What Are We Feeding Our Children?
By Shanais Pelka
Did you know that what your child eats now can have a profound impact on his or her future health? Nutrition is listed by the CDC as being the second-most important factor, following tobacco exposure, in preventing chronic disease (CDC 2002).
The typical Western diet consists of refined sugar, processed carbohydrates and altered fats, not to mention additives, preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. What’s incredibly astonishing is that today in America, the average man, woman and child consumes 100 lbs of sugar every year (enotes.com). This equals just under 1 teaspoon of sugar every hour of every day, even through the night.
Consequences of the Standard American Diet (SAD) include obesity, decreased immune function, ADD and ADHD, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), diabetes, tooth decay, and various autoimmune diseases. The most noticeable of these consequences is obesity. Over the past 20 years, the amount of overweight children has tripled, now reaching 127 million (body1.com).
What should our children eat? Your child needs a balanced diet consisting of the proper amount of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, good fats and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
There is much confusion regarding carbohydrates and fats. Following is information concerning the right types of carbohydrates and fats to include in your child’s diet.
Carbohydrates—Your child’s diet should consist of 50-60% carbohydrate-rich food. Carbohydrates are important because they are the main source of energy for humans. Children need 2-3 times as much energy, per unit of body weight, as adults, which makes this food group extremely important.
It is essential to remember that not all carbohydrates are created equally!
Complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, whole grains, vegetables and legumes are the most important. These provide a consistent blood sugar level and thus will sustain energy. Refined white flour products will cause a more rapid rise in blood sugar, followed by a rapid rise in insulin levels. This will be followed by a sugar low, low energy, and often times behavior problems.
Simple carbohydrates (found in table sugar, fruit, honey, syrup or milk products) will also cause the blood glucose levels to rapidly rise and fall, thus creating weight gain, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), behavior problems, low immune system and low energy.
Fruits are composed primarily of simple sugars. It is important to remember, however, that in their whole form, they also contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and fiber, and are therefore very important. Fruits will not create the same sustained energy level as complex carbohydrates, and therefore it is best to limit fruits to 3 servings per day.
Fats—Your child’s diet should be composed of 20-30% fat. Fat is the most concentrated form of energy for the body, however, like carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal!
There are different types of fats…saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Saturated fats are commonly found in animal products. Butter, lard, meat, dairy, coconut and non-free-range commercial eggs are examples. Saturated fats, such as butter and coconut, are great for cooking, however, saturated fats should consist of no more than 10% of your child’s fat intake. High amounts of saturated fats have been linked to cardiovascular disease, strokes, learning disabilities and insulin resistance.
Monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil. Other sources of monounsaturated fats are peanuts, almonds, avocados, cashews and macadamia nuts. Monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (post-gazette.com) and are an essential part of your child’s daily diet.
Polyunsaturated fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, are also known as essential fatty acids because they can not be made by the body and therefore must be supplied by your child’s diet.
Omega-6 fatty acids are found in sunflower, safflower, sesame, walnut and flax. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in flax, hemp seed, walnuts, micro-algae, and in cold-water fish (i.e. salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring). FREE-RANGE ORGANIC eggs, poultry and meats may also contain the essential fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids can have favorable effects on the immune system, cardiovascular system, blood pressure, cholesterol, metabolism and inflammation. These fatty acids are necessary for proper formation and continued health of your child’s central nervous system. They make up the cell membrane of every cell in our body.
A deficiency of the fatty acids can cause impaired ability to learn and recall information and can lead to moodiness and behavior problems. Deficiency has even been linked to ADD and ADHD.
Note—please stay away from all hydrogenated (chemically altered) fats. Our bodies are not equipped to handle the unnatural fats. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats lurk everywhere. They are found in margarine, shortening, many crackers, breads, cereals, bread crumbs, commercial peanut butter, and the list goes on!
These altered fats are found to increase total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol while decreasing HDL (good) cholesterol. They interfere with the liver’s detoxification system, and are linked with learning and digestive disturbances. These fats increase inflammation and may even cause cancer!
*Do not be afraid to feed your child fats. Good fats will raise one’s metabolism and increase health!!!!
It is important to remember that good dietary habits should be established as early as possible.
If you are ready to make the change, please allow your child time to try new tastes and textures. Doing it all at once will only be frustrating for everyone! Begin slowly and have patience. Just the smallest possible change, such as switching from commercial peanut butter to organic unsweetened peanut butter, is a step in the right direction!
I’d like to leave you with one last thought written by a well-respected author:
“Degenerative diseases are not genetic but acquired. Because the systems of the human body are interconnected and because one imbalance creates another imbalance, poor eating and lifestyle habits, are the major cause of degenerative disease.” (Schwarzein)