Kids Health, proper nutrition and supplements to prevent obesity

Child concentration Overcoming Obesity Healthy eating for kids

Health & Wellness: A Food & Supplement Perspective For Kids

Now more than ever, parents are in search of ways to stave off rising childhood obesity rates, assuage food allergies and prevent the onset of developmental conditions.

The news is sobering: our children are dangerously overweight and sedentary. Researchers warn that drastic changes must be made before bad food and lifestyle choices irreversibly erode a child’s longevity and quality of life. The good news is that there’s been forward progress by the food and beverage industry, health officials, schools and parents to enact positive change. Ingredients used to manufacture foods and beverages have been beefed up with healthier nutritional profiles touting high fiber, whole grain and improved vitamin and mineral contents. Marketing efforts used to promote kid-friendly foods and beverages have also changed, thanks to the realization that parents are more carefully scrutinizing what their children are consuming, both visually on the television and at mealtime. And on an everyday level, school lunch menus have been retooled to include healthy food and beverage options, while excluding sugary sodas in an effort to put children back on the road to healthier living. The bad news is that there’s still a long way to go from here to better your kids health.

Diabetes, Obesity and Kids Health Article The Food & Beverage Connection

The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report “Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?,” released in September, confirmed one-third of American children are obese or are at risk of becoming obese. In fact, the rate of childhood obesity inched up from 16% in 2002 to just over 17% in 2004, and is forecasted to reach 20% in four years. As it stands now, one in five children in the U.S. will be obese by the year 2010. Sugar, fat, sodium and portion control continue to be the key culprits in the battle against childhood obesity, but Alison Kretser, senior director, nutrition and health policy, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Washington, D.C., asserts that food and beverage manufacturers are doing more to guide consumers along the path of meeting dietary guidelines. “Manufacturers use sugar, sodium and fat to make foods more palatable, but now we know it’s about the type of fat versus the amount, so the industry is reformulating with healthier fats,” she says. “Plus, there are a lot of new products and re-formulated products designed for improving health. We have seen an increase in the number of products that provide whole grains, for instance, as well as low-fat dairy products.” She points specifically to the yogurt category where there has been a tremendous upswing in products designed for children vis-à-vis smaller portion sizes, kid-friendly flavors and packaging designed for smaller hands and lunchboxes.

“Most food companies have been taking a functional foods approach to re-marketing their existing products,” says James Richardson, PhD, director cultural insights at Bellevue, WAbased The Hartman Group Inc., which recently published the report “Children’s Wellness 2006: At the Intersection of Hope & Anxiety.” “Some have developed ‘functional’ lines with added nutritional ingredients designed to mimic the effect of supplements that have been on the market for years. We have not witnessed a significant reduction in legacy products from company portfolios, although emphasis on innovation has clearly shifted to ‘healthy’ new product development across the board. Most large companies tend to focus on ‘health’ innovations that the mid-level of the ‘Wellness World’ would not find that impressive (e.g. no trans-fat, all natural, low sugar).”

The re-labeling of foods like sweetened breakfast cereals advertising claims of “whole grains” or “high fiber” are successful at giving parents peace of mind, while appeasing their kids’ wants. “Cereal is a tough category, one where parents and kids are more likely to fight it out,” says The Hartman Group’s Michelle Barry, PhD, senior vice president, Consumer Insights & Trends. “Getting breakfast into kids is tough enough. Parents want their kids to get a good start in the morning so that they’ll have the energy to get through the day.” Dr. Barry adds that if children are determined to consume a pre-sweetened cereal, parents may concede with some peace of mind if the product offers some modicum of nutritional benefit t their kids health.

A clearer example of how food manufacturers are endeavoring to reinforce the notion of portion control is best evidenced in the expanded usage of “100 Calorie” packs, which Ms. Kretser deems to be a helpful educational tool for consumers, helping them remember and recognize what constitutes an appropriate portion size when later faced with a multiple-serve product.

Food allergies are another mounting concern for parents with their kids health. In 2003, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that food allergies impacted 6-8% of children. Flash forward to the present and that number seems small, especially to the growing number of parents with children who have egg, milk, wheat, soy and nut intolerances, prompting them to search for natural and organic specialty food substitutes. The demand for specialty foods has also been impacted by parents distressed by the prospect of developmental concerns related to the consumption of artificial chemicals and hormones found in staple foods.

A Place for Supplements?

When it comes to the use of nutraceuticals for kids health &wellness needs, a parent’s own usage behavior is often the best indicator of how they will care for their children, says Hartman Group’s Dr. Barry. “If the parents tend to be more preventive-minded and savvier about food ingredients and supplements, they tend to pass those behaviors on to their children,” she says. “We do see that there is more preventative action in things ranging from vitamins and green supplements to experimental use of homeopathy.”

Learn more about Kids Health Essentials

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