Another Study on Childhood Nutrition That Belongs in the “Duh” File

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:36:25 +0000

As a chiropractor who has been practicing a natural, non-invasive health approach for over 25 years, I find that plenty of “medical research discoveries” belong in my “Duh” file, if not my circular file! As a case in point, according to one recent finding by U.S. researchers, most preschool children develop a taste for salt, sugar and fat at home, and quickly learn which types of brand-name fast foods and sodas meet these preferences. Duh, you think? Where does any child learn what and how much to eat?…at home. How early do they learn it?…immediately. From the first decision a mother makes as to whether or not to breast feed her baby, to the quality and quantity of the baby food she provides, a mother (or equivalent caregiver) teaches the child about “taste.”

With fast foods so prevalent, and additives adulterating many products, and parents (or caregivers) often choosing convenience or “price value” over “food value,” is it any wonder that children, aged 3 to 5, prefer foods high in sugar, fat and salt? And, with kids watching TV commercials that make “bad food” look not only good, but “fun,” is it any wonder that preschool children exhibited an emerging awareness of brands of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Parents need to carefully consider the types of foods they give to young children at home and in restaurants,” said study co-author T. Bettina Cornwell, a professor of marketing at the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business. Duh!

Technorati Tags: childrens health research, fast food, fats in diets of children, new study food preferences of children, salt, sugar

Calorie Countdown

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:51:07 +0000

I have to say, as a chiropractor who’s been “preaching” a healthy lifestyle to my patients for years, I was thrilled when I read last year about New York’s becoming the first U.S. city to mandate that fast food restaurants post calorie counts in large type on menu boards. I figured it wouldn’t be long before other cities would follow suit and that eventually I could take down the posters in my chiropractic clinic that remind my patients that “you are what you eat.” In fact, the system has since become a model for similar rules intended to combat obesity and promote good nutrition being implemented in California, other parts of New York state, the cities of Seattle and Portland, and elsewhere.

But, a new study by researchers at New York University and Yale University that analyzed fast-food purchases by 1,156 adults at Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s and Wendy’s immediately before and after the rule went into effect has shown that perhaps simply shedding light on the high calorie content of fast food may not be enough to dissuade the majority of fast food consumers, especially in low-income neighborhoods. The percentage of people aware of the calorie information increased from 16 percent to 54 percent, but the number of calories purchased was slightly higher than before the rule was implemented, researchers found.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the study may have been done too soon after the rule went into effect and before all fast food restaurants were in compliance. But, I think that much more education is necessary to let people know exactly how those particular calories will affect their health and longevity. And, there needs to be more healthy options for lower income families,

Technorati Tags: calories, fast food, health, longevity

My 2 Bits » fast food

Another Study on Childhood Nutrition That Belongs in the “Duh” File

Calorie Countdown