I have found that a lot of my friends with young children have asked me about their childrens’ eating habits and the problems they have come across. This is a common problem for many parents. I find that the most important thing to do is from the moment you introduce your child to food to make it a fun and rewarding experience with everything they eat and not to make it a chore, more something they can look forword to each meal time. Making vegetables fun is easier than it sounds; doing simple things like making shapes and faces on their plates and giving plenty of praise for eating them or making a reward chart when they have eaten all the food they get a reward for it. Children also learn especially younger children by the sense of touch so setting up finger foods vegetables and fruits as a spread on the table can be very beneficial as they not only get to taste the food but but they get to feel the different shapes and textures aswell this can be very helpful with their development skills and fun too. You don’t always have to eat food using things such as potatoes and carrots to make print pictures is really fun and messy which as we all know is what kids love to do best it also keeps up with how fun food is and never a bad thing. Explaing to your children the importance of helthy eating and doing fun activities can all help and should help prevent any problems in the future and help your children lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.
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Hippy Parenting?
I recently got accused of being a hippy parent because I don’t specify that my 2 daughters don’t have to play exclusively with girls toys amongst other things:
- Getting them to try new things, regardless of whether I like them or not.
- Allowing them items of an ethnic origin
- Refusing to use smacking as a form of discipline
and the list goes on. It doesn’t seem to matter what I do I get accused of being a hippy parent; the latest 2 are using washable nappies and the fact that I tend to go to the local health shop and buy things like vanilla pods and various other things because Holly got hold of 1 ages ago and enjoyed chewing on it so have been buying them for her since.
To be honest as long as the child(ren) are happy and healthy what does it matter? The answer to this question should be nothing but because it seems odd or because it is different to the style of someone else it is criticised. News Flash everyone is different and you have to accept that regardless of whether or not you agree.
Child fitness levels ‘declining even in affluent areas’
Sedentary lifestyles are making children less fit – even among those who are not obese, a study suggests. Essex University staged fitness tests on 600 10-year-olds a decade apart in an area with low levels of obesity.
They found significant falls in fitness levels, concluding the average 10-year-old in 1998 could beat 95% of youngsters in 2008 in running tests. The researchers said the focus on obesity was obscuring the health risks of wider declines in fitness levels. Children are routinely weighed and measured in schools in England as part of the government’s drive to tackle rising obesity rates, but there is no equivalent for fitness.
The measurement of obesity alone may not be sufficient to keep an eye on children’s future health. The Essex team of sports experts chose to focus on Chelmsford, an affluent town with traditionally low levels of obesity, to illustrate how being a normal weight did not necessarily equate to having good fitness. In 1998, they carried out 20m shuttle run tests – commonly known as the bleep test – on 303 children from six schools. In 2008, the tests were repeated on a similar number of 10-year-olds, the Archives of Disease in Childhood reported.
While obesity levels had hardly changed, there was a significant shift in fitness which was “large and worrying”. Researchers said similar if not worse findings would be expected in areas with high levels of obesity.
Lead researcher Dr Gavin Sandercock said: “The measurement of obesity alone may not be sufficient to keep an eye on children’s future health. We need some form of monitoring of fitness. “We have a generation of children who are spending more and more time in front of a screen, whether it is a TV or a computer.
“Schools are now trying to do more, but it is the lack of unstructured activity outside that is the problem.” Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “We have been concerned about the sedentary lifestyles of children for some time.The focus on obesity is right at the moment because it is more directly linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.”
A Department of Health spokesman said promoting physical activity remained a “top priority” and a key part of the obesity drive. She added Change4Life, the government’s campaign to promote healthy lifestyles, had “kick-started a lifestyle” revolution since it was launched in January.
Misleading food labels
Nine out of 10 mothers questioned in a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey misunderstood the nutrition information on children’s foods. The study found that mothers believe claims such as “a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins” mean a product is likely to be healthy.
It is thought that a “mish mash” of different food labelling styles is fuelling confusion among shoppers, it added. However, manufacturers insisted their nutritional labelling was clear. The research was carried out on 1454 parents aged between 16-64 years old with kids aged 15 or under through an online survey. It found that 76% of mothers questioned believed that “wholegrain” means the product is likely to be healthy.
However, the BHF said that – for example – Nestle’s Honey Shreddies, which claim to be wholegrain and to “keep your heart healthy and maintain a healthy body”, contain more sugar [13.6g] than a ring doughnut [9.2g] in an average serving. Kellogg’s Coco Pops cereal and milk bars are labelled as “a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins” and 63% of mothers in the survey thought they were healthy. The BHF said that for every 100g they were higher in saturated fat and sugar than the average chocolate cake.
The Natural Confectionery Company Jelly Snakes which are made by Cadbury’s contain more calories gram for gram than black treacle, the BHF said. Almost three in five respondents believed that the phrase “no artificial flavourings, no artificial colourings” indicated a healthy treat. The questionnaire found that 84% of them wanted a single, front-of-pack food labelling scheme.
Peter Hollins, BHF chief executive, said: “Mums are having the wool pulled over their eyes by food manufacturers. “Smoke and mirror tactics means that foods targeted at children and high in fat, salt and sugar are being disguised with partial health claims suggesting they are a healthy choice. “Regularly eating these types of foods could have serious implications for kids’ future health.” A single unified labelling system for food is needed because it the “mish mash” of the different systems serves only to confuse shoppers, he added. “It’s time for food companies to stop making excuses, support one system and ensure shoppers are given ‘at a glance’ information about the foods they’re giving their kids.”
A spokesman for the Natural Confectionery Company said: “All we claim is that the sweets contain no artificial colours and flavours – which is true – so we’re not sure why this should confuse anybody. “All nutritional information is clearly labelled on the bag.”
And a spokesman for Kellogg’s responded: “A Kellogg’s Coco Pops Cereal and Milk bar actually contains less than two teaspoons of sugar per bar and has half the calories (84) and far less fat than a chocolate bar. “Parents understand this because we give them the information they need, through our front-of-pack labelling, to make similar comparisons.”
Julian Hunt, of the Food and Drink Federation, has complained that the BHF did not share its research with them: “The truth is that the food industry takes its responsibilities seriously. That’s why our members are leading the world when it comes to ensuring that food recipes meet the demands of mums and their families – whether that’s through the use of natural ingredients; reducing the amount of salt, fat or sugar used; or fortifying products with nutritionally-vital vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients. The nutrition claims identified by BHF are not ‘partial health claims’ – they are approved under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, which is setting a strict legal framework for all claims on food packs. “To claim otherwise is being completely disingenuous – or shows that the BHF is deliberately trying to mislead both mums and journalists at what is a very busy time for all of us.”
Childhood obesity class divide
A Study suggest that a widening class gap is likely to be seen in the coming years in childhood obesity.
Previous research suggested rates in England may be levelling off, however the University College, London team found this was happening most in children aged two to 10 from wealthier backgrounds.
Research suggests that obesity rates among the lower classes were likely to be significantly higher by 2015 – for girls the levels may even be double. They analysed data gathered by the government-funded Health Survey for England. Currently 6.9% of boys and 7.4% of girls are obese – with the difference between the lower and higher classes 0.6% and 1.5% respectively for boys and girls.
The widening socio-economic gap may be partly due to difficulties to reach and communicate health messages to families from lower socio-economic groups. Using historical trends, they predicted that by 2015 obesity rates could be above 10% for boys and 8.9% for girls.
Depending on the extent of the “levelling off” reported last month, the overall rates could be even lower.
However, it is the findings for social class that have shed even more light on the obesity problem.
The obesity rates for girls are likely to diverge from now on, the team said. Among those from lower classes it is expected to keep rising to 11.2%, while for those from professional backgrounds it is likely to fall to 5.4%.
Among boys, both groups are likely to see a rise, but it will be faster in the lower class group, meaning 10.7% of this class boys will be obese compared with 7.9% of those from wealthier backgrounds. Similar trends will also be seen in older aged children.
Lead researcher Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis said: “This highlights the need for public health action to reverse recent trends and narrow social inequalities in health.” “The widening socio-economic gap may be partly due to difficulties to reach and communicate health messages to families from lower socio-economic groups.”
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, agreed awareness was more likely to be greater among wealthier families.
But he added: “It is also often quite expensive and time-consuming to buy healthy food and that puts wealthier parents at an advantage.” He said it was not clear why the differences were so marked in girls, although he said he suspected it was partly to do with the fact that boys tend to be more active generally.
The Department of Health said there was still more to do despite the levelling off which had been seen.
A spokesman said: “Obesity levels are still too high. We’ll only turn the tide on obesity for good if everyone – government, families and industry – play their part.”
1 in 5 overweight when start school
NHS figures show that over one in five children in England start their school life overweight or obese. Shockingly this rises to 1 in 3 by the end of primary school, which makes the child approximately 11. The statistics showed that obesity levels were higher in London, the North East and West Midlands than elsewhere in 2008-9.
The data revealed that more boys than girls were overweight in both reception and year six, 24% of boys aged four to five were overweight or obese, while 21.5% of girls were. In the 10 to 11-year-old age group, 34.5% of boys and 30.7% of girls weighed too much.
Public health minister, Gillian Merron, said evidence is stacking up to suggest that child obesity is “levelling off. It’s important to monitor children’s weight and wellbeing, and I’m glad that we achieved a 90% take up of the scheme. But we need to keep the momentum going.We’ll only turn the tide on obesity for good if everyone plays their part.”
It is already known that obesity can cause health problems such has heart disease and diabetes but the scary factor is that we could out live our children should this problem not be addressed and measures put in place to correct the problem.
Calorie Count – Wrong?
The calorie counts used as the foundation for diet plans and healthy-eating guidance for the past 18 years may be wrong. The recommended daily intake of calories could be increased by up to 16%, a draft report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition said.
Intake levels are currently 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. However the panel stresses that people should only eat more if they exercise more, given rising levels of obesity. The committee says its report provides a much more accurate assessment of how energy can be burnt off through physical activity.
A 16% increase would mean that adults could safely consume an extra 400 calories a day, equivalent to an average sized cheeseburger.
The proposals, seen by The Times and The Grocer magazine, are due to go out for a 14-week consultation period. Final recommendations will then be made after that time. Health campaigners say the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency could seek to “sweep this report under the carpet” in a bid to avoid sending out mixed messages in the middle of an obesity epidemic.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said it was a “dangerous assumption” to say that adults could safely consume an extra 400 calories a day. “This is not a green light to eat yourself silly,” he said.
This seems to be another one of those situations where there is conflict such as the situation with alcohol some say that a glass of red wine is good for you where other say alcohol is bad, so I guess as long as you eat healthily and are not overweight then don’t worry about how many calories you are consuming as these figures are only guidelines anyway. Everyone’s calorie intake varies depending upon their activity level and their metabolic rate.
Formula adverts should be banned
A coalition of charities is demanding baby milk be treated like tobacco and subjected to a total advertising ban. The National Childbirth Trust, Save The Children and Unicef say the current partial ban is not enough, and parents have been left confused.
They want the government to extend a ban on infant milk adverts to include “follow-on” milks for older babies.
England’s policy on the promotion of formula milk is currently being reviewed by the Food Standards Agency.
At present, companies are not allowed to advertise formula milk for babies under six months. But they are allowed to promote so-called follow-on milks, a range for children aged between six months and two years.
Many mothers feel an immense sense of guilt and failure when they move on to the bottle, and this latest debate about advertising is likely to make them feel even worse. The charities accuse baby milk companies of using their follow-on milks to promote their products for younger infants by giving them the same name and logo so as to make them “virtually indistinguishable” to parents.
“In similar ways to how tobacco companies found their way through loopholes in legislation restricting the advertising of cigarette promotion, formula milk companies are finding ways to exploit ambiguity in the law and to continue aggressively marketing their products to parents,” says Belinda Phipps of the NCT.
The World Health Organization recommends that babies are given breast milk exclusively for the first six months, and that a mother should continue to breastfeed up to the age of two years.
The charities note that those children who are breastfed are better protected from infections and potentially from even more serious conditions later on in life. Formula milk companies are finding ways to exploit ambiguity in the law and to continue aggressively marketing their products to parents
Belinda Phipps
At present, some 76% of UK mothers start out breastfeeding – up 7% from 2000. However most move on to formula within weeks, and fewer than half still breastfeed by the time their child is six weeks old. By six months, only 25% of mothers are breastfeeding at all. But Dr Ellie Lee of the University of Kent who has researched women’s experiences of infant feeding said the impact of advertising on the decision to switch from breast to bottle was “negligible”.
In a study of mothers commissioned by The Infant and Dietetic Foods Association (IDFA), Dr Lee found that the decision to bottle feed was a “pragmatic decision based on personal circumstances”. “Some do it because of the pain of feeding or so they can feed their child at more regular intervals, some so they can share responsibility for feeding the baby, others because they are thinking of going back to work.
It has also been suggested that the increasing reluctance of health professionals to discuss formula milk as an option may mean some parents are not aware of the thorough sterilisation of feeding equipment that is needed to limit the risk of infection.
The Food Standards Agency is currently working on new regulations for the promotion of formula milk which would take into account the latest EU directive. The charities involved in the report want the FSA to agree to a ban, noting that the new European recommendations in particular stress that information on formula “should not counter the promotion of breast feeding”.
It is unclear whether a ban is likely, but it is thought that companies will no longer be able to make claims about similarity to breast milk on their packets under new restrictions. A number of companies have slogans such as “even closer to breast milk”, “the closest to breast milk” on their packaging, pointing to the fatty acids and probiotic bacteria found in breast milk that are included in the ingredients.
From a parents point of view there is a huge amount of pressure on mothers to breast feed for some this isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons. For those who don’t manage to breast feed for the full recommended time there is often a feeling of failure, guilt or disappointment. Advertisers shouldn’t add into the mix feelings of confusion and uncertainty, I think parents should be given the facts about breast feeding and the different formula brands then parents can make up their own minds without being pressured down a specific route.
Link between fat parents & fat kids
If their mothers are obese the statistics show that the daughters are 10 times more likely to be overweight; with sons the chance is 6 times more likely that they will be overweight if their father is overweight.
These results came from a study into whether childhood obesity was linked to environmental influences instead of genetic ones. The study involved looking at BMI’s for 226 five-year-olds and their parents. The researchers noted a relationship between the BMI of the children and the same sex parent. However no link was found between the children and the parent of the opposite sex. This suggests that the link is environmental as if it was genetic it would be unlikely to be gender selective.
These findings are not really surprising as it is a logical step that the parents eating habits and lifestyle would influence the child but what is surprising is that it seems to be gender specific. One possible explanation for the relationship between children and same sex parents is that the children use their parents as role models and so model their behaviour on the parent of the same sex.
If this is the case you would have thought that the parents would ensure that they are a positive role model for their children. Also they should take into consideration that the “fat kids” are usually singled out by bullies and are more prone to health problems such as diabetes and heart problems, add into the mix the psychological problems such as low self esteem. It is also worth pointing out that your eating habits can be passed down through the generations so not only are your children affected but your grandkids and great….grandkids.
Toddler meal time disaster
My daughter for the past year has become really fussy about eating her main meal. If you are experiencing the same problem with your child here are a few ideas that may help:
- Stop all snacks
- Reducing the size of the other 2 meals
- Change the time of the main meal
- Substitute juice for water
- Make it clear to your child that there is no alternative
- Make it into a game
- Keep your child active throughout the day
- Use reward charts
Don’t make the child see that you are frustrated as they pick up on that and it makes the problem worse. Having spoken to health professionals for ideas to encourage my daughter to eat as it she gets crabby because she is hungry but then when her main meal is put in front of her she refuses to touch it; the health professionals claim that part of the reason toddlers become fussy eaters is due to their taste buds changing. Their advice was just to ignore it; it is just a phase and they will grow out of it. If your child refuses to eat simply say “OK but there’s nothing else”, and carry it out.
I’ve found that this response although shows the child that they either eat their dinner or they go hungry but it doesn’t give them much of an incentive to actually start eating. If you are concerned about your child not eating visit your health visitor and be persistent, eventually they may do something about it.