Kids diets getting worse!

[belgareth]

http://news.yahoo.com/s

/hsn/20051003/hl_hsn/moreamericankidseatingdeepfriedfastfoods (http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20051003/hl_hsn/moreamericankidseatingdeepfriedfastfoods)

[MOBLEYC57]

'Cause the NEW AGE parents

don't like to/know how to/have time to cook, and Mickey D's one of many ways out of that chore. Tis probably why

all kinds of diseases have increased through the years. From food fresh out of the yard to food found dead in the

yard, nicely prepared in grease. Lots and lots of grease! :rant: Chubby kids all over America! :rant:

[wood elf]

It is sad to see so many

children overweight while it is not difficult to provide wholesome meals.

[Jersey Girl]

Then let's do something

about it, albeit on a small scale. Post your favorite kid friendly, healthy recipe!

My kids are BIG fruit

lovers and this one goes over really well for breakfast.


Blueberry Smoothie
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup

skim or 2% milk
1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt

Blend until smooth.

[belgareth]

All my kids are content with

chilled fresh fruit, usually melons, strawberries and pineapple. There is always some form of fresh fruit around the

house but seldom much candy. A good breakfast is protein powder, skim milk, frozen berries and just a little honey

in the blender.

[NaughtieGirl]

Then

let's do something about it, albeit on a small scale. Post your favorite kid friendly, healthy recipe!

My kids

are BIG fruit lovers and this one goes over really well for breakfast.


Blueberry Smoothie
1 cup frozen

blueberries
1 cup skim or 2% milk
1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt

Blend until smooth.

Ditto here. I

also use strawberries and tend to use plain non-fat yogurt, and no milk. The kids do like to add sugar to theirs,

but I add Splenda if they are not looking!

[belgareth]

Doctors Warn About Toddlers' Diets By JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press

Writer

7 minutes ago





DALLAS - As toddlers begin eating "grown-up" food, they may also develop grown-up

eating habits — like too much junk food and too few vegetables, warn doctors who want parents to change their ways.



Within the childhood obesity outbreak is an increasing number of

overweight 2-year-olds, according to pediatrics experts. In an effort to address the problem, the American Heart

Association is offering this advice to parents: Children 2 and older should eat mostly fruits and vegetables, whole

grains, low-fat and non-fat dairy products, beans, fish and lean meat.

"These guidelines are not that different from what you as a parent should be following," said Lona Sandon, a

dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "Kids will

follow the example of their parents if the example is there."

Of

course, in a nation where dinner often comes from a takeout window, keeping kids healthy may require a change by

adults.

"We've gotten away from preparing foods at home," Sandon

said. "We are eating foods that are much higher in fat and calories and larger portion sizes. We've gotten away

from physical activity."

The new recommendations for infants,

children and adolescents revise the heart association's 1982 statement. Since then, more and more children have

been falling into the overweight or obese category. The updated guidelines, which are endorsed by the American

Academy of Pediatrics, also recommend children 2 and older get an hour of exercise a day.



Dr. Barbara Dennison, who helped draw up the guidelines and is associate professor

of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University, said that 10 percent of 2-year-olds are overweight, doubling the rate

from the mid-1970s.

"The whole idea of a nutritionally balanced diet

has been compromised," said Dr. Samuel S. Gidding, another adviser on the AHA recommendations and professor of

pediatric cardiology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. "I think that fast foods have become — rather

than being discretionary choices — the main stop for meals."

He said

that 30 to 50 years ago, foods that were nutritional were considered "kids' foods." Now, he said, kids' foods are

viewed as sweets, snacks or so-called comfort foods.

The heart

association notes that by the time kids are 19 to 24 months, french fries are the most commonly eaten vegetable.

Experts say that as jars of baby food packed with fruits and vegetables give way to solid foods, nutritious food is

often bypassed for whatever is easiest.

The heart association

guidelines urge parents not to give up if their kids at first reject healthy food. Experts say it can take up to 10

tries for a child to accept a new food.

Said Dr. Nancy Krebs,

co-chair of the task force on obesity for the America Academy of Pediatrics: "It takes a bit of

persistence."

[Netghost56]

Parents Turn to Organic

Over Food Fears
Erin O'Neal has two

daughters and a fridge stocked with organic cheese, milk, fruits and vegetables in her Annapolis, Md., home.

She

is among the increasing number of parents who buy organic to keep their children's diets free of food grown with

pesticides, hormones, antibiotics or genetic engineering.

"The pesticide issue just scares me — it wigs me out

to think about the amount of chemicals that might be going into my kid," said O'Neal, 36.

Sales of organic baby

food have jumped nearly 18 percent since last year — double the overall growth of organic food sales, according to

the marketing information company ACNielsen.

As demand has risen, organic food for children has been popping up

outside natural food stores.

For example, Earth's Best baby food, a mainstay in Whole Foods and Wild Oats

markets, just reached a national distribution deal with Toys R Us and Babies R Us. Gerber is selling organic baby

food under its Tender Harvest label. Stonyfield Farm's YoBaby yogurt can be found in supermarkets across the

country.

The concern about children is that they are more vulnerable to toxins in their diets, said Alan Greene,

a pediatrician in northern California. As children grow rapidly, their brains and organs are forming and they eat

more for their size than do grown-ups, Greene said.

"Pound for pound, they get higher concentrations of

pesticides than adults do," said Greene, who promotes organic food in his books and on his Web site,

http://www.drgreene.com.

New government-funded research adds to the

concern. A study of children whose diets were changed from regular to organic found their pesticide levels plunged

almost immediately. The amount of pesticide detected in the children remained imperceptible until their diets were

switched back to conventional food.

"We didn't expect that to drop in such dramatic fashion," said Emory

University's Chensheng Lu, who led the Environmental Protection Agency-funded research. Lu's findings will be

published in February in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Scientists are still trying to figure

out how pesticides affect children, Lu said, but he notes that it took years to prove the health hazards of

lead.

The uncertainty is driving parents, especially new or expecting mothers, to switch to organic food. Many

are even making their own baby food from organic ingredients.

"Maybe that has the reputation of being difficult,

but it doesn't have to be, and once you get into the habit of doing something regularly, it gets to be easier,"

said Jody Villecco, a nutritionist for Whole Foods.

In a traveling lecture series for Whole Foods and Mothering

magazine, Villecco demonstrates by shaving a peeled banana with a knife to make mush — "There, we just made baby

food," she said. She recommends people make baby food in big batches and freeze it in ice cube trays.

Eating

organic is definitely not cheap. But Green and Lu said parents have options if they can't afford the food or don't

want to search for it or make it: Buy fruits and vegetables known to have lower pesticide residues.

The

Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based advocacy group, has produced a guide to the pesticide levels in

fruits and vegetables commonly sold in grocery stores, basing the findings on data from the Agriculture Department

and Food and Drug Administration.

The guide says the lowest pesticide levels are found in asparagus, avocados,

bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet peas.

The highest

pesticide levels, meanwhile, are found in apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines,

peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries.

Beyond baby food, dairy and produce, snacks

are also a rapidly growing segment of organic food, according to the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.



Snacks are a priority for Susan Guegan, 44, a mother of four boys in Boulder, Colo. Guegan made their food from

scratch when they were babies. Now she buys organic versions of the cookies and hot dogs they ask for.

"They

love Oreos," she said. "They'll say, `Can we get this?' I'm like, `Can you read me the ingredients?' They'll

laugh and try to say some of them. I'll say, `You can put that back.'"

___

On the Net:

Organic

Trade Association: http://www.ota.com

Environmental Working Group guide:

http://www.foodnews.org/pdf/walletguide.pdf

[Gegogi]

I went organic 5 years ago and a

host of problems virually disappeared from my body, especially aches and pains, constipation and bloated stomach. It

is also extremely rare for me to catch a cold or flu. Although I shop at an organic store when I need to, I actually

grow most of my veggies, herbs and spices myself (the growing season is 12 months in Hawaii). They taste 10 times

better than market produce. So mainly I only have to buy organic eggs, yogurt, flour and sugar. The prepared foods,

especially junk organics like fake Oreos and chips, aren't much better for you than the pesticide and preservative

infested foods at Safeway. I also stopped drinking soda and cut way down on junk food. I still drink a little beer

or Jack Daniels. Might even light up a little MAry Jane once in awhile (don't inhale of course). However, I mainly

drink lots of high alkaline water.

Incidentally, during the past 5 years my wasitline went from 34 inches to

30 inches. Of course, I workout 6 days a week too. I exercised before I went organic, but the combination of organic

veggies and an hour of daily exercise worked better for me.

[belgareth]

I haven't gone to that extreme

but eat a healthy diet and continue to exercise regularly. My kids are all healthy, active people as I am. The

biggest thing is to stay away from all the processed garbage out there. It takes so little time to create a healthy

diet and the food just tastes better.

[Netghost56]

I grow my own food (and now I

have a source of fresh eggs) and do my own cooking. I don't have near as much stomach problems as I used to, but

still have a few bad days. I've started drinking this organic milk (no BGH or steroids) which tastes great and

doesn't cause bloating. Unfortunately it's only sold in one place and I only get 1/2 gallon a month, the rest is

the regular stuff.

Lots of juice and tea, trying to keep my soda intake under control. I haven't lost any

weight, mostly I need to work on my consumption. I just love food!

[tim929]

Around my house,blended fruit

smoothies are a staple.Farm fresh eggs(so fresh they have to be washed befor you put them in the fridge) are also a

staple.Whole grain breads,fresh veggies and organic meat are also part of the deal.I have friends that have a

farm.We go in together on a couple beef cows,sheep and pigs every so often and they raise them on thier place.I get

some of the best tasting meat you have ever had out of that arrangement.Chickens too...and turkeys for the holidays

are also a staple.

Chickens are easy to keep,albeit alittle smelly...and will produce roughly an egg every day

and a half per hen on average.When they get to old to lay,they make great soup.The meat is alittle tough for

anything else.As for pigs and beef and sheep and what not...all you need to do is befriend someone who has a farm

and go in on the expenses with them for a share of the meat.You may end up playing farmer every so often just to

maitain the relationship,but its good,outdoor labor and will give you an excuse to push away from the TV and city

life for a weekend every now and again,and getting poop on your shoes realy isnt all that bad as long as it didnt

come from a dog.

There are tons of folks out there with acerage that wouldnt mind having a few critters

around.And they dont live that far from the city either.It may cost you alittle more in the long run for the high

quality meats that you get,but its well worth every penny of it.And if they have enough acerage,ask to lease a small

patch of thier acerage for your own little collective farm.Using the manure from the critters and a simple

roto-tiller,you can produce some of the best vegatables you have ever had.And once again,its a great excuse to get

out doors and play farmer once in a while.

[Netghost56]

Yes. Yet another deal to sell

our place fell through, so I'll be asking a neighbor up the road to plow my garden sometime in the next week. My

garden has grown over the past 4 years, and this spring I'm going to go all out. If I could just get a temporary

reprieve from the bugs :rant: .

And I'm getting 3-4 eggs a day from my 10 banty hens, so thats just enough to

cover our use.

We couldn't GIVE away the rest though- so we have about 200 pounds of chicken in the freezer.

:frustrate

I dunno, maybe some people are afraid of healthy food. My friend is quoted as saying "I'm allergic to

healthy stuff".

[collegedude361]

Yeah, even though the

media puts out news like that, the diet is not very likely to change. We just love convenience...

I also read

somewhere that ever since MCD installed their chains in Japan, the obesity and heart attack rate increased rapidly,

where before, such a thing was very rare because of the healthy diet.