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Tip
Sheet: Culture & Living Tip sheets highlight timely news and events at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information on any of the stories below or for assistance in arranging interviews, please see the contact information listed with each story. For comments on the Culture & Living news tips service, please contact the editor, Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 935-5254 or susan_killenberg_mcginn@aismail.wustl.edu. 'Portion sizes are getting way too large and so are we,' nutritionist says Media assistance: Neil Schoenherr - (314) 935-5235 Source: Connie Diekman's Web page - (314) 935-4439 Related: Student nutrition at Washington University Related: Brief biography of Diekman [St. Louis, Mo., 3-1-02] - “You have to clean your plate before you can have dessert.” How many times did we hear that growing up? But those same words that were meant to help us grow up healthy and strong are now helping to create an increasingly overweight society.
“Today’s Baby Boomer generation was taught to ‘clean their plates’ when they were young,” Diekman said. “Now they are passing those habits on to their children, and it just isn’t healthy anymore. Portion sizes are getting way too large and so are we.” While more than 50 percent of the children in the United States are overweight, there also has been a tremendous jump in the past five to eight years in the rate of obesity in young children. “It isn’t just a steady incline -- it’s a real spike,” Diekman said. “The latest numbers indicate that 25 to 30 percent of kids today are obese.” Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 30. BMI provides a guideline based on weight and height to determine if an individual is under or over weight. “Once you start to go over BMI of 30 you begin to see the connections to diseases and other health impairment, such as heart disease,” Diekman said. Diabetes, heart disease in kids “The biggest problem we are seeing in kids today is Type II diabetes, which was traditionally seen as adult onset diabetes. It is due to an increase in body fat and inability of the body’s insulin to function correctly. We are beginning to see this type of diabetes, as well as the early development of heart disease and increased cholesterol levels, in children as young as eight,” she said. Experts predict that the obesity trend in children will continue, and, if it does, a very large percentage of the population will be overweight by 2010. “Obesity truly is an epidemic in this country,” she said. But there is hope. “The biggest thing that parents can do for themselves and for their children is to get involved,” Diekman said. “Parents need to be good role models of healthy eating and consistent exercise.” And that means eating as a family. “The more that families can take time to share food together, the better off they will be,” she said. “If you don’t have time to sit down for an actual meal, at least spend some time eating something as a family so your children can see what you eat. They can see you eating fruits, vegetables and dairy foods and they can begin to understand that food choices are important.” Limit fast foods, increase exercise Diekman stresses the importance of limiting fast foods and getting enough exercise. “We really need to examine how often we rely on “fast foods,” and that includes packaged foods, fast-food restaurants, frozen foods -- anything that makes things quick,” Diekman said. “Try to find ways to cook or buy meals that are fast, but healthy as well.” Exercise is the other major component of any weight-loss program. “What we are seeing now is that more and more adults are exercising. The numbers are still not great, but they are going up. The problem is that kids are not following their parent’s lead,” she said. “For health, everyone should get some sort of aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. But that can be as simple as putting the kids in the stroller and walking around the park, or taking a bike ride as a family. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean trekking off to the gym. Exercise can be a wonderful activity for the whole family. If parents can start kids exercising and eating right when they are young, a healthy lifestyle will be much easier to hold onto.” March is National Nutrition Month and in conjunction with that the American Dietetic Association is promoting healthy lifestyle changes. This year’s National Nutrition Month theme is “start today for a healthy tomorrow.” “Adults as well as children need to make a lifestyle commitment,” Diekman said. People need to learn how to make healthy food choices and to exercise regularly.” But the changes don’t have to come all at once, she stressed. “Instead of driving around the parking lot looking for the closest space, park farther away and walk the 5 or 10 minutes to the store. That counts. You don’t necessarily have to work out for a steady 30 minutes. You can break it up. Something is better than nothing,” she said. The same goes for changes in diet. Start slowly, adding one fruit or one vegetable a day if that’s what it takes, Diekman said. “You aren’t going to get an eight-year-old who’s been used to fast food and sitting on the couch playing video games to all of a sudden follow the food guide pyramid. And if you are used to always eating high-fat fast food meals every day, try limiting it to six days a week, then five, and so on. A healthy lifestyle won’t happen over night but if we make small changes and stick with it, our goals are attainable. Start today for a healthy tomorrow. That means change over time.” |
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