Helping to fight childhood obesity

[theworm[$]]

Maybe this should go in Health and Fitness, maybe in books, maybe in Domestic Policy, but I'm putting it here because having watched TheEye trying to get my nephew to eat more balanced meals, I understand that its sometimes a real challenge to get kids to eat well. Many families have working parents that don't have endless hours to spend in the kitchen, and the American diet of fast and convenient foods is leading to a real epidemic of overweight kids. While I hope that we teach our kids to love themselves and their bodies as they are, I also have real concerns that overweight kids have higher chances of developing diabetes and other medical problems.

This article is really more of an endorsement for the book The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers by Janice Newell Bissex and Liz Weiss than a fact filled article. I can't speak for the book - I haven't read it, but I thought that we could expand the H&F fitness and diet talks into an important discussion of how to get our kids (or yours, since I don't have any) to enjoy balanced healthy diets, and that you all could share your success, frustrations and recipes.

The article says:

The women take a sensible approach. Newell Bissex explains that she follows a 90/10 rule: If her family eats healthy 90 percent of the time, she doesn't sweat the other 10 percent. Her approach is to offer a variety of good foods, and let the kids choose what they'll eat. That's the kind of reasoning that permeates the book.

Their makeover begins with a five-step plan for making changes, including the suggestion to turn off the TV and eat together as a family. As working mothers who understand time constraints, they offer ways to organize the kitchen to cut prep time. They also recommend brands of prepared and convenience foods that adhere to good nutritional standards.

Maybe you'll want to read the book, maybe not, but I'm betting that our EA moms (and dads) have plenty of great suggestions and perhaps a funny story or two to share right here!

[mtomm[$]]

I use threats and bribery.

[pippadaisy[$]]

I use multiple food allergies.

Seriously, though... with the food allergies we aren't able to use a lot of prepared foods, and that has made all the difference. I have friends frustrated that their kids only eat mac 'n cheese or hot dogs or fish sticks. Well, where did they start eating it? My kids have never been able to eat any of the above, with the exception of low-fat Kosher turkey dogs, and they don't miss it.

Because we've always fed them what we eat, they are willing to try more things, and a typical lunch is hummus with carrots. They still eat cookies and candy, but in moderation, and definitely eat more fruits and vegetables than their peers.

The funniest thing is that my middle child goes to daycare one day a week for socialization and to work on his speech with people who can't translate Busterese like I can. Because his daycare provider prefers to not worry about his food allergies, she only serves foods that are "Buster Safe" that day. And the odd thing? The kids eat healthier that day than the rest of the week with fewer arguments. They've also been wanting to try new things because they see Buster eating things like hummus or rice cakes or beans & rice.

One of my proudest moments was someone asking Beanie what her favorite food is and having her answer "Broccoli!" She still wishes for 100 pieces of candy on the first star, but at the same time, when I make stir fry, she's begging for more broccoli in her bowl, and had a near tantrum in the grocery store wanting purple cauliflower, and telling anyone who will listen that Fruit Roll-ups make her "throw up" (they've had Fruit Leather for treats instead) so something must be working, right?

[frazzledspice]

Experts say that breastfeeding helps promote normal-weight children.

My children were all normal or a little underweight because, I think, I never made them finish everything that was on their plate. If they were full, they were full. If they took two pieces of chicken and could only eat one, it was OK. (The dog, of course, was grateful...he doesn't have a weight problem, either.)

They weren't the healthiest eaters, but they never had really strong sweet tooths. As they grew older, particularly my second son, they became healthier eaters, pretty much on their own.

My 15 year-old, who was never a big meat eater to start with, is considering becoming a vegetarian after sending for some PETA literature. (So am I, that literature is just dreadful.) But her interest isn't weight-related at all; she just thinks it would be healthier and more respectful of animals.

[pippadaisy[$]]

frazzledspice said

Experts say that breastfeeding helps promote normal-weight children.

I sometimes wonder how true that is. Mind you, I've breastfed all three of my children for at least a year, but my sister was never breastfed and has the body of a Barbie. My husband, who was breastfed for a year, struggled with his weight most of his life until joining a weight-loss support group.

[Helen_B[$]]

There are enough good reasons to breastfeed, without trying to figure out where, in particular, you individually fit into the bell-shaped curve of research results from studies of very large cohorts regarding obesity, dental caries, etc. Generally it is difficult to overfeed a baby when it is nursing, because it stops eating when it is full. Not always true, but usually.
Causes of obesity take in things like activity levels in a family, and within individuals, types of foods offered to children, what portion sizes are considered normal, etc. Wide variations, there. In my family of origin, the "clean plate club" reigned supreme, and eating everything up meant I was a good girl, so food became more than just sustenance. I can remember my overweight daughter coming home from a friend's house, and commiserating with her because she was only offered one piece of battered fish for dinner, when at home she would have had two (or three!). In both my childhood home and my husband's, having seconds was the usual thing, so this seemed normal to me when I cooked for my family. Now, my husband and I seem to be the only ones who keep eating after we are full, and the children (ages 20-30) stop eating and get up and leave the table.

[pippadaisy[$]]

I guess that my main problem with the "research" is that it's often treated as a "given" I realize that breastfeeding advocates are really trying to sway moms from using formula, but some of the information is conveyed as "If you breastfeed, X" when it isn't always the case.

I've actually gotten flack from people for breastfeeding my food-allergic kids longer than some would suggest because "Well, I THOUGH breastfeeding was supposed to prevent allergies. Obviously that's not true." Any time there is an exception to a "rule" it gives more ammunition to not do something.

[Helen_B[$]]

It's amazing what people will say to a mom who is just doing what she thinks best. Isn't that what we all want, the best for our kids? And over-enthusiastic breastfeeding advocates who get sloppy with their rhetoric can set others up for dissappointment. Breastfed babies are generally very healthy, and if they are going to have health problems that are run in their particular families, usually the problems are delayed, and/or minimized.

[pippadaisy[$]]

I once said I was going to write a book called "The Myths of Breastfeeding" going through all the wrong information I was given, and why I chose to do it anyway. I still might write that book.

I can't tell you HOW MANY moms I'd run into on a parenting web site I used to mod at who quit breastfeeding in the first few weeks because "Well, they told me it wouldn't hurt if I did it right, and no matter what I did, it hurt, so I must not be doing it right." I don't think it would put people off to say "You know what? The first six weeks or so pretty much suck while you both get the hang of it. Once you do, you are home free. Stuff like that.

[Helen_B[$]]

Good idea for a book. The funniest darned thing I ever heard was the admonition not to drink ice water while the baby was actually breastfeeding, because it would give the baby colic.

[pippadaisy[$]]

OH, my grandmother was full of stuff like that. I remember her telling my cousin that if the baby didn't get all the milk out of your breast during a feed, it would SPOIL in there.

I kept saying to the LC with my first, "I know this is totally false, but I've had this in my head since I was ten... it isn't true, is it?"

Stuff like drinking ice water would make your breast milk cold...etc.

[emeleel]

I've never heard those - how funny!

[thinkerlady[$]]

This is so true. I did not breastfeed, and took flak. My children are very healthy, not overweight, and emotionally stable. They are athletic, academically talented, and can communicate with the outside world.

When they were born, I used to get phone calls from people who advocated breastfeeding about how much damage I was doing to my babies because I bottlefed them.

I only wish people would respect a mother's decision to feed her child the way she believes is best. I believe that this is such a personal matter, that every MOM should make her own decision about what she believes is best for her and her baby.

[pippadaisy[$]]

ITA. I even did a Writer's Corner piece on it once.

My one and only beef with the formula industry is how pervasive it is. I think that it's every mom's choice, but also that moms who want to breastfeed are given all the information and support they need to in order to succeed.

I've successfully breastfed two babies with food allergies, and co-moderate a list for moms of reflux babies, many of whom end up having food allergies. I can't TELL you the number of times some women have been told that "the baby is allergic to your milk so you should put him on formula." It's almost insane.

I'm hoping for a day when formula is just another food source and not a huge push by the pharmaceutical companies that divides moms. Moms who want to breastfeed should. Moms who want to formula feed should. And neither one should feel wrong or guilty for doing so.

[thinkerlady[$]]

I wonder if anyone has done any research into the topic--within the Childhood obesity realm. Does breast or bottle feeding affect childhood obesity? I don't think the feeding matters, but my thought is within my experience, which is limited to my children and those of our friends and family. I wonder if there has been a study done? I tend to think that childhood obesity is environmental--but that is just a thought.

[lynnzop[$]]

pippadaisy said

One of my proudest moments was someone asking Beanie what her favorite food is and having her answer "Broccoli!" She still wishes for 100 pieces of candy on the first star, but at the same time, when I make stir fry, she's begging for more broccoli in her bowl, and had a near tantrum in the grocery store wanting purple cauliflower...

Both of my kids list broccoli as one of their favorite foods.

One of my favorite Jeremy stories was when we were in the grocery and he was doing his puppy dog "PLEASE MOM PLEASE CAN I HAVE SOME BROCCOLI" acts as loud as he could. An elderly lady smiled and said "Isn't that adorable!", to which I answered "Yes, but in the next aisle, he's just as apt to be asking for chocolate" and rolled my eyes.

As far as Delia's original comment that working people don't have time to make balanced meals, I say POSH! (and Piffle, for that matter ). It takes me no time at all to steam some broccoli, or carrots, or even open a can of green beans, FCOL. Every meal I serve has at a minimum, protein, a small amount of starch (hubby is "meat and potatoes" raised), and VEGETABLES. Even breakfast. I work full time plus, and there's no reason you can't make and serve nutritious, non-fattening meals, no matter how much time you have to prepare them. McDonald's for dinner? Nev-ah, in my household.

Lynn

[thinkerlady[$]]

This appeared in our local paper this morning. I am happy to hear that some of the locals are recognizing that this is a problem, and trying to do something about it.

Some are really trying to do something

[Helen_B[$]]

thinkerlady said

I wonder if anyone has done any research into the topic--within the Childhood obesity realm. Does breast or bottle feeding affect childhood obesity? I don't think the feeding matters, but my thought is within my experience, which is limited to my children and those of our friends and family. I wonder if there has been a study done? I tend to think that childhood obesity is environmental--but that is just a thought.

I'm sure more than one study has been done; I just don't have a reference for you. I believe the results indicated that people who were breastfed as infants had less likelyhood of becoming obese. But, as I said, no reference handy. I'll try to look it up.

[Helen_B[$]]

pippadaisy said

ITA. I even did a Writer's Corner piece on it once.

My one and only beef with the formula industry is how pervasive it is. I think that it's every mom's choice, but also that moms who want to breastfeed are given all the information and support they need to in order to succeed.

I've successfully breastfed two babies with food allergies, and co-moderate a list for moms of reflux babies, many of whom end up having food allergies. I can't TELL you the number of times some women have been told that "the baby is allergic to your milk so you should put him on formula." It's almost insane.

I'm hoping for a day when formula is just another food source and not a huge push by the pharmaceutical companies that divides moms. Moms who want to breastfeed should. Moms who want to formula feed should. And neither one should feel wrong or guilty for doing so.

You will wait a long time, in this commercially driven culture where big business rules, for anything like this to happen. The infant nutrition industry is just incredibly huge. You would not believe the amount of money spent to influence the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AMA, the dieticians, individual doctors, hospital staff, consumers, the list goes on and on. Why would any formula company want a woman to breastfeed for a year, depriving the company of hundreds of dollars in retail sales. (Remember, this is after-tax dollars for the consumer.) This does not count anything but the actual formula, not bottles, liners, or nipples. And the formula company's best customer is any woman who breastfed for any length of time and weaned to formula. She will be 95% likely to faithfully feed her baby the brand of formula she saw used in hospital (placed there by virtue of money paid to the hopital to insure brand exclusivity). She will want to buy it for the rest of the first year of her baby's life.
Hospitals wishing to pursue the status of "Baby Friendly", in order to provide an optimum atmosphere in which their moms and babies can get breastfeeding off to an excellent start, are often concerned that formula will really put a dent in their budgets, since they are required to purchase formual rather than receiving it free from industry as usual. What they are finding is that they save money, as they need very little formula in actuality, which takes up less space than before, and needs less managing as an inventory item, hence saving on staff hours.
Now, if there was a market for breastmilk, and the cans in the drugstore that say "more like breastmilk" and "closer than ever to breastmilk" actually contained pasturized breastmilk, or even if milk banks purchased breastmilk rather than merely accepting donated milk (as was done in the former East Germany for use with premies, sick infants and those requiring surgery, etc.) there would be a different attitude toward this product that is part of any country's economic wealth.

[Helen_B[$]]

And, now, stepping off my soap box...and getting right back on...
Comments on healthy family eating: if you don't buy it and bring it home, the kids can't get into it. What you have in the house is what people can eat. If you have coffee and a cigarette for breakfast (outrageous example, I know) that is what your kids will think grownups have. If they never see you sugar your bowl of cereal, they will eat cereal plain. If you describe your child, in his hearing, as a picky eater, you have just designed your first ever very own picky eater. You have the power!!!
Admittedly, some kids have very sensitive taste buds, hyper gag reflexes, hate certain textures, whatever. You can work around it. You provide the food; they provide the appetite. And you don't comment.