and several were hilarious. A few even included recipes. Enjoy!

"Eating right means for me to choose the right food for my body so I can grow and not turn my muscles in to fat."

"To eat vegetables and not fat food."

"Eating right is eating broccoli and spinach and salad and radishes."

"It is when you eat food from the food groups - fruit, vegetables, meats, and another thing but I forgot what it is."

"Staying in shape and don't get overweight."

"Eating right means a healthy diet that is right for YOU. Eating from each food group three times a day, and avoiding junk foods and sugary snacks."

"Eat healthy foods. Eat the right amount of food. Do not over fill your self."

"Not eating more than your stomach can hold."

"Eating right means a lot to me so I don't get high cholesterol."

Other students had a slightly different definition of what "eating right" is all about:

"Eating with your mouth closed and don't play with your food and eat with your fork, not your fingers."

"I think eating right means to be polite like can you please pass the gravy. And you have to have manners like do not eat like a dog."

"I think eating right means not to eat with your mouth open."

Recipes (don't try these at home!)

BUSCATEY
Get two cups of water. Then put a little bite of salt in. Then put in the buscatey. Boil it till it is wet then you put on the buscatey sauce.

FISH
When you get the fish, you cut the head off and put it in the pan. When it is done take it out and eat it with a fork.

TURKEY ROAST
You put it in the oven and set it for 450 degrees for an hour and a half.

DILLED VEGETABLES
1. You get cucumbers, carrots, onions, celery, and cauliflower.
2. Put them in dill.
3. Soak them in dill.

PIZZA
Flour, Tomato sauce, Mushrooms, Green peppers, Canadian Bacon, Hot Tamales (if wanted). Bake together on crust until thick, soft and hot!!! Wait for 5 minutes before eating (to cool) then chow down!

ORANGE-GRAPE PUNCH
Take about 1 cup of calastoga mineral water with orange juice. And mix with a half full jug of white grape juice. Stir well, for about one minute. Add one or two ice cubes.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Snowshoes shape up kids in Michigan's upper peninsula
Feeding Kids reader Sarah Cheney from Houghton, Michigan reports that the school's PTO just raised over $1,200 to purchase 60 pairs of snowshoes and supplies for an all-school snowshoe program. One of the primary goals is to get kids (grades K-5) out in the snow exercising and enjoying winter activity. According to Cheney, "We do have involved parents and they are very family, nature and seasonal activity oriented (we take advantage of our natural resources quite well up here!)."

Fast food fattens kids
A large-scale study documents the trend in increasing reliance on fast food in the daily diet. Access the study at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/1/112.

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity
The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report reviewing more than 40 studies on the role of media in the nation's dramatically increasing rates of childhood obesity. The report concludes that children who spend the most time with media are more likely to be overweight. Access the report at http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia022404pkg.cfm.

Parents and Teachers Agree on Solutions to Childhood Obesity
Two national polls show that teachers and parents overwhelmingly agree that schools should provide daily physical education and access to healthy foods as part of the solution to our nation's childhood obesity problem. That is a key finding of the study, Healthy Schools for Healthy Kids, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The complete report, detailing two years of interviews, school site visits and analysis of federal, state and local policies, can be accessed on the RWJF Web site at http://www.rwjf.org/news/release/healthyschools.

RECOMMENDED SITE:
The American Dietetic Association offers materials, recipes and ideas for celebrating NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH® 2004. FMI, go to http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_11422.cfm.

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.

©2004, 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.

The FEEDING KIDS NEWSLETTER is published bimonthly by 24 CARROT PRESS . To subscribe to the email version, click here.