If I could choose one word to focus on when it comes to nutrition and childhood obesity prevention, it is not a difficult one... portions, portions, portions.
A few years ago National Geographic 2004 came out with a fabulous report comparing portion sizes from 50 years ago to today. Examples included a 1950s movie popcorn which was a small 3-cup box and in 2004 it was (is) a huge, buttered, 21-cup bucket -- we went from 174 calories to 1700 calories... in one sitting; a second eye-opening realization is that in 1900, a small bar of Hershey's chocolate was 2 oz and 297 calories... in 2004, the comparison was a 7 oz bar totaling 1000 calories! We are now accustomed to eating about 2-3 times our portion size and not even thinking twice about it. The eye and mind can be trained, and sure enough, all of our us, consciously or unconsciously, have come to accept Supersize portions as one portion -- are we dead wrong! On a regular basis, we are tempted to eat the calories of one complete day in only one meal! Even the fruits and vegetables that we all know we should eat more of need to be eaten with care as many times they are seasoned with high fat dressings or fried.
Now, without getting on the anti-fast food bandwagon, fast foods are not solely the cause of this childhood obesity epidemic. As is discussed in the article "Childhood obesity in America: top 10 culprits", it IS certainly a multi-faceted problem. Know that just about any high calorie low nutrient dense food can and will have its consequences if done every day religiously for just about every meal and without any significant movement in our day. But it is comforting to know that if you do the same with healthy meals, religiously watch your portions, drink a lot of water instead of sodas or juices, and make an effort to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, your body will also react in a positive manner... your child or teen's body will not only look better but from the inside out, they will feel better. Here are just a few general tips for eating proper portions:
1. When eating at a fast food restaurant, order small sizes, never Supersize unless you will be sharing that lunch with 3 other people. when you are full or know you have had enough, ask for a take-home bag and have the leftovers for dinner or the next day (also saves some money -- nice perk these days!)
2. Encourage your child to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and provide these as quick-grab snacks at home. Watch the dressings.
3. Everyone should be drinking A LOT of water -- teens at least 6-8 glasses of water a day, younger kids tailored down appropriately for size. And, yes, it does help you feel a bit more satisfied if you drink water a few minutes before the meal.
4. Do not skip meals! Teens are notorious for this not only because they would rather sleep-in and grab a few more zzzz's than eat breakfast but also because they (girls, in particular) think that if they eat, they will gain weight and become fat. Eating a healthy breakfast such as low fat milk or yogurt with granola or low sugar, high fiber cereal or eggs or bowl of oatmeal and fruit will not only boost their metabolism, preventing weight gain, but it has been shown to also help to improve grades and behavior in school.
The key to eating better is to begin to inform yourself and your children and gradually, one step at a time, begin to make changes. We are creatures of habit that attach emotions to things such as eating and if we all at once decide to turn our eating world upside-down, you will have a mutiny on your hands and you all will be at even a worse place than you were before! So take it slowly and be patient and honest with your child while making these permanent life changes.
Picture by Roman Sigaev, PhotoXpress
For more info: National Geographic , NIH Portion Distortion Quiz, my training zone
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