Susan B. Dopart M.S., R.D.

Last month a topic of discussion at the American Diabetes Association conference was children and heart disease.  Artery autopsies done on children who had fatal accidents showed the presence of fatty streaks.

Although I had knowledge of this phenomenon it still came as a shock to fathom children having fatty streaks and blockages in the arteries.  Isn’t that only supposed to happen to older adults?

I hear from parents – “they only wants pizza, burgers and fries.”  Who’s controlling the food?  When I was growing up I ate what was served without too many questions.  If I did not like a particular item served I was encouraged to have a few “no thank you” bites.  I know things have changed but I have to wonder if the current philosophy of feeding our youth needs an adjustment.

This week’s LA times article “A Sticking Issue with Kids” discusses the Center for Disease Control report which showed that cholesterol abnormalities – i.e. high bad cholesterol and low good cholesterol values – are far more common in children than in past times, particularly overweight children.  The article questioned whether we should start checking children’s cholesterol panels.  Pediatrician’s views are mixed.

Where does the solution start?  Will pediatricians start prescribing statin drugs for children to fix the problem of unbalanced eating and inactivity like we do in adults?

When do we start looking at the cause rather than the symptom?  Taking control of our youth’s health and happiness is having time for family dinners, cooking at home, and making meals from whole unprocessed foods.  Our bodies are happy to get rid of bad cholesterol and avoid making plaque when we feed them “clean’ foods in their natural forms.  Running around on the weekend with our kids and engaging them in outdoor activities is essential to keeping their little arteries supple and healthy.

It’s not too late to start now.  Even if your child is overweight and has high cholesterol studies show a turnaround is possible in as little as 2 weeks.  The body responds quickly to dietary changes.  Act now and start those “no thank you” bites of healthy foods.  Remember, it’s prevention not prescription.

This week’s New York Times revealed what our country is facing:  childhood obesity and raising children who have more health issues than their parents.  The article’s title is: Gastric Bypass Surgery for Obese Children.  Bypass surgery for children?   There is something seriously wrong with this concept.

Our food supply is toxic; for convenience we feed our children processed packaged foods; we don’t have time to cook, and by the way – let’s operate to fix this problem.

Our nation needs a big wake-up call.  First Lady Michelle Obama launched her anti-obesity campaign for children and it comes not a moment too soon.  How can we help the children in America live a long healthy life?

There needs to be a direct correlation with the government incorporating policies to subsidize fruits and vegetables (versus corn that causes the problem) along with parents who model that practice in the home environment.

A great first step is addressing how you shop.  Shopping around the perimeter of grocery store allows you to buy foods that are fresh and wholesome, rather than processed and refined.  Eating real whole foods means you don’t have to read a label, since apples and broccoli are label-free. 

Foods you buy with a label should have less than 5 or 6 ingredients.  The more ingredients a food has the more processed it becomes.

Does the label contain any ingredients you can’t recognize or pronounce?  Answering this question may be a clue the food is not the healthiest choice.

Besides food choices, exercise and activity are non negotiable for children.  The American Diabetes Association encourages a minimum of 300 minutes of activity or exercise per week for health.  Currently children get 700 less activity calories per day than a decade ago – potentially a 72 pound weight gain per year. 

Studies show cooking and eating at home is a huge component combating childhood obesity.  It is up to us to provide our children healthy meals and activities to decrease their risks – otherwise we may out-live our children.  Our youth is faced with enough obstacles without having to have a major surgery.  Remember, it’s prevention not prescription.