Childhood Nutrition

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines For Americans published by the CDC states that eating behaviors of young people are not healthy creating concern about the health of the children now, as well as in their future. With data from their research, the CDC has made the following statements and recommendations.

Nutrition Facts

• Adolescents drink more full-calorie soda per day than milk.
• Consume empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents aged 2–18 years, affecting the overall quality of their diets. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.
• Eat more than the recommended maximum daily intake of sodium .
• Do not eat the minimum recommended amounts of whole grains.
• Do not meet the recommendations for eating fruits and vegetables each day.
• The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products for persons aged 2 years and older. The guidelines also recommend that children, adolescents, and adults limit intake of solid fats (major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids), cholesterol, sodium, added sugars, and refined grains. Unfortunately, most young people are not following the recommendations set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, iron deficiency, and osteoporosis.
• Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including several of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.  A poor diet can increase the risk for lung, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, and prostate cancers.
• A poor diet can lead to energy imbalance (eating more calories than one expends through physical activity) and can increase one’s risk for overweight and obesity.
• Individuals who eat fast food one or more times per week are at increased risk for weight gain, overweight, and obesity.
• Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can result in weight gain, overweight, and obesity.  Encourage children to drink water.
• Hunger and food insecurity (less food intake and disrupted eating patterns because a household lacks money and other resources for food) might increase the risk for lower dietary quality and under-nutrition. In turn, under-nutrition can negatively affect overall health, cognitive development, and school performance.

Next week, we will explore what the CDC has to say about schools and child day cares food service and how they can help with the problem of unhealthy eating by children.