European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 05, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A amps Sharon Kilda changing children s eating habits by Mary Owen for the stars and strip Smerican kids have gone soft. They re fatter and less fit than those who came a. -. Generation before them. A  a 1 a v a Quot i parents blame the schools for cutting. Back on physical education classes. Teachers blame parents for allowing too much television. Youngsters look around and done to see too Many adults exe Sising. Or passing up burgers and Fries and wonder what 7 the fuss is Alf about. Why do we have fat kids in a fitness crazed a a a a a. American society the average 24 hours a week a. Grade Schopf child spends in front of the to has a lot to do with. It. Sedentary after school activities have replaced More Active play add. To this unsupervised random snacking Between real stand its easy to see How the calorie intake can exceed the output. And if the child s parents Are. Obese he has an 80 percent Chance of obesity with Orie Parent a 40 percent Chance a. A a. Should we be concerned about kids who drag themselves through adolescence into adulthood overweight and under fit. A. There is enough convincing evidence that Many adult he aft. Problems Are rooted in childhood an they Are enhanced by obesity. And the statistics on the effectiveness of Quot cd ring Quot adult obesity Are dismal. Despite the wealth of weight reduction programs and treatment centers available Success in getting to a desired weight and maintaining that weight for 5 years is enjoyed by Only 5 percent of the people who diet. What s the answer prevention if you Are concerned that your child is overweight talk with a your paediatrician or get advice from a dietitian be prepared to make some changes in your food habits and attitudes about food and exercise. If you Are ambivalent about your child s weight or your partner does not share your concerns you will set yourself and your child up for failure. A. Resist  to put your child. On a diet. This will cause greater problems in the Long run you. Wili be better off to implement More Subtle Butr significant changes that the entire family can live with. Start with taking Jook at when your family eats. If there is no Structure to meals or snacks establish. One. In her Book How to get your kid to eat but not too much Ellyn Satter says that in a study of 200 a a a a a a children in the san Francisco Bay area the Only dietary  distinguished fat from Hin children was that the thinner children had More Structure in their meals a and snacks. A a -���.�-. Quot a a a a a. A a a a. Hold firm to your  snack times a no food handouts no random eating. Plan meals that Are lower in fat and sugar but Don t 1 be morbid about it. An occasional bag of chips or piece of chocolate cake can be enjoyed by everyone. A the key is to strike a healthy balance Between -. A withholding those High calorie  allowing. Them. If your child or anyone in. The family for that. A a a matter feels deprived of the foods he likes then he will want them All the More you will probably then Start finding Candy wrappers in the washing machine and. Cleverly hidden stockpiles of goodies in the House. Some children like adults Are very sensitive to a a triggers that cause them to eat when they Are not. Really hungry. It is probably not a Good idea to keep a a Jar full of cookies on. The counter. There is nothing wrong with having one or two cookies As part of a. Meal or a planned snack. It is the haphazard a a eat because it s there Quot pattern of consumption that s the problem. -. A a a a \. Finally turn off the television while you re eating. If you Are. Trying to teach your child to enjoy his food to eat slowly and savor every bite and to recognize his internal cues of Huncker and satiety you absolutely cannot do it with headline news blaring in the background. You miss out tremendously both in a nutritional and a social sense when you Trade the a dinner table for a to tray., what about exercise Jane Fonda tapes or. Aerobic classes Are not the Way to go with kids fitness has to be fun a run in the playground a couple of afternoons a week at the swimming involvement in a  that your child enjoys Are Worth encouraging. On weekends plan a family walk or Bike ride. A. V a t to a a a As with the dietary , everyone in the family has to be an Active participant. If you Don t recognize a exercise As an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Your child wont either. Whatever changes you decide on make them permanent. Don t vacillate if what you Are. Doing is ,. Making you and your overweight child unhappy then something is very wrong. You will have to regroup it and decide on. A More positive  slowly and be patient. If you Are not sure where to begin seek the advice of a registered dietitian who can take a look at your family s eating habits and get you on the right track. A a. Mary Owen la a clinical dietitian at the . Army a 5th general. Hospital in bad Cannstatt Germany. A a a a 1 it s not the diet it s the to by Toni Tipton Quot Quot Quot _ los Angeles times -. _. My kids play a lot of video and. Computer games and they watch a fair n amount of television. But i be been j 3 hearing that children who. Watch a television Are fatter than kids who Don t. Should i a a. Change my children a diets to offset the . Spend at these activities. A.  ��77 t to Quot a it is not your kids diet it is the to obesity is a disease with multiple causes including family history a and diet but tack of activity is a major , cannot be Over stressed. In fact the link Between the _ Rise in childhood and adolescent obesity in the United states and increased television watching May be even stronger than once suspected according to a recently published study in the journal of the american dietetic association. Obviously if your children Are watching television or playing video games they Are spending less time in calorie burning activities. Such sedentary situations also promote snacking a especially on foods that Are High in sugar and fat it has also been suggested that television has a hypnotic effect on the . Decreasing metabolic rate a. A a. However limiting the number of calories your child receives or cutting Back on nutritious snacks should t be the goal says Mary Abbott Hess a registered Quot dietician and new president of the american dietetic. _ association. It a 5.1991 the Best approach to avoiding obesity in your children she says., is simply to turn off the to. A a a to her new Book a. Healthy head Start a worry. Free guide to feeding. Young children Henry Holt amp co. Inc. $24.95she says that growing children need snacks a i. The extra calories Are important for physical. Development. But she stresses that you should supervise what your children eat Between meals. Make sure that your children eat snacks at a. A designated time and place �?1 no sooner than two hours it before or after a Mam meal. She suggests that you offer nutrient dense snacks not treats to your children including fresh canned or dried fruit whole Grain cereals Popcorn and Graham  can be a Vita source of vitamins and minerals.,. The important thing to remember is that the snacks. Contribute to your child s total daily calorie needs arid. Therefore ought to include foods from each of the four food groups. A a a v a a a a a a a a snacks need to satisfy hunger without keeping your child from eating at regular Mealtimes. Above All says , avoid particularly sedentary activities Quot which Are  Good nutrition and physical development. A the amount of isolation and inactivity that Are encouraged by television watching is really Noton a child s beset interest a she says. A a a a. Sis Sharon Kilday the stars and stripes / 1 Page 15