Kids & Obesity

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Harvard Medical School is asking doctors to recommend that youngsters eat old-fashioned family dinners at home to prevent obesity and curb risky habits. “Doctors should encourage teens to limit their intake of food prepared away from home and eat family dinners together,” said Dr. Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist who led the research. Home is simply healthier, she said. The prime benefit is “improved diet quality.”

“At-home dinners have also been found to reduce high-risk adolescent behavior such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use,” said Dr. Taveras, categorizing the family dinner as “protective.” Other research supports such findings. A Columbia University study of teen lifestyles last year, for example, found that among teenagers who almost never broke bread with their families, 72 percent were more likely to use illegal drugs, smoke and drink alcohol. The Harvard researchers tracked the food choices, weight, physical activities and social habits of 14,355 children, ages 9 to 14, from all 50 states.

Fast food was a major factor in their lives; up to four times a week. The number of heavy feeders—those putting away up to seven servings of fried food outside home per week—has more than doubled among teens in the past three years.

Dr. Taveras suggests that a nutritional reality check for both children and parents is in order, deeming it a “public-health strategy.” Co-author Dr. Matthew Gillman agrees.

“In today’s fast-food environment, it’s a challenge for teenagers and their families to eat what’s nutritious and healthful,” he said. But it’s doable, particularly as McDonalds, Burger King and other restaurant chains tweak their menus to include lighter fare. Ignore fried stuff and go for “modest portions of grilled chicken or fish, a salad, some fruit,” Dr. Gillman said. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advocating another old-fashioned idea for children to counter obesity and prevent heart disease, diabetes and other ills—walking to school. In 1969, half the nation’s youth walked or biked to school, compared with 15 percent today, according to a CDC report released last week.

And no wonder: The report found that 61 percent of America’s parents said distance was the worst barrier to walking to school; among other obstacles, 30 percent cited traffic, 19 percent weather, 12 percent crime and six percent “school policy.”

The transportation bill that Congress passed earlier this year, however, has a surprise tucked away for parents and children alike. The bill set aside $612 million for a “Safe Routes to School” initiative— adding sidewalks, boosting traffic enforcement and starting a program that buses children to one mile from school. Accompanied by two adults, the children walk the rest of the way. It is, the initiative explained, “a walking school bus.”

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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