Overweight and obesity in children have become the most prevalent nutritional problems in the United States. Since 1980, the rates have doubled for children and tripled for teenagers. More than 15% of all children 6 – 19 years of age are overweight. More than 23% of African American and Mexican American teens are overweight. To get children interested in food and meals, involve your child in the kitchen, meal planning and grocery shopping. Having children involved in meal preparation will increase the likelihood of their trying new foods. They will be interested in trying food they have helped prepare. To cut down on constant snacking (grazing), eat meals around the kitchen or dining room table at set times. When preparing family meals, think about cutting down on fat and sugar and increasing fruits, vegetables and fiber. Here are some suggestions for substitutions in meal planning and preparation: Substitutions: Instead of Use Butter, margarine, cream cheese Lite butter,
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How to lose belly fat. margarine or cream cheese Mayonnaise Lowfat or fat-free mayonnaise Frying Baking, sautéing, grilling Whole milk Skim or lowfat milk Cheese Lowfat and reduced-fat cheese Cookies Animal crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers Ice cream Fruit bars, lowfat frozen yogurt, sugar-free Popsicles White bread Whole-grain bread Soda, punch, fruit drinks, sport drinks Water and 100% fruit juice Sugared cereal Whole-grain cereal Candy bars, chocolate Dried fruit, fruit cocktail, cinnamon apple sauce Healthier diet of young children Pennington Nutrition Series Healthier lives through education in nutrition and preventive medicine Using the MyPyramid to feed your child The MyPyramid way of eating can also be used to plan children’s meals. A child-sized serving is one-fourth to one-third of an adult serving size.

Teen-agers need full adult servings. The MyPyramid food groups are: Food Group Ages 3-6 Years* Ages 6-9 Years* Bread, Cereal, Rice 3-7 servings 1/2 slice 3/4 slice and Pasta Group 1/4 cup 1/3 cup 1/2 cup dry cereal 3/4 cup Vegetable Group 2-6 servings 1/4 cup cooked vegetable 1/3 cup cooked vegetable 1/2 cup raw vegetable 3/4 cup raw vegetable 1/4 cup vegetable juice 1/3 cup vegetable juice Fruit Group 2-4 servings 1/4 cup fresh, frozen or canned 1/3 cup fresh, frozen or canned 1/2 cup medium fruit 3/4 cup medium fruit 1/4 cup fruit juice 1/3 cup fruit juice 2 tbsp dried fruit 3 tbsp dried fruit Milk Group 4-6 servings 1/2 cup milk 3/4 cup milk 3/4 oz. natural cheese 1 oz. natural cheese 1 oz. lowfat or fat-free 1 1/2 oz. lowfat or fat-free processed cheese processed cheese Meat Group 2-5 servings 1/2 oz. lean meat 3/4 oz. lean meat 1/2 egg 3/4 egg 1 1/2 tsp peanut butter 2 tsp peanut butter 2 tbsp dry beans 3 tbsp dry beans 1/4 cup nuts or seeds 5-6 tbsp nuts or seeds *Another measure for serving food is to serve a tablespoon for each year of child’s life. Snack time Snacks are important part of a child’s diet. It is important to understand that young children need more frequent meals than adults, and they need snacks between meals to support growth and development. A mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack can increase a child’s intake of dairy, fruits and vegetables. When the snacks are planned, the child will most likely have a healthier snack. Also, having snacks will cut down on the feeling of hunger and less likelihood of overeating at mealtimes by going for second helpings.

Use MyPyramid Here are some ideas for healthy snacks: milk lowfat fruited yogurt string cheese instant pudding made with nonfat milk frozen fruit bars fresh fruit (peeled and cut up) fruit juice individual servings of applesauce or canned fruit raisins dried pineapple rings cut-up vegetables with lowfat salad dressing baby carrots graham crackers pretzels dry cereal vanilla wafers animal crackers soft pretzels chicken taco half of a grilled cheese sandwich healthy snacks Author: Heli Roy, PhD, RD, Associate Professor Louisiana State University Agricultural Center William B. Richardson, Chancellor Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station David J. Boethel, Vice Chancellor and Director Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service Paul D. Coreil, Vice Chancellor and Director Pub. 2903 (5M) 10/05 Rev. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. Breakfast: Cereal and milk with fruit on the side make a nutritious and filling breakfast. It is fast, nutritious and easy to prepare. Just make sure the cereal is made from whole grains and does not have a lot of added sugar and salt. You can do that by checking the list of ingredients carefully.

The FIRST ingredient on the label should be a whole grain. Cereals Made from Whole Grains Cheerios Wheat Chex Grape Nuts Healthy Choice Toasted Brown Sugar Squares Just Right with Fruit & Nuts Kashi Raisin Squares Mini-Wheats Bite-Size Frosted Mini-Wheats Frosted Mini-Wheats Muesli Golden Wheat Nutri-Grain Almond-Raisin Nutri-Grain Almond Oatmeal Crisp Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Crisp Raisin Oatmeal Crisp Oatmeal Squares Puffed Wheat Shredded Wheat Shredded Wheat & Bran Frosted Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Shredded Wheat Crispy ‘n’ Raisins Wheaties All Bran or High Bran Cereals 100% Bran Bran Buds All-Bran Extra Fiber All-Bran Original All-Bran Bran Flakes Multi-Bran Chex Complete Wheat Bran Flakes Complete Oat Bran Flakes Fiber One Oat Bran Oat Bran Flakes Oat Bran Flakes with Raisins Organic Bran with Raisins Raisin Bran Raisin Bran Flakes Whole Grain Wheat Raisin Bran Raisin Bran Total References: 1. Sothern, M. Schumacher, H. & Von Almen, TK. Trim Kids: The Proven Plan that has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight, 2001, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY. 2. Sothern, M., and Gordon, S. Prevention of obesity in young children: A Critical Challenge for the Medical Professional, Clinical Pediatrics, 2003, 42:101-111. 3. Kosharek, S.M. If Your Child Is Overweight: A Guide For Parents. 2nd Ed. 2003, American Dietetic Association. 4. Center for Disease Control, Prevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999- 2000, Accessed January 7, 2004, http://www.cdc.gov/ nchs/products/pubs/pubd/ hestats/overwght99.htm 5. Mullen, M.C., Shield, J. Childhood and Adolescent Overweight: The Health Professional’s Guide to Identification, Treatment, and Prevention. 2004, American Dietetic Association. The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a world-renowned nutrition research center. Mission: To promote healthier lives through research and education in nutrition and preventive medicine.

The Pennington Center has six priorities in research: 1. Clinical Obesity Research 2. Experimental Obesity 3. Functional Foods 4. Health and Performance Enhancement 5. Nutrition and Chronic Diseases 6. Nutrition and the Brain The research fostered by these divisions can have a profound impact on healthy living and on prevention of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis. The Division of Education provides education and information to the scientific community and the public about research findings, training programs and research areas, as well as providing educational events for the public on various health issues. We invite people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the exciting research studies being conducted at the Pennington Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If you would like to take part, visit the clinical trials Web page at www.pbrc.edu or call (225) 763-2597. Division of Education Phillip Brantley, PhD, Director Pennington Biomedical Research Center Claude Bouchard, PhD, Executive Director Visit our Web site: www.pbrc.edu Visit our Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com