by Haven Logan PH.D.

In “Part I – Physical Activity” of the column “Family Lifestyles and Children’s Weight,” we visited two imaginary twelve-year-old boys who exemplified some of the family lifestyle changes that have impacted children’s weight. Living in 1958, Tommy came home after school to his mother who gave him a snack of milk and an apple. He then rode his bike to a friend’s house but made sure to get home by 5:30 for his mother’s home-cooked roast dinner. Jason, living in 2008, came home to an empty house and a voice mail message from his mother suggesting that he microwave a burrito and finish his homework before watching television. She also indicated that when she got home at 7, the family would go out for dinner.

Changing a family or individual pattern of inactivity requires both motivation and discipline. Changing dietary patterns is an even more complex issue. While motivation and discipline are important aspects of dietary change, it is critical to also understand the emotional components of our eating patterns. What kind of food did you grow up eating? What was the role of food in your family of origin? For many of us, it was the center of family life and all celebrations. It may also have been how we comforted ourselves when we were sad or angry or lonely. These patterns created long ago are difficult to change, and they impact the family patterns we establish as parents.

Just as children follow our activity patterns, so do they follow our dietary patterns, beginning at an early age. This is one area where you can’t say one thing and do another. Children will watch you and want to eat what you are eating. They will eat what you have available in the house. Getting children started on a nutritious diet will lay the foundation for a lifetime of good health. While each family member may have different caloric needs and certain food preferences, having everyone eat basically the same healthy diet works best.

The American Heart Association research has shown that the absence of family meals prepared at home is associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as the consumption of more fried foods and carbonated beverages. Since fast food restaurants are probably here to stay, it is more prudent to educate children to make conscious choices about how often they go and what they eat when they go. It is not eating the occasional unhealthy food that is the problem; it is what we eat on a regular, daily basis that determines our weight and health. With a little planning, even the busiest family can create simple, home cooked meals. In addition, farmers markets, gardens in the schools, the Slow Food Movement and a resurgence of family gardens are all reminding us of the joys of eating locally grown, fresh food.

Economics plays a definite role in what we eat. Caloric dense foods are often the cheapest. Unless we have a garden, fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive to buy than chips and cookies. The low-cost availability of snack foods and the television advertising of these high fat/low fiber foods have a powerful impact on us, especially on our children. Studies show that in a typical year children view 10,000 advertisements and 95% of these are for candy, soft drinks, fast foods, and sugared cereal. I don’t need to tell you how hard it can be to resist the foods in these enticing ads.

In addition to our hurried lifestyles and the availability of low-cost high fat processed foods, our culture of thinness further complicates helping children develop healthy eating habits. Children in elementary school now worry about their weight. As parents we walk a fine line between our concerns over the health risks of obesity and the health risks of eating disorders.  Dieting can trigger both problems. Bulimia and anorexia nervosa typically begin with a diet. Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed boys and girls from 9 to 14 years old for three years tracking their eating and exercise habits. The study found that excess weight is more common in those who diet than those who don’t. It concluded that children who diet or restrict their eating may end up overeating or binging on the foods they have denied themselves.

The best path to prevention of childhood weight and eating problems is through healthy, moderate eating, and daily physical activity. While we can not ignore the significant health risks of obesity, it is essential that we also help children accept and appreciate the body type they were born with. It is important that we not focus excessively on our own weight and make sure that our children have a variety of positive activities that build their self-esteem.

Solution – Focus on Making Healthy Choices

• Emphasize healthy choices rather than restrictive eating patterns.
• Encourage moderation and listening to your body’s signals of being satisfied.
• Promote your child’s ability to self-regulate his or her intake of food.
• Plan for at least two or three sit down family dinners every week. Don’t worry about preparing a gourmet meal. Most children prefer simple foods.
• Provide healthy, fresh, and easy snack foods.
• Limit the amount of high-calorie foods you keep at home.
• Avoid giving food for emotional comfort or as a reward.
• Be careful about excessive comments on your children’s and your own weight.
• Work with your schools to provide healthy foods and limit access to sodas and high fat snacks.
• If your child is a few pounds overweight look at small changes such as switching from regular to skim milk, serving less soda and smaller portions.
• If your child is seriously overweight, work with a medical or nutritional professional. Seek out the nearest Shapedown Program which is a weight program for children and adolescents that was developed over 20 years ago at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. For information call (415) 453-8886 or go to www.shapedown.com.

           
From the perspective of the twenty-first century, Tommy’s life in 1958 may appear quite idyllic, yet all was not perfect then. Through the determination of parents and concerned citizens a number of the health risks of that era have been reduced: seat belts laws have been passed, smoking is prohibited in most public places, and having designated drivers is accepted practice. So, too, can we overcome the devastations of obesity by making this issue an individual, family, community, and national priority. In the process of taking a walk with a family member and going back to more basic fresh foods at family dinners, we may also find some relief from the stresses of modern life and a greater closeness within our families.