Greetings! This month, the American Dietetic Association is running its National Nutrition Month® campaign. It is a public awareness program designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This objective is very much aligned with the focus of Littlestomaks because we are all about helping parents of toddlers make smart choices about their child’s nutrition and lifelong healthy eating habits.  That is why I will be supporting this campaign by writing articles along this year’s theme of Nutrition From The Ground Up. I would like to call upon my fellow nutrition and food bloggers to do the same! I am also open to ideas if you want to collaborate!

It is Friday again, which means it is time for the usual Five for Fridays! Here are 5 nutrition related articles that caught my eye. Enjoy and do share your opinion in the comments below.

Link between childhood obesity and heart disease gains strength

30% of obese 3-5 year old children show higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is linked to inflammation and is known to predict heart disease and stroke. This is nearly twice the rate at which high levels of CRP are seen in children with healthy weight. This data is based on a recent study of 16,000 children between the ages of 1-17 published in the journal Pediatrics and cited in this week’s Wall Street Journal.

It does not mean that children who show high levels of CRP will definitely develop heart disease when they become adults. This is because CRP can be elevated due to a lot of other reasons. Still, this is a strong link between obesity and heart disease and suggests that early childhood obesity needs our immediate attention. The question I would like to get answered is if these high levels of CRP can be reversed in obese children if their weight is managed as they grow. If I find out, I will write about it!

Flooded by snacks, kids are becoming constant eaters

Kids get 27% of their daily calories from salty, fatty and sugary snacks and constant nibbling starts as early as 2! This is what a recent snacking study found from surveys of over 31,000 kids. Clearly, this is becoming a big challenge for most parents who are trying hard to encourage their kids to develop healthy eating habits. Availability of all kinds of snacks combined with our culture of bringing something to eat for every event means that kids are constantly munching.

I think the main problem is that there is no separation anymore between a regular meal and snacks – which are supposed to manage our hunger level between meals and not act as a substitute. To that end, it is important to drive an understanding – and acceptance – of this notion of separating meals from snacks at an early age. And of course, we as parents have to be a role model by consistently showing the desired behavior.

It is not about healthy snacks, although a lot of products claim to be just that. It is about healthy choices which kids should be empowered to make right from the start. If they recognize their hunger cues, and are in the habit of eating full, wholesome meals at regular times, I am sure they will be able to manage snacks on their own.

If you are facing this situation, check out these handy tips on managing snacks and treats by one of our experts.

Confused about which diet to pick? Get your genes checked!

We have all heard about low-carb and low-fat diets, and you have probably tried them all! If nothing seems to work, check out this new technology of a genetic test for diet. It may just point you to the right direction!

It is yet another weapon in our fight against overweight and obesity. Now you can find out if you are genetically predisposed to lose weight on a low carb diet or on a low fat diet. In a study of 133 overweight women, a substantially higher weight loss was reported when their diet was matched with their genetic predisposition. A separate study shows that 45% of white women have the low carb genotype while 39% have the low fat genotype. The test looks at variations in 3 genes known to affect metabolism of fat and carbohydrates.

Don’t run out to get this test yet because these results are far from conclusive. More research is needed especially with a larger group of men and women across different racial demographics. It is an important trend however, we are finally in the era of personalized medicine and nutrition!

FDA issues warning letters to rein in food labels

This week the FDA issued several warning letters to 18 food companies including high profile names such as Nestle, POM Wonderful and Beech-nut. The big guns are out to shoot down the front-of-box claims, which according to some, are getting out of control these days. There are some, including the prominent Marion Nestle, who are suggesting an outright ban on these front-of-box labels.

If you look closely at the reasons for most of these warning letters you will notice something interesting. FDA is complaining that labels like “low sodium”, “low fiber”, “plus vitamins and minerals” are not allowed on products intended for children 2 years or younger because appropriate dietary levels have not been established for children in this age range. Now whose fault is that? Clearly, inaction from the FDA has created a vacuum which is being filled by savvy marketers. It is also clear that there is a need for front-of-the box labels. Busy consumers do not have time to read and absorb the Nutrition Facts and ingredients list on the back or side panels. They want something quick that helps them decide whether they should buy a certain product or not.

The rest of the world is already moving ahead with standardizing front-of-box labels, an example of which is the traffic light food labeling system. There is no perfect answer, but we need something that works. I hope the FDA takes this on and not simply try to appear like they are doing something by issuing warning letters!

Big Words from Little Foodies

Finally a shout out for my blogger friend Jenna of KidAppeal, who is running a weekly column on her blog called Big Words from Little Foodies. She is inviting toddler parents to share mealtime funny comments they hear from their kids in response to the food on the table. We have had a lot of fun lately with our twins as we try to engage them with funny stories and watch their response! Check out stories from other parents and recipes they have shared as part of this column. We too have contributed to it with articles like diesel food for a diesel engine and eating salad like a giraffe! Share your stories of mealtime fun in comments below.

Enjoy and let me know what is on your mind.

Photo Source: just jane on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Greetings! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another Five for Fridays! Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Food industry turns sour on high sugar prices

If you ask me, more than a “fat” or “sugar” or “junk food” tax, I like the current situation better. A shift in global supply and demand of sugar, coupled with government policies that limit the import of cheap sugar in the US, domestic sugar prices are going through the roof and the food industry is crying foul! Some of the big food companies have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack threatening price increases and worker layoffs if import quotas are not raised. Some will argue that the current quotas are against the idea of free trade. In general, I do not favor them either. But in this case, it is better to have these quotas to manage the demand for sugar rather than have a tax to control the demand for the final product. Let the companies figure out for themselves how to manage the increased cost of their raw materials. If they increase prices, demand for their product will go down. If they layoff workers, then they would need to increase their productivity to meet the current demand. Either way, it will force them to innovate.

Another front-of-box labeling system claims to be “smart”

A new front-of-the-box nutritional labeling system designed by a coalition of nutrition experts, scientists, food companies, retailers and research organizations goes live this week. It is a very simple system with a green check mark indicating the “smart choice” based on current nutrition guidelines. Also the calorie per serving and number of servings in the package are clearly shown under the check mark. There has been some criticism of this initiative, mostly because it is sponsored by food and beverage companies. Although it is not perfect, it is yet another attempt to simplify the life of most consumers who are often confused by the full nutritional facts label and the ingredients list on the back. There are many other creative versions of these front-of-the-box labeling without any standardization.  A traffic light system of food labeling is getting popular in UK and Australia. Clearly, there is a need to standardize such labeling so it does not turn into a clever marketing ploy by manufacturers. Have you come across such labels on products in store? What is your opinion of them?

Link between food stamps and obesity

A new study finds that people on food stamps are likely to be more obese compared to those of the same socioeconomic background who are not on the program. This implies that those receiving food stamps make food choices which are not very healthy. Although I think the study is interesting, its conclusions are highly speculative. The main goal seems to be influence changes to the food stamps program so that it encourages the recipients to consume nutrient-rich, low calorie foods. One idea is to force these people to attend a course in nutrition before they can get food stamps. That is quite ridiculous in my opinion! We cannot teach nutrition to kids in school – how can we expect people trying to find their next meal to learn about nutrition by sitting in a class? Still, it is something to think about. The challenge is to link food assistance with healthy foods. If only we could find them in the supermarkets at an affordable cost! What do you think?

Encourage your kids to eat veggies by these market meal ideas

Hop over to Kidappeal for some interesting ideas for a quick summer market meal, green beans, tomatoes and eggs. Very simple recipes and the pictures look great. I really liked Jenna’s tip on taking the kids to the Farmer’s market and getting them to pick their favorite fruits and veggies. And then serving a “market meal” like the one described in this post. Over the summer, we have taken the twins to a local Farmer’s market a couple of times on Fridays after we pick them up from Daycare. Have not had much luck with fresh, organic fruits and veggies – in fact, our local Whole Foods happens to have a better selection, although their prices are way too high! But we have enjoyed some local pita bread and apple-stuffed pastry from the market. Most importantly, we can get the twins on a short train ride in the nearby Mall, which really makes them happy!

5 practical ideas for becoming a positive role model

Want to encourage your toddlers to develop healthy eating habits? Check out this guilt-free guide to becoming a positive role model by Registered Dietitian Maryann Jocobsen who offers 5 simple and practical tips. My favorite one – don’t try to be perfect! Food is not just nutrition and a set of rules, but also about enjoyment. It is important to help your child build a positive relationship with food. Also remember that it does not happen in a day, or a week or even a few months. This is truly a long-term project!

What are some of your favorite tips in getting your kids to eat healthy?

Enjoy your weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source -baronsquirrel on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Imagine driving through a busy intersection that has no traffic lights. Instead there are boards showing the driving rules in large print that you must read and quickly understand so you can pass through safely. And to make things worse, every intersection has different rules even though the boards look pretty much the same from a distance. It would be a disaster!

I think this is exactly the case with food labels. They all look the same but they pack a lot of information that you are supposed to digest (pun intended!) so you can make a healthy choice. And remember, all the bad stuff is usually hidden in the fine print on the label! Let us say your grocery cart on your weekly shopping trip has about 50 different items. Even if you spend just 1 minute trying to figure out the food label, it would take you almost an hour just to read and understand the information. Add to that all the walking through the aisles you need to do to get everything on your list, and you can be sure to spend your entire Saturday afternoon in the store. And if you have a screaming toddler trying to jump out of the cart, then simply forget it! You will likely look for the same items and brands every week without even looking at the label.

Traffic lights work because they are simple and easy to understand. The red-yellow-green lights have become a part of our nature. This leads to automatic action, which by habit and practice, is the correct action (in most cases, unless you are drunk!). So why not use the same idea and make the decision-making simple when it comes to food shopping?

I was really excited to learn that this is exactly what many supermarkets in the UK have started doing for their store brands. The standard nutrition label has not gone away, rather there is a simple color chart on the front panel of the package showing in red-amber-green, the levels of fat, saturated fat, salt and total sugars. We know that if we want to eat a healthy diet, one of the key things we should be doing is trying to cut down on fat (especially saturated fat), salt and added sugars. The message from the traffic light label is simple and clear – choose foods that show more “greens” than “reds” if you are trying to decide between two similar products.

One of the early adopters of the traffic light labeling system recommended by UK’s Food Standards Agency (similar to our FDA) was the Sainsbury supermarket chain, which now has nearly 5000 of its own branded food products showing this front-of-pack multiple traffic light (MTL) nutritional labeling. Even better, they have now developed a new ‘Just for Kids’ multiple traffic light labelingspecifically for the nutritional requirements of children.  This is based on Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) for 4-6 year olds. Not surprisingly, the consumer response has been overwhelmingly positive. In a recent survey, 92% of the customers found the MTL labeling easy to understand and 54% felt that MTL labeling, rather than the corresponding GDA approach, gave the“best at-a-glance indication of the healthiness of the food”. In another survey, they found that out of those aware of the MTL labeling, 57% said the symbol has helped them eat more healthy, with 17% saying it helped them eat ‘a lot more’ healthy. Clearly, the system works for most consumers.

Not everyone is equally excited of course. I was browsing through the comments on a blog post by Andrew Wadge of the FSA on this topic. Some find it too simplistic and arbitrary. Others see it as a tool to pressure the food industry to adopt a new labeling requirement. One particularly interesting criticism was that the color coding system does not work for color blind people!

Surely, this cannot be a substitute for the detailed nutrition information label. In addition to avoiding the bad stuff, we need to also look for the good stuff like proteins, vitamins and minerals. Still, I think that such a system, if adopted by the food companies here at home, could make life easier for us busy people. What do you think?

Here are a few links if you want to learn more:

1. A detailed overview on Netmums.com
2. An article on food labels from FSA
3. Sainsbury’s traffic light labeling system
4. Traffic light label adopters in UK