Nutrition Services - Article of the Month
Spring is upon us, and now is the time to become active and shed some of those unwanted pounds gained over the winter months. Now, with a break in the weather, it’s time to take advantage of Mother Nature and get yourself moving. As parents, it’s important to set a good example for your children. One of the best ways to do this is by teaching children healthy habits that include choosing nutritious foods and regular exercise. Healthy lifestyle could be the key to combating excess weight gain in childhood. As a child’s role model, your promotion of this healthy lifestyle is of vital importance.
A child has not experienced the world the way you, as a parent, have. Children often cannot make decisions for themselves about which foods are healthful and nutritious. They do not understand disease prevention. It is your job as a parent to make these good choices not just for your children, but also for yourself and your whole family. In that way choosing healthful foods and getting regular physical activity become lifestyle changes.
If you think your child is overweight, it is important to contact your physician or a Registered Dietitian who can help you with meal planning and making good food choices.
Is my Child Overweight?
According to the American Obesity Association, “overweight” is defined as being at or above the 95th percentile of Body Mass Index (BMI) for children ages 2 to 20 years old.
Children who are above the 85th percentile on the BMI growth chart are considered “at risk of becoming overweight”
Information on your child’s BMI can be obtained from your Physician, School or WIC Center.
How Does It Happen?
Excess weight gain in childhood can have several causes. Ultimately excess weight gain in children and in adults is caused by more calories consumed than calories burned off from metabolism and activity. This means that if more calories are taken in from food and beverages than are used by your body’s metabolism and physical activity your body will make and store fat which equals unwanted weight gain.
Other factors can also contribute to an overweight child, including heredity, and physical or mental disability. However a Registered Dietitian can provide you with strategies for over coming these difficult obstacles.
There is a higher risk of having an overweight child when both parents are also overweight. This can be due to genetic factors. However, lifestyle choices made by parents, regarding eating and exercise patterns affect the child equally. Therefore even parents who are overweight can still make positive changes for their own health which in turn will trickle down to their children.
Inactivity is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity.
The average child spends several hours every day:
- Watching television
- Playing video games
- Sitting at the computer
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Little energy is expended during these activities. It is important to promote outdoor play like bicycling, walking, kick-ball, wiffle ball, frisbee, jump-rope, Tag or even indoor activities like dancing, musical chairs and hide and seek. All of these activities used to be more popular before the prevalence of computer games and cable with hundreds of channels and they kept children active and physically fit. Your child doesn’t have to have a gym membership to get exercise. They just have to play!
Food Guide Pyramid
Based on the Food Guide Pyramid for children, they need:
- Five to Six servings of Grains, including breads, pasta, cereals focusing on whole grains like whole wheat bread and cereal.
- Three servings of Vegetables of a variety of colors, Yellow, Red and Green
- At least two servings of Fruit
- Two servings from the Meat Group.
- Three servings from the Milk Group
- Less of fats and sweets
Please go to www.MyPyramid.gov to get personalized recommendations for your gender, age and activity level.
So What's a Serving?
Many people are confused as to what is a serving size. A child is not a small adult, and does not have to consume the same portion sizes to be healthy. In some cases, this can contribute to the problem of childhood obesity.
By age four, the serving size portion is the same for adults. Children just do not need the same number of servings as adults.
In order to grow, children do not require the same amount of calories that an adult would to maintain weight. To clarify this food mystery to parents, here are some visual examples of what a serving size is.
Examples of serving sizes from each group are:
Bread Group:
- one slice of bread, (1 ounce)
- ½ cup cooked brown rice
- 2-3 graham cracker squares
- ½ cup cooked oatmeal
- 3 cups light popcorn
- 1 ounce of dry cereal
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- 6 oz. juice,
- 7 medium strawberries,
- medium fruit
- ½ cup fresh, canned or frozen fruit
- ½ cup applesauce
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Milk Group:
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- 1 cup milk,
- 1 cup yogurt,
- 1½ ounces natural cheese
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Meat Group:
- 2-3 ounce of cooked lean meats,
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter equals one ounce,
- 1 egg equals one ounce of meat.
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Sweets and Fats:
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- Represent the area for the least amount of intake.
- Includes all refined sugars, such as candy, and extra fats such as butter and oils.
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The chart below represents an average serving size, compared to every day household items:
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In addition to watching portion sizes, It is important to monitor intake of fruit juice and soda. Even though it can be beneficial for kids to have up to 6 ounces of 100% fruit juice per day as a serving from the fruit group, consuming too much can lead to unwanted weight gain. In addition to 6 ounces of juice daily children and adults should choose water, and avoid sugary drinks like fruit “drinks” and soda. Children should not get all of their daily fruit requirement from juice. It is important for children to consume fresh fruits to meet there needs for vitamins, minerals and fiber.
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Soda provides empty calories, which means they are calories that provide no nutritional benefit. These types of calories more easily can lead to excess weight gain. In 12 ounces of soda, there are about 150 calories and 9 teaspoons of sugar and zero vitamins!
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Tips to Get Your Child Moving
Engaging in a regular physical activity will help your child increase calories burned. Increased calories burned makes weight management easier. Some studies have shown that exercise along with nutrition education help children who are overweight with better weight management. Aerobic exercise not only helps control weight gain, it can improve blood pressure and the amount of fats in the blood. This is important for overall good health now and into the future.
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With a break in the weather, it will be easier to get kids moving outdoors, There are many easy ways to incorporate physical activity into a daily routine. Some examples are:
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