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WSJ.com Forums :: View topic - Diets ... for Kids?
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: Diets ...
For Kids?
Welcome to WSJ forums.
Weight-management programs for preschoolers are cropping up across the country, as leading obesity experts subscribe to the view that it is never too early to start managing children's weight.
So writes Shirley S.
Wang.
Readers, what's your view?
How young is too young to put a child on a diet?
How should diets and healthy eating be explained to a child without making the child feel bad about his or her appearance?
Join a discussion on the board below.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:44 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (3 ratings)
Babies on a diet?
How silly have we gotten?
Make the #1 family activity ACTIVE!
No yard? Play together on the sidewalk.
Find a little bitty park somewhere.
Jump up and down on the bed.
Then, don't bring your kids for fast food.
If you don't want to cook, get Trader Joe's stuff.
It's probably about the same price, and far healthier, plus you get to control the portions.
Keep lots of fruit and veg in the house.
Summer's here, and the watermelon has been very sweet.
What kid doesn't like watermelon or grapes?
Healthy and filling.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:29 am Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (5 ratings)
The simple fact is that by referring to proper eating as "going on a diet" indicates that you are approaching this issue from the wrong perspective.
Healthy eating is a lifelong endeavor as well as being age contextual.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:05 am Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (2 ratings)
No toddlers should be on a "diet." It's about a healthy lifestyle, not food restrictions.
It's about portion size, not saying "No." It's about role modeling good behavior, not "Saying one thing and doing another."
It's that simple
LisaN
Iowa Avenue
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (1 rating)
I agree with all of you.
I have a daughter (age 8) who has always had a bit of a tummy, but always comes up at a normal weight at her annual checkups.
(She's consistently in the high 90 percentiles on height and weight).
We are simply monitoring and encouraging healthy choices.
Since she also seems to have digestive problems, it makes it easier to encourage apples, grapes, etc.
Getting used to natural sweets such as fruit and limiting junk food are rules everyone should live by.
Then get active. Doesn't have to be fancy.
Biking, walking, running, swimming or if you are crazy like I am, relearning how to rollerskate all are great activities that can be done with kids.
The best part?
The kids love spending fun time with Mom and I'm losing weight!
Also, avoid people who make inappropriate comments.
My mom (who I personally think is borderline anorexic) made some comment about my daughter being chubby when I wasn't around.
(There is confusion as to whether my daughter initiated the conversation or not).
I've been spending about 1 year getting my daughter to understand that Grandma is weird about weight and that she is NOT chubby.
Needless to say, grandma time is now supervised and limited.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (3 ratings)
I'd rather have an overweight child who feels good about herself and eats right than a child who is constantly scolded and monitored what she eats.
I was taught as a child that my body was too big (and I wasn't even overweight) and have always had a distorted view of my appearance and poor self-worth.
We need to be very careful about what messages we send children.
Too often, we pretend that nagging and shaming about weight and diet is for a child's own good health, which is counterproductive.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:49 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (1 rating)
The problem with BMI is that it doesn't take into account body composition.
I used to babysit a 2-year-old who probably weighed 40 pounds.
All muscle - kid was built like a tank!
His Mom was a health nut and he ate very well, too.
I'm sure he'd be off the charts for his BMI.
Now a friend of mine has a kid who has been told her son, since he was 2, was "obese." Same thing - the little guy is stocky, built very solidly, very active.
His favorite foods are broccoli and strawberries.
The latest?
My friend was told her 6 month old (!) was "at risk of obestiy"(!!) [expletive] (???) Now, she and her husband are definitely overweight so the pediatrician might have been using the baby as a proxy for commenting about mom's weight and how they should work on their own habits, but then just say "Mom, let's talk about healthy lifestyles" rather than scaring my friend that she might be overfeeding her baby.
Anyone remember the stories of Anna Nicole Smith insisting the nanny underfeed her baby girl so she wouldn't grow up to have weight problems?
Yikes.
Just... yikes.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids?
And another thing...
Has anyone looked at the school lunch and other government funded food programs?
They have big agribiz written all over them - lots of white flour, white sugar, processed foods, meat and the infamous cheese.
Too bad small local farmers don't have big Washington lobbies.
Note that No Child Left Behind doesn't include a section on nutrition or physical fitness, either.
And should the resulting obesity yield high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, no problem!
Medicare is paying full price to big pharma for the resulting prescription drugs to control these symptoms.
Now that we don't have the Cold War to create a military-industrial complex, we have a new endless loop of creating illnesses and the drugs to treat them.
Double yikes.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (1 rating)
It's a complex issue, but a healthy, moderate eating approach combined with a reasonably active lifestyle are key elements to teach and ingrain in our kids, regardless of their size/shape/etc.
My personal experience has been very disappointing.
Our daughter (2nd child, now 4 years old) plumped up ala Michelin Man/Pib, solely on breast milk.
I'm not sure I agree w/the "professional" guidance we were then given of "no, infants can't get too fat if fed solely breast milk." She's lost a good bit of her "baby fat" but still has a very large belly and doesn't fit into any age-appropriate (or dimensionally standard) clothes.
When we approached our pediatrician about our concerns (note that the pediatrician never expressed any concerns though our daughter was <50th percentile in height and >99 percentile for weight) we had to push hard to get any type of testing done (e.g.
Blood work to check for abnormalities such as thyroid.) The good news/bad news is that the testing didn't find anything wrong.
Nonetheless, it was amazing how much resistance and reluctance there was in the medical and insurance community to support even this very basic early investigation and possible intervention.
Diet-wise, today she still only eats fruits, vegetables, yogurt, tofu, and some lean meats (e.g.
Turkey.) We have no soda or junk food at our house or in her diet.
She eats less than her younger and older brothers.
For now we continue to be diligent to monitor the volume of her intake as well as promote activity (she does love to ride her bike and is becoming an avid swimmer.) The work and likely resolution resides solely with us as parents for now, and of course with her as she becomes more independent and self-reliant.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:26 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? Peer-to-Peer Coaching (1 rating)
Embracing a philosophy to make the world a better place, my 8 year old daughter, Lizzie Marie, created the Tasty Tidbits Cooking Classes which won the “Del Monte Do Something Good for You!
Grant” presented by the Do Something of New York City.
Lizzie’s goal is to teach children and adults how to have a delicious time living healthy while creating healthier communities reducing obesity levels by hosting classes in school and homeschool groups, scout troops, and other community venues.
Lizzie's classes are a peer-to-peer concept where she leads the cooking lessons (she’s been cooking since she was 2) while teaching the importance of using fresh, healthy ingredients.
It is surprising to see the response of children participants when they receive healthy living lessons from another young person.
Frequently, children want to do what other young people are doing.
The children grasp the message Lizzie is sharing and they become excited to eat fresh foods.
Feedback we've received from parents whose children attended the classes include, "...
I'm shocked my daughter willing ate avocados and love them...
My children begged me to buy the recipe ingredients on the way home after your clas..."
I coach the parents on how to make healthier food choices.
Knowing the pain and frustration of being overweight myself (shed over 45 pounds of fat), teaching common sense shopping strategies make the transition to healthier options easier.
Lizzie's online cooking shows at LizzieMarieCuisine.com show people step by step how to create simply delicious meals using fresh all-natural ingredients.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids?
My kid is "at risk for being overweight".
He needs to either lose ~3# or grow another 2 inches to be in the "normal" range.
Look at him shirtless, however, and you see more than a few ribs.
He's not even pudgy.
My kid is built like his parents, with broad shoulders and considerable muscle.
He has a future in rugby or mountaineering or other activities where being "solid" is useful.
I'm a competitive athlete and my BMI says I'm overweight too, but my body fat is well below normal.
That's the problem with these one-size-fits-all guidelines - they don't fit us all.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids?
Doctors who are focusing on the symptoms (overweight) of patients of ANY age without ruling out possible underlying causes are doing the children's long term health and self esteem a disservice.
Had my pediatrician thought even once to run some tests on me rather than just tell me to "put down the fork", I could have been treated for my underlying condition of hyperinsulemia and insulin resistance earlier in life;
And saved years of unexplained medical problems that have followed me into early adulthood, costing me two pregnancies and doing irreperable damage to my long term health.
It became difficult for me to beleive that my childhood chub was the result of my or my parents' poor food choices, when 40 lbs vanished in less than 3 months after I started on an insulin sensitizer (no exercising, no changes to my diet) after FINALLY finding a doctor whose head wasn't stuck up her butt.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:58 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids? (1 rating)
Very good point.
I got to chatting with a woman at the gym who told me she had gained 100 pounds in 1 year, and her doctor basically told her to stop pigging out and threw her out of his practice!
No tests, nothing, and the woman swore up and down she didn't change her eating habits.
10 pounds a year is easy to do, but 100?
Now, it's hard because I'm sure patients will tell their doctor "Oh, no, I don't eat fried food and, yep, only 1-2 alcoholic drinks per week..." while their nose grows to hit the other wall, but still...
Meanwhile, the other side is people who get angry with the doctor for telling them their knee pain, diabetes, cholesterol, edema, blood pressure, whatever is caused by the extra 200 pounds they are carrrying around.
"My weight is not a disease." Pfft...
I could never be a doctor.
Zero patience with people.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids?
Inevitably, when I see obese children, one or both parents is also obese.
Parents who smoke are also setting their children up for lasting health problems -- both from secondhand smoke and as a result of the example they set.
I don't think diets are a good idea for anyone.
I do think a healthy diet overall is a good idea for everyone.
That's harder to achieve for two-career families with a busy schedule, but certainly not impossible -- starting with using apples for snacks instead of chips.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: Diets ...
For Kids?
[Quote: ="carolekm7"]Very good point.
I got to chatting with a woman at the gym who told me she had gained 100 pounds in 1 year, and her doctor basically told her to stop pigging out and threw her out of his practice!
No tests, nothing, and the woman swore up and down she didn't change her eating habits.
[Quote: ]
This woman may be suffering from an endocrinological disorder called PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome).
Women with PCOS produce high levels of androgens (male hormones), and they may suffer from signicant weight gain that seems to have no other cause -- specifically weight around the waist -- along with acne, type 2 diabetes, infertility, missed or irregular periods, increased hair growth.
PCOS is relatively common, but often not diagnosed.
Approximately one in 10 women of childbearing age have some degree of PCOS.
A friend's daughter was diagnosed with it only after suffering for more than two years from significant weight gain, terrible acne and other issues.
When she was diagnosed, my friend realized her mother had also suffered from PCOS.
Left untreated, PCOS stresses organs and results in an early death -- you die in your late 50s or early 60s after years of ill health.
My friend's mother barely lived to see age 60.
Your obese acquaintance should blow off this jerk who watched her gain this kind of weight without doing any tests and visit an endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS ASAP.
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