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ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012) — Obese kids have less sensitive taste-buds than kids of normal weight, indicates research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

This blunted ability to distinguish all five tastes of bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami (savoury) may prompt them to eat larger quantities of food in a bid to register the same taste sensation, suggest the authors.

They base their findings on 94 normal weight and 99 obese children aged between 6 and 18, who were in good health and not taking any medications known to affect taste and smell.

The taste sensitivity of every child was tested using 22 “taste strips” placed on the tongue, to include each of the five taste sensations, at four different levels of intensity, plus two blank strips.

Each child was asked to refrain from eating or drinking anything other than water and not to chew gum for at least an hour before they took the two tests, which involved identifying the different tastes and their intensity.

The sum of all five taste sensations at the four different intensities allowed for a maximum score of 20, with scores ranging from two to 19.

Girls and older children were better at picking out the right tastes.

Overall, the children were best able to differentiate between sweet and salty, but found it hardest to distinguish between salty and sour, and between salty and umami.

And obese children found it significantly more difficult to identify the different taste sensations, scoring an average of 12.6 compared with an average of just over 14 clocked up by children of normal weight.

Obese children were significantly less likely to identify the individual taste sensations correctly, particularly salty, umami, and bitter.

And while both obese and normal weight children correctly identified all the differing levels of sweetness, obese kids rated three out of the four intensity levels lower than kids of normal weight.

Similarly, children of normal weight were better able to distinguish the different taste sensations, the older they were, but this trend was not seen among the obese children.

Exactly why people have differing taste perceptions is unclear, but genes, hormones, acculturation and exposure to different tastes early in life are all thought to play a part, say the authors.

But previous research indicates that heightened sensitivity to different taste sensations may help to reduce the amount of food eaten as less is required to get the same “taste hit.”

By NELLIE ANDREEVA

NBC’s The Biggest Loser is bringing something old and something new for its upcoming 14th season. Jillian Michaels, who left the show after Season 11 last year, will be back as a trainer for the upcoming season, which will deal with childhood obesity by featuring kid participants (ages 13-17) for the first time in addition to adult contestants. Michaels will join returning trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince. Season 14, which kicks off in January, will also feature special celebrity guest stars. For the first time since its launch, The Biggest Loserwas not on NBC’s fall schedule. The network brass in May said they wanted to give the long-running series time to reboot in the face of declining ratings. That includes the return of one of the show’s most recognizable stars, Michaels, whose replacement, Anna Kournikova, lasted one season. “As a former overweight teen, I know firsthand how dramatically weight issues can affect every aspect of a child’s life,” said Michaels. ”Having recently become a mother of two, I am more passionate than ever about helping empower children and families with the information and resources they need to live a healthier life.”

Contestants will be divided into three teams in Season 14 — supervised by Harper, Michaels and Quince. Each trainer/team will be paired with at least one child participant who will compete with and contribute to their respective teams, but the kids will not be eligible for elimination. They will work at both the ranch and at home, and their progress will be featured in every episode. The Biggest Loser as a production of Shine America, 25/7 Prods. and 3 Ball Prods., which is no longer active on the show. Dave Broome, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Todd Lubin, Lisa Hennessy, Ben Silverman, JD Roth and Todd A. Nelson are the executive producers.

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2012) — Adults across the U.S. rate not getting enough exercise as the top health concern for children in 2012, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

In the poll’s annual top 10 list, a nationwide sample of adults were asked to identify the top 10 biggest health concerns for kids in their communities. For the first time, not enough exercise was rated by most adults at the top of the list (39 percent). That was followed closely by childhood obesity (38 percent) and smoking and tobacco use (34 percent).

“Childhood obesity remains a top concern, and adults know it is certainly linked to lack of exercise,” says Matthew M. Davis M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. “The strong perception that lack of exercise is a threat to children’s health may reflect effective recent public health messages from programs such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move’ campaign.

“But adequate exercise offers many more benefits other than weight loss or preventing obesity — such as better attention and learning in school and improved sense of well-being,” says Davis, associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

The rest of the poll results were:

4. Drug abuse (33 percent)

5. Bullying (29 percent)

6. Stress (27 percent)

7. Alcohol abuse (23 percent)

8. Teen pregnancy (23 percent)

9. Internet safety (22 percent)

10. Child abuse and neglect (20 percent)

“The strong connection of many of the top 10 child health concerns to health behaviors among children and adolescents underscores the importance of public programs and communication initiatives — for example, those designed to prevent drug abuse, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy,” Davis says.

The poll’s results varied based on race/ethnicity. Hispanic adults were more likely to rate childhood obesity first (44 percent), followed by not enough exercise (38 percent), and also rated drug abuse higher than smoking and tobacco use. Black adults had higher levels of concern about smoking and tobacco use, ranking that most often (43 percent). They also had high levels of concern about racial inequality, ranking it seventh on the list, and gun-related injuries, ranking that ninth. Black and Hispanic adults both identified sexually transmitted infections as a greater concern for kids in their communities than did white adults.

“Child health varies across communities, and these results emphasize a need for local programs that respect and address community-specific health priorities for youth,” Davis says.

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

Published: August 13, 2012

Adolescents in states with strict laws regulating the sale of snacks and sugary drinks in public schools gained less weight over a three-year period than those living in states with no such laws, a new study has found.

The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, found a strong association between healthier weight and tough state laws regulating food in vending machines, snack bars and other venues that were not part of the regular school meal programs. Such snacks and drinks are known as competitive foods, because they compete with school breakfasts and lunches.

The conclusions are likely to further stoke the debate over what will help reduce obesity rates, which have been rising drastically in the United States since the 1980s. So far, very little has proved effective and rates have remained stubbornly high. About a fifth of American children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health experts have urged local and state governments to remove competitive foods from schools, and in recent years states have started to pass laws that restrict their sale, either banning them outright or setting limits on the amount of sugar, fat or calories they contain.

The study tracked weight changes for 6,300 students in 40 states between 2004 and 2007, following them from fifth to eighth grade. They used the results to compare weight change over time in states with no laws regulating such food against those in states with strong laws and those with weak laws.

Researchers used a legal database to analyze state laws. Strong laws were defined as those that set out detailed nutrition standards. Laws were weak if they merely offered recommendations about foods for sale, for example, saying they should be healthy but not providing specific guidelines.

The study stopped short of saying the stronger laws were directly responsible for the better outcomes. It concluded only that such outcomes tended to happen in states with stronger laws, but that the outcomes were not necessarily the result of those laws. However, researchers added that they controlled for a number of factors that would have influenced outcomes.

Still, the correlation was substantial, researchers said, suggesting that the laws might be a factor. Students who lived in states with strong laws throughout the entire three-year period gained an average of 0.44 fewer body mass index units, or roughly 2.25 fewer pounds for a 5-foot-tall child, than adolescents in states with no policies.

The study also found that obese fifth graders who lived in states with stronger laws were more likely to reach a healthy weight by the eighth grade than those living in states with no laws. Students exposed to weaker laws, however, had weight gains that were not different from those of students in states with no laws at all.

The authors argued that the study offered evidence that local policies could be effective tools.

“Competitive-food laws can have an effect on obesity rates if the laws are specific, required and consistent,” said Daniel Taber, a fellow at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who was one of the authors of the study.

Still, many states have no laws at all regulating the sale of such foods, and the group that helped finance the study, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, argued that the results made the case for a strong national standard for snacks and beverages in schools. The United States Department of Agriculture has been developing new standards for some time, but they have yet to emerge.

Some experts argue that a real reduction in the obesity rate will come only when many more local governments adopt tough policies to change the food environment. Still others say that school is such a small part of a child’s day that healthier options will make little difference when coupled with a home environment with a lot of unhealthy choices.

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Kate Upton at the charity event for FWB

I make them eat eggs in the morning. At first they didn’t like it, but after I constantly enforced it, they started eating it because it became HABITUAL. That’s my biggest goal for my kids – to make them SO used to eating healthy foods that eating anything unhealthy is odd for them…unnatural…to the point that they don’t really like it!

For example, my husband doesn’t really eat a lot of candy. He never ate a lot of it when he was younger. I, on the other hand, grew up on skittles and snickers, so it’s tough for me to avoid them because I’m so USED to consuming it.

While I know it’s important to feed your kids – I definitely don’t force them to eat at night. Personally, I don’t think you should eat that much at night anyways. I also know that they know when to eat. They will eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. Their eating isn’t affected by emotions or social environments yet. Kids should know when to eat!

I also try to make smoothies (and will try to do it once a day) that includes spinach so they can’t see it! (especially the eldest)

With that said, the below article talks about being a good role model for your kids. THEY ARE WATCHING YOU. So make it a point to be a conscious eater. I am trying to be better because I am absolutely NOT perfect. But we can all try to be more perfect, they will appreciate that one day.

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Eat Healthily — Your Kids Are Watching

ScienceDaily (May 30, 2012) — If lower-income mothers want kids with healthy diets, it’s best to adopt healthy eating habits themselves and encourage their children to eat good foods rather than use force, rewards or punishments, says a Michigan State University study.

The study, which appears in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is one of a few that focuses on the eating habits of low-income families. The results demonstrate that the mothers who led by example and persuaded, rather than ordered, their kids to eat their vegetables had kids with healthier diets, said Sharon Hoerr, MSU professor of food science and human nutrition.

“Mothers should stop forcing or restricting their kids’ eating,” she said. “They’d be better off providing a healthy food environment, adopting balanced eating habits themselves and covertly controlling their children’s diet quality by not bringing less healthy foods into the house.”

Overtly restricting certain foods from a child when others are eating them at mealtimes can lead to unhealthy eating, she added.

Additional parental tips include maintaining regular meal and snack times, offering smaller portions of healthy foods and allowing the children to decide how much they will eat. And what about kids who’d rather play with their food or consume only junk food?

“With picky eaters, it’s best to coax and encourage them to eat rather than yell at them,” Hoerr said. “Other ways to get them interested in having a balanced diet is to take them to the grocery store or garden, and help them select new foods to taste as well as allow them to help cook at home.”

In continuing this research, Hoerr hopes to develop home-based and interactive educational materials for parents who want to encourage healthful eating.

Additional MSU researchers contributing to this study include Megumi Murashima, doctoral student, and Stan Kaplowitz, sociologist. Part of Hoerr’s research is funded by MSU’s AgBioResearch.

My two-year-old, Nicholas, loves vegetables!

]]> http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/your-kids-are-watching-your-bad-eating-habits/feed/ 0 http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/obesity-linked-to-math-performance/ http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/obesity-linked-to-math-performance/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2012 08:56:26 +0000 admin http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/?p=145 Another reason to promote heath and fitness with your kids….
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Childhood Obesity Linked to Math Performance, Researcher Says

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) — Childhood obesity has increased dramatically throughout the past 40 years and has been tied to many health problems. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that children’s weight is associated with their math performance.

“The findings illustrate the complex relationships among children’s weight, social and emotional well-being, academics and time,” said Sara Gable, associate professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, who led the study.

Gable looked at more than 6,250 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, a nationally representative sample. The children were followed from the time they started kindergarten through fifth grade. At five points in time, parents provided information about their families, teachers reported on the children’s interpersonal skills and emotional well-being, and children were weighed and measured; they also took academic tests.

When compared with children who were never obese, boys and girls whose obesity persisted from the start of kindergarten through fifth grade performed worse on the math tests, starting in first grade. Their lower performance continued through fifth grade. For boys whose obesity emerged later — in third or fifth grade — no such differences were found. For girls who became obese later, poorer math performance was temporary.

In addition, for girls who were persistently obese, having fewer social skills explained some part of their poorer math performance. For both boys and girls who were persistently obese, feeling sadder, lonelier and more anxious also explained some of their poorer math performance.

“Our study suggests that childhood obesity, especially obesity that persists throughout the elementary grades, can harm children’s social and emotional well-being and academic performance,” Gable said.

]]> http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/obesity-linked-to-math-performance/feed/ 0 http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/kids-who-cook-are-hungrier-for-healthy-food/ http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/2012/kids-who-cook-are-hungrier-for-healthy-food/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2012 08:55:07 +0000 admin http://www.fitnesswithoutborders.org/?p=143 This is a very good tip! I try to get an apron on my boys all the time and it REALLY does make them appreciate the food they prepared!

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Kids Who Cook Are Hungrier for Healthy Food Choices

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2012) — Getting kids to pass up junk food in favour of healthier fruits and veggies has led to many a mealtime meltdown for parents everywhere. Now, researchers from the University of Alberta offer a simple solution: give them an apron.

A province-wide survey of Grade 5 students in Alberta suggests the best way to get your child to eat healthier foods — and actually enjoy them — is to have them help with meal preparation.

“Kids who like fruits and vegetables more tend to eat them more frequently and have better diets,” said lead author Yen Li Chu, a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Public Health. “These data show that encouraging kids to get involved in meal preparation could be an effective health promotion strategy for schools and parents.”

Published last month by Public Health Nutrition in an early online release, the study involved a survey of students in 151 schools across Alberta to learn about kids’ experiences with cooking and food choices.

Nearly one-third of children reported helping with meal prep at least once a day; another one-third said they helped one to three times a week. A quarter of children helped once a month, and 12.4 per cent avoided the kitchen completely.

In general, children preferred fruits to veggies, but children who helped with cooking showed a greater preference for both. Vegetable preference was also 10 per cent higher among children who helped cook.

The data also showed that kids who did meal prep and cooking were more confident about the importance of making healthier food choices.

Paul Veugelers, co-author and Canada Research Chair in Population Health at the U of A, said getting children to eat healthier food promotes bone and muscle development, learning and self-esteem.

“Good food is important for us. It keeps weight gain away — and more important than that, it keeps chronic disease away,” Veugelers said. “The overarching objective of our work is to lower the burden of chronic disease in our society. A healthy diet is right at the top.”

Chu said the results underscore the value of getting kids interested in mealtime activities in the home, but added there could be room for schools to get involved, too.

“You can go into schools and have cooking classes and cooking clubs to help them boost their fruit and vegetable intake and make healthier choices,” she said.

Though this survey dealt with Grade 5 students, the lessons are equally applicable to older youth, including post-secondary students, added Veugelers.

“For many of them, it may be the first time they leave home, the first time in their lives they’re responsible for their own diets,” he said. “There are lessons here for them too, to form groups and take turns cooking, and pay attention to good meal preparation.”

This work was part of the Real Kids Alberta evaluation funded by Alberta Health. Real Kids Alberta is a collaborative initiative between the School of Public Health and Alberta Health to provide directions to improve eating habits and activity levels in Alberta children and youth.

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