Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

Children under five years old need fat and carbohydrates, but so many parents worry about their children becoming overweight that they are restricting them to low calorie diets.

• A government study of nursery schools in 29 British councils found that some were offering children inadequate amounts of food because of pressure from parents.
• Some parents wanted their children to eliminate red meat, whole milk, and desserts, and yet the very young children cannot yet obtain adequate nutrition from fruits and vegetables alone.

"It is important that parents do not apply healthy eating messages designed for the whole population to small children," said Prof. Helen Crawley. "Poor nutritional status in toddlerhood is linked to permanent cognitive damage and a child never reaching their full potential, as well as shorter stature in adulthood."

Labels: diet, nutrition, parenting, health, toddlers

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Obese children as young as three years old have health markers linked to developing heart disease as adults, according to a new article in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine looked for three markers that measure inflammation in more than 16,000 children ages 1 to 17 years old.
  
• About 60 percent of the obese teenagers in the study showed elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) compared to 18% of teenagers with normal weight.
  
• The very obese children were even more likely to show elevated levels.
  

Very little is known about CRP levels in children, but Dr. Ashley Skinner, author of the study, believes that elevated levels are probably a predictor of heart disease in adulthood.

"It's really important to be concerned about childhood obesity and to even be concerned when they are quite young," she said." We can't wait until they are adolescents or adults."

Labels: toddlers, heart_disease, infant

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Gerber is possibly the most trusted name in baby food. But the company has been criticized by a Canadian group because of the high amounts of sodium in some of the meals it markets for toddlers.

A Feb. 3 Canadian Press article provided the following details:

The Canadian Stroke Network and the Advanced Foods & Materials Network chose Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees because the product line's Chicken & Pasta Wheel Pickups dinner contains 550 mg of sodium -- more than half a toddler's adequate daily intake of 1,000 mg.

The organizations say the amount of sodium in the prepared food is equivalent to that contained in two medium orders of McDonald's french fries. McDonald's Canada website says a medium order of fries contains 270 mg of sodium.

Yet labelling on the Gerber Graduates meal says it is "appropriate for children one year or older" and is "specially made for toddlers."

"There is a concern that eating too much sodium in childhood can lead to a preference for salty foods and, consequently, an increased risk of disease as an adult," said Dr. Kevin Willis, who leads efforts by the Canadian Stroke Network to raise awareness of the dangers of excessive sodium intake.

Labels: diet, nutrition, toddlers, sodium

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A study that was conducted at the University of Calgary suggests that the foods we eat as babies and toddlers may influence whether we become fat as adults.

Dr. Raylene Reimer put rats who had been newly weaned from their mothers on one of three diets: high fiber, high protein, or a control diet.

• When the rats became adults, Dr. Reimer fed them all high fat, high sugar diets.
• The ones who had eaten the high protein diet gained the most weight the most rapidly.
• The ones on the high fiber diet put on the least amount of weight.

"The composition of early childhood diet may have a direct impact on genes that control metabolism and obesity risk," Dr. Reimer wrote in her report, which was published in the Journal of Physiology. "The study clearly indicates that diet composition alone can change the trajectory of circulating satiety hormones and metabolic pathways that influence how we gain weight or control blood sugar as adults."

Labels: toddlers, healthy_eating, babies

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A study conducted by nutritionists at a hospital in Australia found that factors contributing to obesity are present in young children's lives long before they begin attending school. The study reviewed nutritional information for kids ages four to six in 18 different schools.

"Just over half of the children had junk food, including fried potato products, cakes, sweet biscuits and soft drinks, more than twice a day. About 40 percent of children were eating only one daily serving of vegetables, compared to the recommended four servings."

Fiona McKenzie-Lewis, a nutritionist, said the survey highlights just how important it is for parents to monitor their kids' eating habits at very early ages. Source: ABC News (Australia)

Labels: toddlers, parents, junk_food

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The fight against childhood obesity typically focuses on kids that are kindergarten-age or older. But pediatricians warn that they're seeing more and more overweight toddlers.

"Program directors at a weight management program in Boston say they've never seen so many young children before... In fact, obesity rates among children younger than 5 have doubled over the last two decades."

Pediatricians are telling parents that it's never too early to begin managing a child's weight. Source: WXOW19 (La Crosse, WI)

Labels: toddlers, pediatricians, younger-children

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