Let’s Keep Our Children Healthy
By Nancy Brenton MD
OK parents, we gotta talk…
15-25% of our children are overweight, and WE need to take responsibility.
Almost 2/3rds of American adults are now overweight, which is more than double the rate in 1960. In the last three decades, obesity has tripled among American children and adolescents.
So what’s the problem with this trend?
Well, most people know that being overweight as an adult can cause diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Additionally it increases one’s risk for certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, menstrual difficulties and infertility, and even depression and low self esteem.
The problem is that we are unfortunately now seeing many of these diseases in overweight and obese children. Yes, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes (once called “adult onset diabetes” to distinguish it from a very different type of diabetes called “juvenile onset”, or type 1), sleep apnea due to obesity, elevated cholesterol, and bone stress are being detected in children as young as five. Consider what these children’s conditions could be by age 20 and 30: heart attacks and blindness, kidney failure, disabling arthritis?
The Surgeon General’s recent report has declared obesity as the number one health threat in the country, now causing as many or even more years of life lost than cigarette smoking.
Won’t we as parents do ANYTHING we can to protect our children? Well, first we need to understand the reasons for this alarming trend in our society.
It’s really a matter of energy in (food calories consumed) and energy out (calories burned through activity).
Let’s talk about TV. On average children ages 2-17 spend four and one half hours per day sitting in front of a screen (TV, computer, video games)! Children who watch the most TV are the most likely to be obese. Putting a TV in the child’s bedroom makes matters even worse. The reason is that we burn fewer calories watching TV than we do sitting still to do other things. Also we often snack in front of the TV (advertising for junk foods during children’s programs is a multi-million dollar industry and it really works). OK, so turn the TV off. Set rules limiting TV/computer time and don’t allow eating in the TV room.
Surveys show that only 25% of kids report participating in light to moderate activity everyday. Increasing physical activity not only increases fitness and decreases obesity rates but studies show it improves academic performance, concentration in class and behavior. Experts recommend that children get a cumulative 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days. So, when you turn off your TV, go for a walk or a family bike ride. Go swimming. Send the kids outside to play ball, or tag, or climb a tree. It’ll be fun! And it will be good together time. Look into athletics in your area schools, YMCA’s and recreation leagues. Be a positive role model and get active yourself.
We drink too much soda. On average today’s children are drinking twice as much soda as we did in the 1970’s. This is a huge source of sugar and calories, and it has no nutritional value whatsoever. A recent study found that drinking one soft drink per day increases a child’s risk of becoming overweight by 60% over the course of one year. Do you remember the 8oz. Coca colas from when we were kids? Now consider the standard 20oz. bottle of today, not to mention the Big Gulp (are they 64oz?). It’s too much. Most fruit juices, iced teas, and sports drinks are just as sugar laden, and full of empty calories, so they are not the answer either. The answer is to teach your children to drink water. It is wonderful for them and if they are used to it from the very beginning they will like it. Infants do not need their water flavored with fruit juice. Again, only sweet calories, no benefit. Low fat milk (after age two) in moderation and a small cup of orange juice with breakfast are fine too.
Learn to read food labels. You’ll be shocked at what you’re eating and feeding your family. For example: microwave buttered popcorn has about 500 calories in a bag! The second ingredient in popular peanut butter is sugar, and the third is partially hydrogenated oil (the “trans fats” recently being talked about in the news – very bad for the blood vessels). The culprit really isn’t the peanut; it’s the other junk they put in there. Start to look at more natural foods. A healthy peanut butter for example has just ground peanuts. That’s all you needed anyway. Teach your children from early on the importance of healthy eating.
Five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day are recommended. Over 50% of American children get less than one! Buy them, have them in the house and serve them in their breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Don’t make the competition too stiff either. Most people will be tempted by the Oreo and choose it over the carrot sticks. Keep the junk food scarce, but once in a rare while indulge in a treat, it’s good for the soul.
Watch portion sizes, and limit “seconds”. Slice up fruit and put it on the dinner table. Allow the kids to reach for that instead of going back to the kitchen for more of the entree. Don’t force your child to clear his or her plate and don’t over feed your infant. They do not need to finish the bottle every time. Limit fast foods, rather, plan well-balanced meals, and make the time to eat at the table, as a family, no TV. Teach your kids to eat when they are hungry, not when they are bored. Monitor what they eat, don’t allow them to have free access in the kitchen.
Teach your child to love and care for his or her body. It’s about wellness, not thinness.
Start early, even during infancy to prevent your child from becoming overweight. It is easier to prevent than to reverse. If your child is already overweight, be sensitive, positive, and encouraging. Never joke about a child’s weight. Make wellness a family affair. Often it is not recommended that an overweight child loose weight but rather that they “grow into” their weight with increasing height. See your child’s doctor to discuss a plan to help your child to make changes that can last a lifetime.