February has long been promoted as “Heart Health Month”…   Most of the focus is typically on the middle aged sedentary adult … get up, get moving, eat better…

I work with families… parents and their children who are struggling to eat better in a society full of tempting junk food.  It is tough.  Increasingly, I see children and teens who are losing the battle against the trappings of easy processed food.  The result?  Early signs of heart disease… particularly evidenced by abnormal blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

MYTH BUSTER:  A child does not need to be overweight and sedentary to have abnormal blood lipids.

Here’s my suggestion:  if you child DOES NOT consume a regular diet of 4 – 5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day and get at least 3 servings of high-fiber grains (“high fiber” = at least 3 gm fiber per serving)… and/or if your child DOES consume processed foods (chips, fries, sweets, etc) and fatty forms of animal foods (ie. 80/20 ground beef, dark meat chicken with the skin, whole fat dairy) on a regular basis… then it would be a great idea to get their lipids screened.

What to look for?  The National Cholesterol Education Program classification of cholesterol levels in children and adolescents are as follows:

Acceptable:  Total Cholesterol less than 170 mg/dL and LDL Cholesterol less than 110 mg/dL

Borderline: Total Cholesterol 170-199 mg/dL and LDL Cholesterol 110 – 129 mg/dL

High:  Total Cholesterol greater than 200 mg/dL and LDL Cholesterol greater than 130 mg/dL

Next time you take your child to a routine medical check up… PLEASE request a lipid panel!

Research, though sometimes confusing and construed to fit the whims of the day, can be very helpful in piecing together the puzzle that is childhood obesity today.

One such piece of research released this month in the American Journal of Public Health (February 2010, Vol 100, No. 2 | American Journal of Public Health 334-340 © 2010) has shed light on the link between childhood obesity and the exposure to TV food commercials.

In this particular study, it was the exposure to and influence of TV commercial content, not the “couch potato” (sedentary activity) effect of watching TV, that was a significant influence on the increase in BMI over time.  How can TV food commercials impact childhood obesity in such a profound way?

Researchers believe that the TV advertising had the significant effect of influencing food preferences – especially among the younger (0-6 year old) children in the study.  It was concluded that the more TV commercials (for sweetened cereals, junk food and fast food chains) viewed, the more likely the child will want to try the food.  And we all know what happens once a child tries a colorful, sweet or highly palatable salty-crunchy food …

“… much of the food we’re eating–this trifecta of fat, sugar, and salt–stimulates us.  And we now see from the science–this highly palatable food is excessively activating the neural circuitry of our brains.  We now know… the reason we keep on eating is because of this sustained stimulation.” Dr. David Kessler, pediatrician, former FDA commissioner, former dean of the Yale & UCSF medical schools, author of The End of Overeating: Why a chocolate chip cookie has such power over us- Fat, Sugar, Salt and the Brain

… they always want more.

Thanks again to First Lady Michelle Obama for keeping childhood obesity at the forefront of the national news.  Although Colorado is perceived at the “healthiest state”, today’s Denver Post article : “Obesity plan feels at home in Colo.” points out that the number of obese children in Colorado climbed from 48,000 in 2003 to 72,000 in 2007!  The end is not in sight.  There’s still a great deal of work to do on every front.  Obama’s four-part campaign includes serving healthier food in schools, increasing the access to and affordability of healthier foods, encouraging physical activity among the nation’s children… and my personal passion… helping parents make better food choices.  I feel privileged to be “in the trenches” of the childhood obesity epidemic.  To sit across the table from a family and see them make eye-opening discoveries about the foods that are going into their bodies is so rewarding.  It is not easy to motivate a young teen who cannot yet feel the effects of their elevated cholesterol and borderline blood sugar readings – yet I do it, because their future is at stake.  Parents, educators, nutrition professionals, legislators and childhood advocates must continue to lock arms and do what is necessary, though sometimes challenging, to help the nation’s children be more fit from the inside-out!

I understand that the world does not go around unless products and goods are being manufactured and sold… however, I often question whether it should be at the expense of the health and wellness of a generation of children and their families.  While the government, lobbyists and food producers of the US battle to determine what is best for all… I sit across the kitchen table from real-life families who are struggling to understand why it is so hard to select nutritious foods off of the grocery store shelves!  Now, in an ideal world (a world most of us DO NOT live in) it would be simple… we could simply avoid purchasing any foods that come in a box, package or container.  We could instead have a backyard garden, shop at local farmer’s markets to buy raw ingredients and make all consumable products from scratch – so we know exactly what is going into our food.  Again, I reiterate – I work with “real-life” families who have busy schedules to navigate, limited financial resources, and a wide range of personal food preferences to work around.  Cooking from scratch is not always an option for most of the hectic families that I work with on a daily basis!  So how do I guide families through the packaged food jungle?  There are several key steps:

1) Prioritize – It is often overwhelming for families to take all factors into consideration at once. I encourage families to break down the processed food world into smaller pieces.  For example, a family may decide to take a week to track sugar consumption and become aware of all of the hidden sources.  Alternatively, a family could make it a goal to purchase only packaged foods with five or less ingredients…ingredients that are known and identifiable.  Perhaps the family’s weak spot is in the  area of caloric beverages like juice drinks, sport waters, and flavored coffee beverages – this may be a good place to start!

2) Learn the Label – Although it is still a very flawed tool, the food label can provide us with some valuable information.  Go to http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm078889.htm to learn more about the important aspects of the label.  Another up-and-coming resource can be found at www.nuval.com.  NuVal, developed by Dr. David Katz, is a food scoring system that may be coming to a grocery store near you in the future.

3) Involve the entire family – The dialogue in the grocery store could go something like this… “OK kids, there are over 100 cereals on this isle – let’s see if we can find one with more than 3 grams of fiber, less than 12 grams of sugar, and no artificial colors per serving… ready – set – go!”

4) Teach awareness – Let your children know that there’s a reason why their “favorite food” comes out of a brightly colored package and is promoted by a fun cartoon character, a spin-off TV show and an exciting game-oriented website! Help your children look beyond the gimmick to the true value of a food.

5) Take a deep breath and release the guilt – It is not uncommon for me to see tears of frustration and guilt coming out of a mother’s eyes when she is faced with the reality that the health of her children has been adversely affected by the food choices that the family has been making.  This is a normal part of change – grieving for the mistakes made in the past and doing the hard work of turning in a new direction.  I urge families to take time to mentally and emotionally “wrap their head around” the WHY of making nutrition and activity changes in their lives and then envision the resulting improvement in health and vitality for life.  Take a break – even if it is a few minutes per day to visualize the outcome and breathe deep – knowing that change takes time and focus!

Let us know how an IMAGEplus+ Dietitian-Coach can help your family today!