Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 3, 1995 TAG: 9505060009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELIZABETH SIMPSON AND MARY FLACHSENHAAR LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Then, too, there are the younger diners.
Carolanne Guido remembers the day she tried to fool her family out of a fatty dessert. She served Jell-O instead of an ice-cream sundae.
``They all just laughed at me,'' remembers Guido, of Virginia Beach.
But she didn't give up. Guido came back another night with the same Jell-O - layered this time with whipped cream and big chunks of fruit. Her husband and five children still laughed, but this time they dug in.
Mom scores again in the great American battle to get kids to eat healthy. Or at least healthier.
If you think good eating takes as much sleight-of-hand as it does nutritional know-how, you're not alone.
Even though parents know more today about nutrition than they ever have, there's also more working against them: Most have less time than their parents did to drum up family meals. Tempting convenience foods often are loaded with preservatives, sodium and fat. And, less-active children constantly are bombarded by commercials for hot dogs, sugary snack cakes and the latest fast-food combo meals.
A recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that obesity among children is increasing at an even faster rate than among adults. Another study, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says one in five teenagers is overweight. And that their eating habits often put them on a collision course with cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure when they're adults.
``The teen years are second only to infancy as the period of most rapid growth in a person's life,'' says Sheah Rarback, a pediatric nutritionist with the University of Miami School of Medicine and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
``The growth spurt might last two to four years, and during that time a girl could grow 9 inches in height, a boy 10. In that time, they could put on as much as 50 percent of their ideal body weight.''
All that growing requires lots of calories. An active boy can eat up to 3,000 calories daily; an active girl, 2,200. To facilitate bone growth, both need 1,200 milligrams, or four servings, of calcium daily.
Yet, ``Fast food is the biggest influence in how teens in this country eat,'' says Sue Luke, a dietitian in Charlotte, N.C., and also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. When Norfolk nutritionist Frances Casper visited local high-school cafeterias a couple of years ago, she was not surprised that many kids trashed the fruit and vegetables that were served with the burgers and fries.
Casper, who works with overweight teens, says television is as evil a nutritional villain as fast food. Not only is the TV-watching teen inactive; she's likely to be munching and sipping as she sits glued to the tube and all the food cues it delivers. At the same time, TV sends the message, via stick-skinny models and actresses, that a girl can never be too thin.
Still, there are ways parents can help their kids eat better, nutritionists say. Here are some tips from the experts on getting your teens and kids to eat right:
Make nutritious snacks available. Some suggestions are hearty muffins, whole-grain crackers and cereals, fruit, cheese, yogurts, sliced raw vegetables with low-fat dressing for dipping, baked tortilla chips with salsa, graham crackers, vanilla wafers and pretzels.
Nutritionist Sheah Rarback of Miami recommends filling ``the front line'' of the refrigerator with ready-to-eat foods that are easy to grab.
Make breakfast foods convenience foods by keeping it quick and simple. Those who dislike traditional breakfast foods might prefer leftover pizza, macaroni and cheese, a PB&J sandwich or meatloaf.
Eat together when you can. The meal should be a time to relax and enjoy one another's company, not a time to argue and criticize. Plus, the best way kids learn good eating habits is to watch their parents.
Offer healthy alternatives, but don't force-feed your kids. Serve at least one or two foods your child will like, especially when you're introducing a food. And don't push adult-sized portions at kid-sized stomachs.
If at first you don't succeed, don't toss in the vegetable peeler. Kids might not like a fruit or vegetable one way, but they might try it with a different sauce or low-fat topping.
If your kids won't eat, don't sweat it. They'll eat when they get hungry. Have nutritious snacks ready when they decide to give up the fast. But don't turn into a short-order cook at the dinner table.
Don't worry if kids get on a one-food craze. Kids' appetite levels and tastes in foods change over time.
Encourage children and teens to take responsibility for their own well-being. Instead of lecturing them to eat more fruit, invite them to shop with you to pick out fruit they like.
Set an example by eating sensibly. Parents who eat a lot of junk food send the wrong message, but so do parents who are always on a diet or eat nothing but nonfat and low-fat foods, nutritionists say.
Make foods kid- and teen-friendly. To peel and eat a whole orange out of the fruit bowl takes too much time. But add cut-up fruit to the plate and the kids will vacuum it up. Or add fruit to a blender shake of milk and frozen yogurt for a snack. Have vegetables cut up and ready to eat, and find a low-fat dressing for dipping. Or try peanut butter on celery for after-school snacks.
Let them eat cereal. Kids and teens seem to eat enormous amounts of cereal, which is fine. The Food Pyramid recommends six to 11 servings daily from the bread-and-cereal group. Just make sure you stock wholesome varieties and not the pink and sugary ones.
Encourage your sedentary child or teenager to be more active. The more active he is, the less chance he will eat out of boredom.
Talk to your teen. Often, an unhappy adolescent will turn to food for comfort when what she needs is to talk out her feelings.
Don't label food as good and bad. If you prohibit certain foods, you make them that much more enticing to children.
Don't pull out the old "clean-your-plate" line. Left alone, kids are more likely to eat the amount that's good for them. Cleaning their plates can start the habit of eating past the point of being hungry.
Get the kids involved in making dinner. Even 3- or 4-year-olds can help set the table or add ingredients, with help from Mom or Dad.
Keep food at the table. Once kids start eating meals in front of the television or on the run, they don't concentrate on the food as much. They lose track of how much they're eating, which can lead to overeating.
And finally, don't use food as a comforter. Doing so can lead to a lifetime of poor nutritional habits and weight problems.
The accompanying collection of recipes is compiled by and for teenagers and kids. Toni Patrick deserves credit for literally coming up with ``101 Ways to Make Ramen Noodles'' (C&G Publishing, Inc.). Admittedly, some treatments are more inspired than others, but what do you expect from a squiggly pasta staple that costs an average of 10 packages for $1?
``Come Cook With Me! A Cookbook for Kids,'' by Pamela Smith and Carolyn Coats (Thomas Nelson Publishers) offers cute illustrations and ample opportunities to get younger folks involved in meal planning and preparation, including some good safety precautions.
And aspiring chefs Ebony Rainey of Orlando, Fla., and Ronald Mendoza of San Jose, Calif., grand-prize winners of the sixth annual National High School Recipe Contest held recently at Johnson & Wales University, show that teen cuisine can be as haute as you want it.
Recipes for:
Ramen Brat
Squash Fans
Chocolate Chinos Ramen
Peanut Butter-Chocalte Ramen Bars
Blue Cheese and Ham Cornmeal Biscuits
Sunny Sandwich
Peaches and Cream Shake
- ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS FOOD EDITOR ALMENA HUGHES CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY
This is another in a series of stories on nutrtition compiled by the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot & The Ledger-Star
by CNB