During the first five years of life infants
start developing eating habits by watching adults especially their mothers. In
many cases eating habits are also influenced by social settings within a
cultural context.
Studies have found that only 1% of children
meet the recommended dietary allowances while 50% of children have diets too
high in fat and sugar. A possible solution to decrease fat and sugar intake is
to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Birch (1998) recommends that parents teach
their children healthy eating choices rather than dieting. It has been found
that mothers who attempt to restrict food availability are not teaching healthy
eating habits that encourage food selections that are low in fat and sugar.
Food restrictions may cause binge eating when the mother is not with the child.
To promote healthy eating habits parents
should introduce children to a wide variety of foods early in life. Young
children who have only been exposed to a diet with few choices may develop food
phobia later in childhood (Birch, 1998).
Parents can utilize a Traffic Light method to
teach children healthy eating choices. Green light foods are low in caloric
intake and can be eaten freely. Yellow Light food should only been occasionally
due to higher being higher in calories. Red Light foods are unhealthy and
should only be consumed on rare occasions (Ho et al., 2012).
References:
Birch, L. L. (1998). Developmenet of food acceptance patterns in the
first years of life. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 57,
617-624.
Ho, M., Garnett, S. P., Baur, L., Burrows, T., Stewart, L., Veve, M.,
& Collins, C. (2012). Effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in child
obesity: Systematic review with meta-analysis. American Academy of Pediatrics, 130 (6), E1647- E1671.
In reading your blog on the importance of nutrition in reducing obesity I realized a flaw to the way my family and I have reacted against my son's weight gain. Instead of focusing his eating habits on eating healthy fruits and vegetables we restricted his diet. Looking back that was not the best decision as it did cause him to binge. I think we've realized the importance of eating healthy as well as incorporating exercise in his daily routine.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion! As anyone else had experience with getting their children to eat healthier?
Jason
Jason: We introduced my daughter to a wide variety of foods at a very young age. Similar to what Brian reported, she has also eaten what we eat from a very young age. We talk with her about "healthy choices" and give her a chance to practice making good choices. When we go to the grocery store I ask her to pick 2 healthy foods she might want us to eat that week. I also will ask her to pick the vegetable served at dinner. I do not know the long term effects of these activites, however, I am optimistic she will be able to identify healthy from less healthy food choices.
DeleteAll,
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree more on your post on the role of nutrition in reducing childhood obesity especially on the point of introducing children to a wide variety of foods early in life. My daughter is almost 13 and has been eating just about anything you put in front of her since she began eating solid food. She loves spicy food and will clear out the sushi bar if allowed. I am thankful every day that I do not have the kid who eats only hot dogs and French fries. I attribute her eating habits to the fact that she ate what her parents ate from a very early age. I remember cutting up pad Thai into very small pieces for her on a regular basis. Another thing we did as parents is not push candy on her. Not that we were against it, but because there was really no point. As a result, she like candy, but does not crave it. For example, after trick or treating she will empty her bag into a bowl and barely touch it for weeks as I slowly empty it for her. She defiantly has her preferences, but has a very wide variety of foods that she likes. She is not obese and that may very well be for the reasons you outlined.
You created a very nice blog overall.
Brian
All,
ReplyDeleteAs a father of 6 I find it interesting how some children are amenable to trying different foods, while others are so unaccepting to the idea. My children are all unique in their likes and dislikes with regard to their eating habits and preferences. I find this a little strange, they were all offered the same foods growing up, eating at the same dinner table, and bring the same lunches to school daily. This point makes me consider factors outside of the environment. Are there foods that trigger a chemical within their bodies that is pleasurable, endorphin like, that differ from child to child? Or is it a matter of texture, appearance, or color that comes into play. My wife and I started introducing different foods to our children at a young age, much like Cathy did. Thankfully, most of my children would rather eat fruit than sweets such as a cookie as a snack.
Thank you for the kind words regarding the blog.
All,
ReplyDeleteAs a father of 6 I find it interesting how some children are amenable to trying different foods, while others are so unaccepting to the idea. My children are all unique in their likes and dislikes with regard to their eating habits and preferences. I find this a little strange, they were all offered the same foods growing up, eating at the same dinner table, and bring the same lunches to school daily. This point makes me consider factors outside of the environment. Are there foods that trigger a chemical within their bodies that is pleasurable, endorphin like, that differ from child to child? Or is it a matter of texture, appearance, or color that comes into play. My wife and I started introducing different foods to our children at a young age, much like Cathy did. Thankfully, most of my children would rather eat fruit than sweets such as a cookie as a snack.
Thank you for the kind words regarding the blog.
Thanks for the informative blog! I think the most important thing to prevent and reduce child obesity is the word "moderation" in life. Children are going to want cookies, and McDonalds, however the frequency of allowing these options should be limited. It is important to create positive eating habits in our kids and try to avoid excessive intake of fast food/restaurant meals, high calorie drinks including pop/juice, and excess snacking on chips/cookies. It is also important to monitor school lunches as sometimes the "taste good" foods at the cafeteria line, may not be the most nutritious for our children.
ReplyDeleteThanks Courtney,
DeleteYour statements on food moderation and portion control are supported among various literature. What’s also interesting about that is there is a recommendation often taken too far among parents with underweight children to overfeed, leading to excessive caloric intake habits. “Because of unrestricted access to energy-dense fast foods in school cafeteria, school vending machines, and school neighborhood combined with low knowledge about dietary components in school children, there is often increased caloric intake per body weight per day. The practice of overfeeding low-birth-weight babies for catch-up growth, if continued, also contributes to obesity later (Kar, Dube, & Kar, 2014, p. 89).”
We hope this initiative provides parents with the knowledge to make healthy food for their children rather than rely on junk food provided at most schools, and to be aware of proper portion control.
Trev
Kar, S. S., Dube, R., & Kar, S. S. (2014). Childhood obesity: An insight into preventive strategies. Avicenna Journal of Medicine, 4(4), 88 - 93.