Healthy Kid Foods
Does your child literally beg you for the latest foods and drinks featured on T.V.? How about when you go to the grocery store - does your child run up and down the aisles insisitng you buy food and drinks that are promoted with cutsie graphics and even include prizes when you buy them?
Well, according to a new Canadian study from the University of Calgary, researchers said that nearly three quarters of the “fun, so called, kid healthy” foods they examined, are not really as healthy as they claim. In fact, the ingredients in some of these foods are precisely what lead to an obese, unhealthy child, who either has or is well on the way to type II diabetes.
Many ads that target your child and what he or she eats can easily lead to sickness and a shortened life span, and with all the medical research to back that up, it’s not even a stretch to believe it.
According to an Associated Press report on MSNBC, The Federal Trade Commission said nearly $1.6 billion ad dollars target your child in every possible way to buy foods, snacks, and soads they see in movies, on T.V., in magazine ads, on cereal boxes, computers and even cell phones.
Given what the American Medical Association has said about the obesity and type II epidemic in children, it’s more important than ever to pay close attention to food labels and what you feed your child. Fast food in general, the fries, burgers, and soda drinks will only lead to an overweight child who has the chance to get sicker faster.
When you go to the store, be savvy. Check the labels. For example, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, say to check for fat, sugar and sodium content on the labels.
Sugar hides out as substances like corn syrup, which hits the bloodstream and causes a sharp increase in blood sugar. Then, it is it’s harder for the body to lower that blood sugar spike. Not to get to technical, but if your child eats too much sugar, type II diabetes and more damaging conditions are on their way.
Be sure to check the label for any fat that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated because these fats are long proven in every peer-reviewed major medical joural on this topic, to be unhealthy for everyone.
Even foods that claim to be “lite”, hide artificial sweeteners in the ingredients. which can be just as unhealthy as the regular bleached white sugar you bake with or have on the table. The Food and Drug Administration has countless complaints about the effects of artifical sweetners.
Ad spending on so called “kid friendly” foods, definitely contributes to childhood obesity. According to the research done at the University Of Calgary, 50% of the calories kids eat come from fat or added sugars. 32% of American children are overweight, which does nothing to help their health or learning abilities.
According to the organizations above, food is deemed to be unhealthy if more than 35% of the calories come from fat, of if it contains more than 3% added sugar by weight. They go on to say that the sodium cut off for a full meal is “770 mg for main meals and 600 mg for individual servings”.
Given that you want your child to stay healthy and live and long and happy life, here are a few healthy kid tips to help your child stay brain and body smart:
1. Check the foods your child can get at school. Ask about the ingredients, whether are there candy and soda machines on campus, and does your school use sugary and hydrogenated goodies as fund raisers?
If the answers are not what you know is best for your child, get a group of health conscious parents together, armed with some facts from medical journals and nutritional organizations and put your concerns before the school board.
If the cafeteria food is brought in from fast food restaurants, petition for something more healthy. Or, pack your child’s lunch with healthy foods.
2. Take your child on a trip to fast food restaurants. Get all the nutrition information from the manager, and take a “field trip” to the cooking area if possible. Take a good hard look at what the food is made of, whether sugar is added to fries to brown them, what percentage of the “beef” is really pure beef, how much fat, sodium and sugar is in each item. Look at the oil the food is cooked in. How many grams of sugar are in a soda?
I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to help kids understand why what they eat can really hurt them.
3. Make a list with your child before you go to the store. Put it in two columns. The second column will show your child how much fat, what kind, how much sugar and what kind, how much sodium, etc. can be allowed on the label. Also, put artificial colors, msg, and artificial sweeteners of all kinds in the second column.
Then, in the first column, put the list of foods together for the week.
If that list includes fresh fruits, vegetables, hopefully organic meats, fish and chicken and some truly healthy snacks, let your child help you pick these things out, while paying very close attention to the information in column 2 on the list. If it doesn’t measure up, don’t buy the food. It’s that simple.
4. Look at the total carbohydrate count on the label and divide it by 5 amd that will give you the metabolic equivalent of how much sugar your child is eating.
When I wanted to show my kids how to see how much sugar was in something, we converted those grams on the label and I had them put that much white table sugar into a glass. Then I said, how would you like to drink that?
Once I learned about how to keep my children happy, I did hundreds of hours of medical research and the result was my book called, What’s Food Got To Do With It? 101 Natural Remedies For Learning Disabilities.
If you think your child has ADD_ADHD, we put together a 3 book set, called ADD-ADHD. It contains What’s Food Got To Do With It, Instant Learning For Amazing Grades and Success Strategies For Special Education. Check these out too, because they contain the information you need on health, learning to get A’s, and strategies for any child diagnosed with a learning challenge.
We want to prevent and cure childhood obesity and prevent type II diabetes. If you follow these few simple steps, you’re a parent who really cares about your child’s health, and you’ll make great strides in keeping your child as healthy as possible.
Remember, every child is smart - and you need to be smart about what you feed your child,
Warmly,
Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.
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