By now, most people are aware that in our fight against chronic disease, the first order of business is to fight internal inflammation. While we think of this as being an adult problem, did you know it can actually start in childhood? As in adults, inflammation increases as weight increases, and since there are so many more overweight and obese children today, just like adults, they are experiencing Metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and even diseases like high blood pressure at alarmingly high rates. 1,2,3
The first place to look for the cause of inflammation is the diet. Studies show that the nutritional intake of most children is high in calories, but sorely lacking in nutrients. 4 Children’s intake of fruit juices, fruit drinks, and all types of desserts and sweets is high, but their intake of nutrient-dense vegetables is very low. 5 And only 10 to 14% of toddlers by age 18 months are consuming any deep yellow or green vegetables. But by age 24 months, on any given day, about 25% of toddlers consume potato chips or French fries.
Think about a typical kid’s menu in the United States — the general offerings are hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chicken fingers, mac ‘n cheese, and spaghetti with marinara sauce. Typically, the most common side dish is French fries, and the common beverage offerings are soft drinks or highly sweetened fruit drinks, like lemonade. And unfortunately, home eating is often not much better: a sugary cereal in the morning, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and fried chicken for dinner.
Many young people are not giving up the kid’s menu, even as they become adults. A recent conversation I had with my older daughters (who are in their early 20s) confirmed this. They described several of their peers who continue to eat almost all junk food and eat absolutely no vegetables — not even in a canned vegetable soup — not even an iceberg lettuce salad or piece of lettuce on their burger.
Unfortunately, the average kid’s menu, being very low in many key vitamins and minerals, high in sugar and fried foods, and almost devoid of fruits and vegetables ends up being the perfect prescription for promoting inflammation in the body.
For example, a 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that high intake of fried potato products such as chips and fries results in increased inflammation in the body and increased risk for heart disease. 6 Another study found that young adults who eat at fast food restaurants more than twice a week gain more weight and have a greater increase in insulin resistance in their early middle-age compared to those who eat fast food less than once a week. 7
So, the bottom line is that the poor eating habits of so many kids today are leading to earlier and earlier problems with chronic disease that only continues to build the dismal health statistics of adults. We really need a strong effort to break this cycle.
If you are pregnant or planning a family, there are some important steps you can take to improve your child’s acceptance of healthy foods. Next time, I will talk about those steps and will give some suggestions to parents who are struggling with how to get their children, who are already into bad eating habits, to eat healthier.
References
- J Adolesc Health. 2001;28:372.
- Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81:970.
- Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:523.
- Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003; 157:789.
- J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104(suppl):s22-s30.
- Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Mar;89(3):773-7. Epub 2009 Jan 21.
- Lancet. Jan 1, 2005.
[ Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute. Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet– containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body’s chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace. To learn more click here now.]
The first place to look for the cause of inflammation is the diet. Studies show that the nutritional intake of most children is high in calories, but sorely lacking in nutrients. 4 Children’s intake of fruit juices, fruit drinks, and all types of desserts and sweets is high, but their intake of nutrient-dense vegetables is very low. 5 And only 10 to 14% of toddlers by age 18 months are consuming any deep yellow or green vegetables. But by age 24 months, on any given day, about 25% of toddlers consume potato chips or French fries.
Think about a typical kid’s menu in the United States — the general offerings are hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chicken fingers, mac ‘n cheese, and spaghetti with marinara sauce. Typically, the most common side dish is French fries, and the common beverage offerings are soft drinks or highly sweetened fruit drinks, like lemonade. And unfortunately, home eating is often not much better: a sugary cereal in the morning, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and fried chicken for dinner.
Many young people are not giving up the kid’s menu, even as they become adults. A recent conversation I had with my older daughters (who are in their early 20s) confirmed this. They described several of their peers who continue to eat almost all junk food and eat absolutely no vegetables — not even in a canned vegetable soup — not even an iceberg lettuce salad or piece of lettuce on their burger.
Unfortunately, the average kid’s menu, being very low in many key vitamins and minerals, high in sugar and fried foods, and almost devoid of fruits and vegetables ends up being the perfect prescription for promoting inflammation in the body.
For example, a 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that high intake of fried potato products such as chips and fries results in increased inflammation in the body and increased risk for heart disease. 6 Another study found that young adults who eat at fast food restaurants more than twice a week gain more weight and have a greater increase in insulin resistance in their early middle-age compared to those who eat fast food less than once a week. 7
So, the bottom line is that the poor eating habits of so many kids today are leading to earlier and earlier problems with chronic disease that only continues to build the dismal health statistics of adults. We really need a strong effort to break this cycle.
If you are pregnant or planning a family, there are some important steps you can take to improve your child’s acceptance of healthy foods. Next time, I will talk about those steps and will give some suggestions to parents who are struggling with how to get their children, who are already into bad eating habits, to eat healthier.
References
[ Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute. Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet– containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body’s chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace. To learn more click here now.]