Weight Loss and Good Health Doesn't Come in a Pill

When it comes to weight loss and good health, everyone is looking for the quick fixthe magic pill.  If such a thing existed, someone would be incredibly wealthy and obesity would no longer be an issue. 

Want more proof that weight loss and good health doesn’t come in a magic pill? With most drugs, they treat the symptoms, not the cause.  According to scientists, anti-obesity drugs are unlikely to provide long lasting benefit.  Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain.

Anti-obesity drug developers focus primarily on weight loss as their end goal, and do not take into consideration the motivational and behavioural factors that most commonly cause obesity. Obesity typically results from eating too much food combined with too sedentary a lifestyle. However, obese people may also have a complicated psychological relationship with food that makes it difficult for them to control their appetite sufficiently to manage their weight.

An anti-obesity drug cannot replace the health benefits of exercise.  An anti-obesity drug cannot teach you how to make better food choices.  An anti-obesity drug isn’t going to help ease the underlying causes of emotional eating. 

Anti-obesity drugs can work in different ways; for example, by suppressing appetite, altering metabolism or inhibiting the absorption of calories. There have, however, been serious concerns over the safety of the most commonly prescribed drugs, leading to the recent withdrawal of the European market leaders Sibutramine (Reductil, Meridia) and Rimonabant (Accomplia).

When patients are prescribed anti-obesity drugs, are the doctors referring them to a nutritionist to become more educated about food and caloric intake?  Probably not.  Are these patients being referred to fitness professionals to get a structured exercise program to help them burn calories and improve their health?  I think not.  Natural Health solutions are probably not discussed with an overweight patient prior to prescribing them an anti-obesity drug. 

In most cases, obesity and weight gain is due to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.  Then there are the psychological aspects towards eating such as emotional eating which can be addressed through therapy or hypnosis.  There is also what Dr. Brian Wansink, Ph.D refers to as “Mindless Eating” and talks about this a great length in his book, Mindless Eating.  And lastly, yes, there are some people who suffer from metabolic disorder. 

The key to weight loss and good health is so basic and simple for most people via good nutritional habits and exercise.  Calories in vs. calories out.  End of story.  We all know we need to do this in order to lose weight and become healthier yet, people tend to make this much more complicated than it needs to be.  Yes, weight loss will take time, and no, it’s not going to happen overnight.  Too many people find it difficult to be consistent and committed towards changing lifelong bad habits into lifelong good habits and give up too quickly and easily.  The rest of it lies within the subconscious mind and that’s where therapy or hypnosis can help. I have discussed this aspect in my article Struggling With Weight? You May be Getting In Your Way.  Being more mindful of what you are eating and how much you are eating can help get you more in control of consuming excess calories.

I’m not saying that anti-obesity drugs don’t have their place.  They do, provided the causes of obesity are addressed and not just treating the effect.

Reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100316112448.htm

Let The Revolution Begin!

A revolution has begun amongst those of us who are health and fitness advocates, and celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver is leading the way with his new ABC Show called “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”. 

Admittedly, I don’t watch television.  However, I do feel that this is quality television that is worth my time and everyone else’s time to be watching. For those of you who have been asleep about the obesity epidemic amongst adults and children, this show certainly is a wake up call to our nation.

The premiere episode takes place in Huntington, WV, which is reported to be the unhealthiest city in America.  Jamie is on a mission to help educate the town about how their poor lifestyle choices are affecting the town’s health, and the importance of eating a healthy diet and how to prepare healthy meals.

The Revolution is met with resistance

Jamie is not received very well in the town.  In fact, he is met with a lot of resistance; basically viewing him as if he were their enemy.  It’s so sad to see a town that already knows that their poor lifestyle habits have placed them on the map as “the unhealthiest city in America” have this kind of reaction.  I couldn’t help but ask myself why are these people so reluctant to change and improve their health?  Why do they look at Jamie Oliver as their enemy?  Why are they being so resistant? 

Hate to say this, but Huntington, WV is just like any other city in America.  People are resistant to change.  It’s hard and it takes work.  People know they shouldn’t be eating the junk they eat and yet continue doing so despite any current health problems or health risks.

Jamie, who has an abundance of resources at his disposal, certainly is fighting an uphill battle with the people of Huntington.  Watching the walls and red tape that he encounters and his charge to lead the way to overcome those obstacles is inspiring to someone like me who is trying to help spread the same message.   

The Edwards Family

One subject that the show touches on, but not in much depth is child obesity.  Jamie befriends The Edwards Family and meets their teenage son, Justin.  Justin and Jamie bond immediately as Justin sees Jamie as someone who can help him and wants help.  Justin confides to Jamie that he’s tired of being heavy and bullied by the other kids at school about his weight.  If you watch closely enough to the episode, it is very clear that overweight kids know they are overweight and desperately want help.  They want to learn how to improve their health and lose weight. 

Jamie shows the Edwards family just how unhealthy the foods they eat are.  The mother of the family, Stacie Edwards, becomes tearful and emotional when she becomes aware that what she is feeding her family has no nutritional value and that she is putting their health and their future at risk.  Jamie buys them a week’s worth of healthy groceries, teaches them how to cook and provides them with healthy recipies they can cook.  Unfortunately, when Jamie returns to visit the family a week later, he is suspicious that they went back to their unhealthy eating habits.

School Lunches

The school nutritional regulations are atrocious and make no sense.  The schools feed the kids the most unhealthy, processed foods.  Making the switch over to feeding the children more healthy and nutritious meals shockingly doesn’t meet school nutritional guidelines.  The red tape and regulations are killing our kids.  The sad truth is that for many kids, the only meal they get is their school lunch.  I guess that explains why kids will eat something they know is gross and bad for them, simply because they are hungry.

Getting kids to eat healthier is not impossible, however, as Jamie experienced, you really need to get the parents and schools on the same page about nutrition as ultimately, we are the ones feeding our children and teaching them about foods, nutrition and health.

Visit Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution site and join the revolution! http://www.jamieoliver.com/

To get an idea of what kids are being fed in schools, check out this clip from the show.

Red Light, Green Light Eat Right FitTalk Interview

FitTalk Interview with

Author,  Dr. Joanna Dolgoff M.D.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right - The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids

www.drdolgoff.com

Click here to listen to Show Podcast

As any parent knows, getting your kids the right foods in the right portions can be a challenge.  More than 18 million American children are at risk for developing obesity-related diseases. 

To help give our kids the tools they need for a healthy future, pediatrician, Dr. Joanna Dolgoff created Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, a safe, effective plan for the whole family that uses the colors of the traffic light to divide food into three categories.  This program is customizable, interactive, and fun and will help your family lose weight and start living a healthier, together!

Dr. Dolgoff appears frequently on national and local media as a childhood obesity expert.  She is also a contributor to The Huffington Post.

She is the creator and founder of Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh (www.drweigh.com). She attended Princeton University and graduated cum laude with a degree in molecular biology. She was elected to the Sigma Chi International Research Honor Society based on her research done at Princeton. Dr. Dolgoff earned her Reebok fitness instructor certification during this time and taught fitness classes at Princeton University and at various gyms in the Princeton area. Dr. Dolgoff continued her education at NYU School of Medicine, earning the award for Outstanding Student in Pediatrics and serving as president of the NYU Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society. She also founded and ran the NYU School of Medicine Step Aerobics fitness program and taught at Synergy fitness clubs in Manhattan. Dr. Dolgoff completed her pediatric residency at Columbia Presbyterian Children’s Hospital of New York. She has previously worked as a private practice pediatrician, helping many children reach their weight loss goals. She is a board certified fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most importantly, she is a proud mother of two children, ages 7 and 4. She and her husband live in Roslyn, New York.

The Child Obesity Epidemic

As we know, child obesity is an epidemic.  A recent study showed that Most Parents Don't Realize Their 4 Or 5-Year-Olds Are Overweight or Obese, and as you state in your book, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, think that “baby fat” will melt away as their kids get older.  This is a serious misconception parents have about their children.  Our idea of what a child should look like is so skewed, that over 70% of parents of overweight and obese children think that their children are either normal weight or underweight.  The problem with this misconception is that parents are not seeking treatment for their children because they don’t think there’s a problem, so to they’re not trying to get their kids healthier by eating better and encouraging them to exercise.

The emotional side of obesity

Overweight and obese teens and children carry around more than just excess weight. They also carry some oversized emotional and physical worries.  Emotions start with shame, loneliness and embarrassment.  Kids feel awful.  They tend not to have many friends and there’s a much more risk of depression in an overweight or obese child.  The emotional aspects these kids have get carried on into adulthood. 

Acanthosis Nigricians – An early warning detector

Dr. Dolgoff points out something very interesting in her book, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right that most parents, teachers and care givers may not know about called acanthosis nigricians.  And yes, that is quite a mouth full.  Acanthosis nigricians is a thickening and darkening of the skin in the back of the neck that looks almost like a velvety textured pigmentation in the back of the neck.  It’s a sign of pre-diabetes.  Very few parents know about this and very rarely do pediatricians diagnosis this.  This is the first thing Dr. Dolgoff looks for and she sees this 2-3 times a day in her office.  Children who have this are at a much higher risk for the development of diabetes.  To check your child, look by the hairline at the back of the neck. 

When it comes to nutrition, children are not mini adults

In an effort to help their child lose weight, some parents may put their children on a popular adult diet not realizing that the dietary needs of children are different from adults which can be dangerous.  Children have different nutritional and caloric needs throughout the various stages of development.  The nutritional needs of a six year old are different from the nutritional needs of a nine year old and so on.  When you put a child on an adult diet, you’re not giving them any of the nutrients they actually need.  Children on adult diets can have vitamin deficiencies.  Their growth can be impacted if they are not getting enough calories or nutrients. They’re not going to grow and they are not going to develop normally. 

All of these adult fad diets are unsafe for children, especially the low carb/high protein diets.  Kids need carbohydrates for energy and development.  Not only are these diets not safe for children, they are also ineffective.  Children on low carb diets will cheat.  They binge on carbs behind their parent’s back.  What will happen is that the child will feel like they are failing.  They tried a diet; they failed and will be more reluctant to try something that will help them.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right takes into account the child’s age and gender.  You can’t put kids on a one size fits all diet.  They backfire.

Your child knows he/she is overweight - Don’t ignore your child’s weight

As a parent, you know that excess weight creates serious health and social obstacles for your child. You want to help, but you don’t know how. You don’t want to ignore that your child is overweight.  Overweight kids know they are overweight.  If you are not talking about it, chances are the kids on the playground are talking about it. 

Not talking about it with your children can make them feel shameful, thinking you are ashamed of them for not saying anything about it.  “I know I’m overweight, but mom doesn’t say anything about it.  She must be embarrassed.”  These are the kids that turn to unsafe measures to lose weight.  Those are the kids who are bingeing, purging and starving themselves. 

Studies show that if you treat an overweight child in a sensitive manner, you actually decrease the risk of them developing a disorder.  Don’t be afraid to talk to your child about weight.  However, you do want to make sure you are sensitive when you are having that conversation.

Talking to your child about weight

When you talk to your child about his or her weight, you do want to incorporate the word “we”.  “We” need to eat as healthy as possible.  Everyone is in it together.  I think “we” need to eat better.  I think “we” need to make healthier choices so that “we” can be healthier.  We need to make some changes to get healthier as a family.

With this approach, you’re including yourself in it.  You’re not accusing your child of anything, not making them feel like they’re being singled out, and you’re making it about health, not looks.  What you do want to do is pick a time that’s not around food. You don’t want to have this conversation over the dinner table. 

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right is a program Dr. Dolgoff created that teaches kids of all ages how to make healthy choices and keep the weight off using a color system that not only makes it fun, but is very simple for kids to understand.  Green light foods are the healthiest, yellow light foods are moderately healthy, and red light foods are the least healthy foods.  Depending on your child’s age, gender and weight loss goals, you pick a certain number of green light foods for your child to eat at certain meals and snacks.  Kids should have three meals and two snacks per day. 

They get two red light foods to use each week as they want so there are no foods that are off limits and there’s no deprivation.  Kids can go to a birthday party and eat pizza or cake and then make healthier choices during the week. 

If you want a yellow food, all you do is give up two green light servings.  There are no counting calories and Dr. Dolgoff’s program has a 90% success rate.

The most important meal of the day

Breakfast is without a doubt the most important meal of the day.  Most adults skip breakfast and kids tend to skip it as well or if they do have breakfast, it’s not one that’ll properly fuel them.  Studies show, children who eat breakfast perform better in school, have more energy and do better in sports.  You want to make sure you give your child protein and fiber to keep them full and you can quickly and easily feed your child a nutritious breakfast.

Not sure what to feed your children for breakfast?  No worries.  Dr. Dolgoff has some fun and simple breakfast ideas in her program.  A Dr. Dolgoff favorite is a Banana Dog which is simply 1 whole wheat hot dog roll, 1 tablespoon peanut butter spread on the bun, a banana, and 2 teaspoons sugar-free jelly on the banana.  Total prep time: 3 minutes

What about snacks?

Snacking has been a big issue for both parents and children.  Most of the time, snacks are shunned upon simply because they’re usually not healthy and parents think snacking will ruin their child’s appetite for lunch or dinner.  There is so much misinformation out there when it comes to children and snacking.

We need to eat every 3-4 hours to keep our metabolism up and keep our energy going.  Dr. Dolgoff tells her patients and their parents to think of your metabolism like a fire.  If you want to keep your fire burning strong all day, you have to put wood on your fire every so often. If you go too long without putting wood on your fire, your fire will go out.  Snacks help keep your fire burning, however, a snack should not be junk food.  Every meal and every snack should contain a little protein and fiber to help keep you full and going strong.

The Chicken Nugget Diet

Changing a child’s eating habits by introducing new foods to them can be frustrating and many children tend to be very fussy eaters and many parents believe that getting their kids to eat better is an uphill battle.  What is a parent to do with a child who is a fussy eater?

According to Dr. Dolgoff, many overweight kids started out as picky toddler eaters, having things like just chicken nuggets.  You need to imagine your child eating just that, every day for the rest of his or her life.  Don’t get your child started on bad habits because you think they are under weight and want them to eat something, no matter how bad it may be.  95% of the time, parents who think their kids are under weight are not under weight.  They may be thin, but they’re not under weight and there’s a big difference.  You don’t want to do the Chicken Nugget Diet for your child.  It’s one of the worst habits.

Dr. Dolgoff’s Two Bite Rule

Taste is a learned process.  If we are giving our children sugary foods, we’re not giving their taste buds a chance to develop a taste for more sophisticated foods.  You have to keep giving your kids the same foods.  Sometimes it will take 15-20 times of trying a food before a child will accept it.  Keep having them try the food even if your child hates it.  Have them take just two bites.  If they won’t eat anymore, that’s fine but stick to the two bite rule so that you’re training the taste buds to accept more tastes.

It’s a sweet and sugary world

We all know, the number one issue in most diets for children as well as adults is sugar and this causes a lot of confusion.  There are many different varieties of sugar.  High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is getting a lot of attention.  HFCS is another version of sugar.  The problem is that the food we feed our children has way too much sugar.  If you have an overweight child, we do know that sugar is the enemy which leads to weight gain and medical problems.   Dr. Dolgoff recommends artificial sweeteners over sugar.  According to the FDA, artificial sweeteners are perfectly safe for children in moderation.  Rather than give your child a lemonade loaded with sugar, you’re better off giving your child a Crystal Lite Lemonade.  Obviously water would be a better choice, but kids don’t want to drink water all the time.  In this case, artificial sweeteners are okay in moderation.

Dinner Dilemma

It’s dinner time.  Many people are pressed for time and on occasion, you may find yourself working later than expected or having to run your kids to an after school activity which can end late.  Many parents will say that they don’t have time to prepare dinner for the family or are too tired and end up ordering take out food.  What is a parent to do?  If you do find yourself in a restaurant, special order your meals. Most restaurants will accommodate you.  Order meals as plain as possible, meaning all sauces on the side.

To help reduce this type of situation, you can pre-plan meals so that you don’t have to end up at fast food places all the time.  On the weekends think about the meals you’re going to make during the week.  Go to the supermarket and get all the ingredients for all planned meals.  If you have recipes that call for chopped peppers, chop them up in advance and store them a baggie so that when you’re ready to make it on Tuesday night, you don’t have to start washing and chopping peppers.  When you plan and prepare, it’s easier to make healthy dinners.  Plan and prepare on weekends and you’ll find you won’t be running out to dinners as often.  Not only will this help improve your family’s waistline, it will also help you save money.

Do get your kids involved

Kids want to be involved.  Dr. Dolgoff suggests you sit down with them on the weekend and have them help plan meals; this way there’s no arguing because they are helping to plan the meals they like.  Be sure to offer only healthy options and let them choose ─ children like choices; however, you decide what they are choosing from.

Let your child help make the meals which gets the child further involved, teaches them how to cook and is great parent/child bonding.

Bring your kids to the supermarket and let them get involved in all aspects of healthier eating and you’ll have a much easier time. Have your child pick the vegetable of the week.  You can say to your child, “you pick the vegetable of the week, so this is going to be your special vegetable.”  When you are making the vegetable, you can tell your child, “I’m making your special vegetable.”  The child will be so much more likely to eat their vegetables if you approach it this way and they will be excited about it.

Life Happens

Life Happens.  Most kids don’t want to draw attention to the fact that they’re on a diet and not feel like they’re part of the group.  Seems like birthday parties are constant, social meals out on the town with friends and then you have holidays.  How do you help your child handle these situations? Well no worries, on this.  Dr. Dolgoff has the solution. 

Each child gets two red light foods per week.  If you know your child is going to a birthday or holiday party, save the red light foods for that day.  Tell your kids don’t a red light food when they’re home alone or when they’re just with their parents.  Save your red light foods for a time when they’re being social and that is when they can eat a cup cake and be one of the group.  If you’ve run out of red light foods and something unexpected happens, have a bite of something and say you’re not hungry rather than saying I’m on a diet; or you can say I don’t really like that kind of cookie even if you do.  These are coping strategies your kids can use after they’ve used up their red light foods.

If you have a teenager, you know that your child will be going out to restaurants with their friends and the best way to handle this is by planning ahead.  Teenagers and adults tend to frequent at least 5 places.  If you have a favorite Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Sushi or Diner, that you end up at, think of a healthy meal at each place so that you don’t have to know where you are going; you already know what the healthiest choices are at each place so you don’t have to worry about it while you are with your friends.  What you are doing is walking yourself through the situation mentally in advance on how you are going to handle the situation which can really make a big difference.

Fitness is for kids

Fitness is for children and it can be fun.  Take your child’s age and personality into account when planning activities.  If your child is very social, a group fitness activity with other kids may be fun.  If your child is more artistic, perhaps your child will enjoy dance or yoga.  Match fitness to your child’s personality.  You don’t necessarily have to put your child on a treadmill.  There are so many other ways to get your child moving. 

WiiFit is a great fun way to get your child moving.  State parks or local parks are great for running, walking, biking and you can do this as a family.  Tell your kids we’re going for fun in the park.  Present fitness as fun.  You want to build enthusiasm and excitement when you talk about an activity.

Getting with the Program

Dr. Dolgoff can work with anyone, anywhere through her on line program, http://www.drdolgoff.com.  Once you sign up and enter your information, it will come up with a program for you to follow and the price is very reasonable.  The program contains a complete data base of foods, tons of recopies, sample meals, nutrition lessons and a forum to connect with others who are doing the program.  This is great for your kids as they can make friends with other kids doing the program and it helps them feel like they’re not the only one doing this.

Dr. Dolgoff’s take home message

The most important aspect of helping an overweight/obese child is not to ignore the issue.  If your kids are overweight, kids do not grow out of baby fat.  You decrease the risk of an eating disorder when you address the issue in a sensitive way and you give your children the tools they need to make healthy changes on their own.

For a truly inspiring story, Dr. Dolgoff and her patient, Tiffany Fellus has lost 30 pounds since last June were recently featured on the local New York Fox affiliate.  http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/beating-childhood-obesity-20100325

Conacting Dr. Dolgoff

Website:  http://www.drdolgoff.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/joannadolgoffmd

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DrDolgoff

Order Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (VIDEO): First Graders Can't Identify Fruits, Veggies

Jamie Oliver walks into a first grade classroom, up to a table display that is draped with a sheet. As he pulls the sheet up to reveal piles of fruits and vegetables underneath, you can hear gasps of horror ripple through the classroom.


This image sets the scene for his newest series, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution , in which the celebrity chef (of The Naked Chef fame) aims to subvert America's ingrained eating habits. He starts out in Huntington, West Virginia, which has been called the unhealthiest city in America, hoping for a food revolution there that will create a chain reaction across the nation.


Oliver tests the waters with the first graders by seeing how well they know their fruits and vegetables. "Who knows what this is?" Oliver asks, holding up a bunch of tomatoes.


WATCH to see how they fare:





Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution premieres on Friday, March 26, on ABC.


This clip certainly demonstrates just how nutritionally uneducated we are.  It's sad that many parents do not have access to feed their children healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables and many children have never seen a fresh fruit or vegetable.  Michelle Obama made reference to Food Deserts in her Let's Move Campaign. 


More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts.


Ask yourself, can your child identify a group of tomatoes if he/she saw one?  Although I don't have children, I know I will be watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution series with great interest.


Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/26/jamie-olivers-food-revolu_n_478824.html

Strong Kids Healthy Kids with Fredrick Hahn

 Listen to my Blog Talk Radio Interview with Fred Hahn on FitTalk




Fredrick Hahn
Strong Kids, Healthy Kids 
Serious Strength.com
During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing more than four-fold among children ages 6 to 11. Today, nearly a third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s more than 23 million kids and teenagers. 

If we don’t act to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic, we’re in danger of raising the first generation of children who may live sicker and die younger than the generation before them. Preventing obesity during childhood is critical, because habits that last into adulthood frequently are formed during youth. Research shows that an obese older teenager has up to an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.

This is a topic I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while, and I had the pleasure of having Fredrick Hahn, author of the best selling book, Strong Kids, Healthy Kids on my FitTalk show. 

Fred Hahn shatters the current ideas behind the child obesity epidemic and offers a simple and powerful solution to make your child strong, more athletic, healthy, lean and powerful. Fred has been a professional trainer for over two decades and is certified by the American Council on Exercise. He is the founder and head of the renowned personal training studio Serious Strength, Inc. and has been working with kids in his Mighty Tykes and Teens Program for the past seven years. He has been interviewed by Dr. Mehmet OZ and Bob Greene on Oprah and Friends, The Today Show, CNN, WABC-TV, and featured in Allure, Family Circle, Woman’s World and Time Out New York just to name a scant few. He blogs for the Huffington Post and is a featured contributor to the Nutrition and Metabolism Society.

Inactivity isn't the cluprit

The information being given about child obesity isn't scientifically sound.  The common idea that adolescent obesity is caused by eating too much fat and being sedentary is false.  Fred explained that it's not a lack of activity.  Often, TV, video games and such are blamed for the problem, but we don't blame reading books, practicing musical instruments, and building toy models.  We've latched on to a concept that is faulty because it sounds as if its true, when science and research tell us it's not.

"Overfat" children aren't overfat because they are inactive.  Research shows that overfat children are just as active as their leaner counterparts.

Fred uses the term "overfat" rather than "obese" when talking about overweight children.  This means that the child has too much body fat for his/her body size.

So what's really causing obesity?
One of the biggest contributors to child obesity is diet.  The biggest problem is that children, as well as adults, are consuming more sugar than ever and aren’t aware of the amount of hidden sugars they are getting in their diet.  

What really matters is not necessarily how many calories a child eats, (although to some degree it does matter), but the TYPES of calories your child is eating.  According to Fred, children are eating too many carbohydrates which increases the total blood sugar in your body.  If you have too much blood sugar in your body, then the body has to secrete a large amount of insulin in order to deal with that blood sugar.

Insulin and body fat

Fred explained that some people's bodies in response to what is a glucose challenge - meaning - having a lot of sugar roaming the body that has to be put into the cells - are insulin insensitive.  Here's the problem.  While insulin's main role is to regulate blood sugar, one of it's other main roles is to store body fat.  When you put a lot of carbohydrates into a child's body, and that child happens to be less insulin sensitive another, that child's body will store more of the calories taken in as body fat rather than be use as energy.

More carbs convert to more insulin you secrete – over time more insulin insensitive you become because there’s so much insulin being secreted, little be little in some children, as well as adults, they become obese because the body doesn’t know what to do with all the insulin, which in turn, causes the body to store calories as body fat rather than use it as fuel.  That’s why children who have a propensity to this, an hour later, say they’re hungry again.

Strength Training for Children

One thing I have always been an advocate of is strength training which Fred is.   You’re never too young or too old to strength train, however, I think when it comes to children, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about it.

Strength training is one of the most potent and powerful modalities of exercise for a child.  You can improve a child’s strength, bone density, muscle mass and athletic performance.  Strength training also improves your child’s resistance to injury when engaging in sports.

In his book, Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, Fred dispels the myth that strength training stunts a child’s growth.  This is absolutely false.  Impact forces can impair growth plates by breaking or damaging a bone.  You can’t play sports gently in a low force manner, however, you can lift weights in a low force manner while at the same time, build strength, bone density and muscle mass.  Strength training for children is recommended by several prominent organizations provided it is supervised and performed in a slow and controlled fashion - 5 seconds to lift the weight and 5 seconds to lower the weight.

How much time should a child strength train?

If you are a non athlete (not participating in sports), a minimum of two 20 minute strength training sessions per week is recommended.  For athletic kids, you’re better off having them strength train once a week for 20-30 minutes.  The reason for this is that the benefits of strength training comes when you’re resting.  Recovery is really when you’re gaining the benefits of lifting so that when your child is ready for the next session, he will be stronger and will be able to lift more weight.  Progressive strength training over time is what makes a child stronger and stronger.

Is your child ready to strength train?

The appropriate age for a child to strength train is more psychological than it is physiological.  For example, if a child is old enough to take instruction and pay attention to what you are explaining to them, than they’re good to go.

Fred used his daughters as an example.  He has two daughters.  One of them took to strength training at the age of 6, while the other daughter, at the age of 8 thinks the whole thing is silly.  Psychologically, she’s not ready.  She may be at the age of 10.

Making strength training a fun, positive experience

Fred suggests that you engage in the activity with your child.  Let your child see you doing push ups or sit ups and let them see you enjoy it.  With younger children, rather than count to five, you can say whatever their favorite characters are, so you can say, “Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man”.

Yes, your child will adapt to strength training.  Kids love their bodies and they love the concept that they are stronger, better, can run faster, etc.  You’re only doing this for 20/30 min twice a week so it’s not like it’s lasting long and you’re boring them.

The book will help you become your child’s personal trainer that will instill a good, healthy, habit for life.  Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, provides parents with all the  information they need on how to set up an exercise program for their child from “Choosing the Right Weight”, “upping the ante”, a list of basic exercises, and photos of children performing the exercise. 

Nutrition for you and your children

Fred recommends a a nutrient rich diet consisting of “real foods”.  What are “real foods”?  Anything that has ever walked, crawled, flew or swam, such as beef, chicken, fish, etc., or has grown in the ground naturally that you can pick and eat.

You can’t walk onto a wheat field, grab a few stalks of wheat and eat it.  If you have to refine or process it, then it’s a food you should avoid or eat very little of if at all.  On the other hand, you don’t need to do anything to an orange, apple, green bean, etc.

This type of eating is Paleolithic meaning that if you went back 1,000 years ago, foods were eaten in their natural state.

Today’s current food pyramid promotes carbohydrates as the main staple of food.  This is wrong.  The main staple of what we should be eating are real food choices such as meats, fish, poultry being your staple and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

High Fructose Corn Syrup – A Neurological Nightmare on Health Street

High Fructose Corn Syrup is something I have written about in my blogs.  It’s in everything and it’s making us fat.  Fred refers to it as a “Neurological Nightmare on Health Street.”  In just about anything and everything we eat, from condiments, salad dressing, sodas, fruit juice, breakfast bars; you name it, if it comes in a wrapper, can or box, it contains high fructose corn syrup.  It makes everything sweeter.  Your child is so exposed to High Fructose Corn Syrup that when he/she eats a piece of fruit, it won’t be taste as sweet and makes everything else taste like cardboard.  What is happening is that you lose your taste for what is sweet enough.  Your body becomes addicted to sugar – the quick fuel source.  It also wreaks habit on what we spoke of earlier, insulin sensitivity or the lack of. 

You really need to get in the habit of reading the ingredient labels.  If a product contains high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup or fructose, put it back on the shelf. 

Your children will want to know what happened to their favorite snacks and beverages when you start to replace them with healthier choices.  Fred says, rather than telling your children they can’t have it anymore, you want to educate your children.  Explain to them that you found out that it makes “your blood sad” and that this will make it better.  Kids are like sponges when it comes to learning things, particularly when it comes to their bodies. 

By the way, when you eat real foods, they don’t contain high fructose corn syrup.

Water, Water, Water

Strong Kids Healthy Kids goes into extensive detail about the importance of water.  For most children, their intake of liquids comes from sugary drinks like juices and sodas and barely any water.  The body needs a certain amount of hydration in order to function optimally.

Your child’s blood is 90% water, brain is 85% water, muscle is 75% water, skin is 71% water, bone is 30% water and body fat is 15% water. 

Fred and I recommend that you give your child water with some lemon, lime or orange in it for flavoring or you can get flavored sparkling water. 

The book also contains kid-ready recipes that are quick, easy and simple to make helping to take out some of the guess work about what type of food to prepare for your family.

Fred’s take away message:

I asked Fred what is the one message you really want to get through to people.  Here is his answer.  “Take the time to do your best to feed your child real food.  That is above and beyond exercise, although exercise is an important component, it isn’t any where nearly as important as feeding your children real food.  If you can do a kitchen/pantry makeover, get rid of the breakfast cereals, the grains and sugar.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be meats (beef, fish, chicken, etc.).  Proteins and healthy fats.  Give your child a healthy breakfast rather than feed them a box of cereal.

100,000 years ago we were eating real foods and that’s what we need to be putting on our children’s plates today.  Health problems are from feeding kids un-real foods.

We are what our bodies do with what we eat.

If you wish to contact Fred, he can be reached via e-mail at fhan@seriousstrength.com

Disclaimer: Please note, Fredrick Hahn is not a doctor.  This information is intended for children who are considered healthy by their physicians.  It is not intended to treat children who suffer from metabolic abnormalities or diseases that are known to cause or contribute to weakness or obesity.  Although the information in this interview  will help any child, always consult with the appropriate physician for advice and guidance.  Always consult an appropriate and qualified physician prior to beginning any exercise or diet program for your child.

Child Obesity Takes Center Stage

With Child Obesity in the national spotlight, this is an ideal opportunity to talk about some of the issues concerning it. 

It’s not baby fat, it’s obesity

According to an article published in the February, 2010 journal Clinical Pediatrics, research suggests that the "tipping point" in obesity often occurs before two years of age, and sometimes as early as three months, when the child is learning how much and what to eat.  The Clinical Pediatrics study suggests obesity prevention efforts should begin before age two, when children reach a "tipping point" in a progression that leads to obesity later in life.  This study indicates that we may need to discuss inappropriate weight gain early in infancy to affect meaningful changes in the current trend of obesity.

What could possibly be causing obesity in infants?  Could it be that they are being fed more calories than they need?  Food is given to crying babies to comfort and quiet them. For instance, if a baby is crying, a new mother’s instinct is to give her baby a bottle thinking it is hungry when perhaps it isn’t. 

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar

Perhaps baby food has evolved over the years becoming more and more processed containing corn syrup and more sugar?  No doubt more and more children are exposed to processed foods, snacks, fast foods and ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup over the past 10-20 years.  Do parents even bother to look at the fine print of ingredients in a product they are feeding their children?

NOW is the time to act

I’m not going to regurgitate all the child obesity statistics.  This is an issue about health. We know that today’s children are overweight, and that they are dealing with diseases that were once known as “adult diseases”. 

It is up to as a parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to take action now.  Children eat what we feed them and it’s up to us to stop feeding them fast food, sugary snacks and junk food. Get active with children.  Take them to the park to the playground, or go skating with them, play tennis, etc.  The list of activities you can you can DO with children are endless.

The Let’s Move Campaign

This past week, First Lady, Michelle Obama, launched her Let’s Move Campaign to help solve the child obesity epidemic.   This is certainly a step in the right direction to stop talking about the issue, but to take action and do something to help solve the problem. As a Fitness Professional/Natural Health Advocate, I applaud Michelle Obama for helping to bring SOLUTIONS to Child Obesity.

The Let's Move campaign has 4 Pillars.

1st Pillar-Helping parents make healthy family choices.  Parents need the tools to make it easier to understand how to help their kids stay healthy. Many parents know certain foods are bad for their kids, but don't know the solutions.

Children learn from the choices they see adults make.  If children see parents enjoying nutritious foods and physical activity, they’re more likely to do the same.   With greater understanding and opportunities for good nutrition and physical activity, parents can take simple steps so busy families can live healthier lives.

• Empowering Consumers - By the end of the year, the Food and Drug Administration will begin working with retailers and manufacturers to adopt new nutritionally sound and consumer friendly front-of-package labeling to provide 65 million parents in America and other caregivers with easy access to the information they need to make healthy choices for their children.

2^nd Pillar – Healthier Schools - Many children consume at least half of their daily calories at school. As families work to ensure our kids eat right and have active play at home, we also need to ensure our kids have access to healthy meals in their schools. With more than 31 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participating in the National School Breakfast Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever. Let’s move to get healthier food in our nation’s schools.

·            Healthier US Schools Challenge Program establishes rigorous standards for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity, and nutrition education – the key components that make for healthy and active kids – and provides recognition for schools that meet these standards.

3^rd Pillar – Physical Activity - Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight.(source) If this sounds like a lot, consider that 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 ½ hours to using entertainment media including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies  in a typical day, and only a third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity. 

4^th Pillar - Accessing Healthy & Affordable Food - More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts.  Lack of access to proper nutrition is one reason why many children are not eating the recommended levels of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Another issue is that healthier food choices are more expensive than unhealthy, cheap, processed junk foods.  As part of the President’s proposed FY 2011 budget, the Administration announced a new program – the Healthy Food Financing Initiative -- a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services which will invest $400 million a year to provide innovative financing to bring grocery stores to underserved areas and help places such as convenience stores and bodegas carry healthier food options.  Grants will also help bring farmers markets and fresh foods into underserved communities, boosting both family health and local economies.  Through these initiatives and private sector engagement, the Administration will work to eliminate food deserts across the country within seven years.

If you are a parent, doctor, fitness professional, health advocate, check out the Let's Move website http://www.letsmove.gov/index.html and let’s do our part to ACT NOW and help make a difference to improve the health of our children.  This affects not only our children’s future, but our future and the future of our country.  

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211121832.htm

http://www.letsmove.gov

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/09/obama.child.obesity/index.html