ONU Expert: Professor of dietetics
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Catherine Anstrom
Juvenile diabetes is on the rise in America. What are a few factors for this and how can parents guide their children to prevent and treat this?
Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in children, which is alarming. This health condition is generally found in middle-aged overweight adults who are inactive.
Type 2 diabetes is not the only chronic heath conditions we are seeing on the rise in younger segments of the population.
Increased incidence of high blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol also being observed.
These health conditions can be attributed a diet high in calories and fat and a decrease in physical activity in our children.
In recent years there has been an increase in eating meals outside the home and those meals often times contain larger portions of foods high in salt and fat and sugar.
Additional studies show that with these increases there has been an overall decrease in the amount of milk, vegetables, soups, bread, grains and eggs consumed.
Parents exert a strong influence on children’s food selections. Knowing what foods to emphasize is important.
Whole grains, fat-free or low fat milk, a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from lean meats, nuts and vegetable oils, while monitoring the amount of sodium provided, are keys to healthy eating patterns.
A tool that can help parents, teachers and children alike meet nutritional needs is the USDA’s My Pyramid for kids (MyPyramid.gov).
Lastly, the importance of sixty minutes of physical activity a day has been reaffirmed by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2006. What constitutes this time?
Free play, organized activities, any movement that contributes to an active lifestyle counts.
Check with your insurance company as some will now cover up to four visits for your child to see a registered dietitian.