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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, May 20 2008, 06:50 AM
With more teens getting less physical education in school, eating fewer balanced meals at home, and spending more time on the computer, anything they can do to keep off a few pounds can help.
A good breakfast can do just that….
Lean Teens Eat Breakfast
Among teenagers, eating breakfast helped adolescents weigh less, exercise more and overall have a much healthier diet than their non-breakfast eating peers, according to researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
The researchers followed over 2,000 teenagers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and tracked their weight, eating patterns and other lifestyle habits for five years. The article, which was published in the journal of Pediatrics in March of 2008, stated that the teenagers were just under 15 year of age at the start of the study.
Studies have indicated that breakfast eating declines during adolescence. Some data reveals that only 14% of 12-19 year olds consistently eat breakfast. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between eating breakfast and weight change within a five year period in an adolescent population.
The findings revealed that children who ate breakfast regularly were more healthy overall. In addition, breakfast eaters in this study had a lower body mass index (BMI), according to the authors. BMI measures weight relative to height. The higher the BMI, the more overweight a person is. Teenagers in the study who consistently skipped breakfast weighed on average about 5 pounds more compared to teenagers who included breakfast in their everyday routine.
In this study, although breakfast eaters consumed a greater amount of energy, carbohydrates, and fiber, they consumed lower percentages of total calories from saturated fat. This dietary intake has been shown to improve energy balance and weight control since fiber rich foods (foods most consumed at breakfast) contributeto better glucose and insulin control which leads to an increased satiety and ultimately lower body weight.
This study supports the importance of consistent breakfast consumption in improving overall dietary intake, contributing to healthy weights and promoting a healthy lifestyle in youth. As the rates of breakfast consumption declines throughout the teenage years and early adulthood, the impact of consistent breakfast consumption may be an important indicator of an overall healthful lifestyle pattern in adolescents. Furthermore, thefact that regular consumption of breakfast is associated with a healthier weight and less weight change over time, may serve as an important message to teenagers who are engaging in unhealthy dietary behaviors, such as skipping breakfast, in their effort to lose weight. Educational efforts should focus on the importance of breakfast whether it is consumed at home or at school. In addition, education that promotes healthful breakfast (whole grain cereals, fruits, low fat milk) is important since diets that include nutrient and fiber rich food have been shown to have a positive effect on weight and disease reduction.
This is an excerpt from The Breakfast Scoop, Vol. 1, No. 3, an electronic newsletter covering issues related to breakfast and school breakfast programs. It is made possible by a partnership of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instructionand the University of Wisconsin-Extension Wisconsin Breakfast Newsletter Website http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/food/schoolbreakfast/newsletter.cfm
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jan 14 2008, 06:15 AM
Back in November I blogged about the study that was done regarding children who aren't getting enough sleep are more prone to gaining weight. While I can't disregard a study...I did not totally agree with it. I think kids need to get some exercise rather than sitting at the computer and they need to eat some old-fashioned balanced meals instead of fast food or processed foods.
Meanwhile, there are many theories flying around about why children are overweight. One survey found that many parents don't believe their children are overweight , or if they are overweight, they believe their child will outgrow the weight problem. Parent's are in denial. Then there's this, in a must read article, Fat kids, silent parents by Amy Benfer,
"A variety of factors have contributed to the country's ballooning weight -- poverty, inactivity, poor nutritional education, lard-rich fast food. A disproportionate number of overweight children continue to come from lower-income families. But as issues of obesity invade middle-class homes, parents who are versed in the four basic food groups and have the money to provide healthy meals are tongue-tied by a new conundrum: Having done their perfect-parent best to protect their children, in particular their daughters, from the dangers of eating disorders and self-loathing, they have ended up with a generation of fat children (not to mention adults) who now need to lose weight. But as they prepare themselves to finally confront their children about their weight, they find themselves bound and gagged -- deprived by the experts of appropriate language for the task".
Benfer goes on about overweight children, again highlighting girls,
"No one wants children to grow up feeling bad about themselves. But silence about weight isn't helping children or parents. The actual formula for anyone who is trying to maintain a healthy weight is ridiculously low-tech: Eat less, exercise more. But in order to be in a position to offer this simple solution, we need to stop encouraging girls to pursue an unrealistic body weight in the name of beauty, so that we can encourage them to maintain a realistic weight in the name of health."
Another concept of why children are overweight is not a new one. The absence of a parent at home, specifically "mom," is thought to be the reason behind the overweight child. Mom is less able to supervise outdoor play or has less time to cook and therefore buys more fast food. Unfortunately for working mothers who are already struck by guilt, the effects are pretty substantial.
From Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity
Patricia Anderson, Kristin Butcher, and Phillip Levine
Economic Research Service/USDA
"Childhood overweight may be one of the most significant health issues facing American children today. In the 1963 to 1970 period, 4 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 were defined as overweight; that level had more than tripled by 1999, reaching 13 percent. The rise in women working outside the home coincides with the rise in childhood weight problems.From 1970 to 1999, the fraction of married women with children under 6 who participate in the labor force doubled, rising from 30 to 62 percent, while those with children ages 6 to 17 rose dramatically from 49 to77 percent. However, time series evidence is not sufficient to imply that these trends are related. This study explores whether the rise observed in both maternal employment and childhood overweight represents a causal relationship between these two phenomena."
We can go on, and on seeking, blaming, trying to find the right answer as to "why" more children are obese.
In my opinion the common factor here seems to be the word "parent."
While it is the child putting that food in his or her mouth, it is the parent's responsibility to make sure the child is getting the proper nutrition. Cook the balanced meal for dinner - Possibly eat it while sitting with the whole family talking about how the day went.
It is the parent who buys the food that is in the home and needs to educate the child, from the time the child eats solid food, what constitutes a healthy snack. You don't need to stock up on junk foods.
It is the parent who needs to monitor what foods are being served at school in the school lunch programs or what your child brings to school in his or her bag lunch.
It is the parent who needs to encourage and participate with the child in activities and exercise at home, after school and in the evening, to discourage sitting around watching television and spending time on games and the computer.
Oh, that's right....
You're rushed.
You don't have time.....
Ask yourself what's really more important?
Getting your child or yourself to the next activity?
Or getting your child to adulthood not obese. Not unhealthy....
Are working moms to blame for fat kids? Maybe....
It seems to me it's a family problem.
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