In my 5thpodcast, on Feb. 8, 2019, I introduced you to Amy Reed, Dietitian, MS, RDN, CSP, LD. Amy is a Pediatric Dietitian with over 18 years of experience at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who is now in private practice as well as working part time at Northeast Cincinnati Pediatric Associates. In podcast 5 she discusses her passion for children’s health and the role we, as parents, have in setting the right foundation for their lifelong journey with nutrition and fitness. What we feed them, what we make available to them, how we perceive food, nutrition, appearance, fitness, etc, all leave a lasting impression.
Amy reached out to me to discuss a hot nutrition topic. We start with some basic facts about children and nutrition.
· Just because a child looks underweight or overweight doesn’t mean they are.
· Each child has a different genetic makeup and will follow their own growth curve.
· You should offer healthy food to all your kids, regardless of their size, and teach them how to make healthy choices.
· Pointing out your child as having a weight issue can leave them with negative feelings about not pleasing their parents.
· Size stigma is a real issue for children. It means judging them on their size alone before getting to know them.
· Children are learning that calories are bad. They need to be taught that growing bodies need calories, calories are energy.
· Parents on extreme diets teach children that they will need to worry about their weight as adults.
· The earlier teens start to diet, the more likely they are to be in a weight cycle. They look at diet as a temporary thing. They lose some, gain more back then repeat that cycle.
· When you see a drastic weight loss, in a school age child, you need to find out how they got there. If you applaud the weight loss, you are cheering for the outcome without knowing if the weight was lost in a healthy manner. You could be reinforcing an unhealthy method such as starvation to lose weight.
· It is natural and okay for children to gain weight during puberty. Girls gain abdominal fat as their body prepares for eventual childbearing. Boys tend to gain more muscle mass. If you restrict calories at this time you could be hindering their growth or even their fertility.
· Sports specialization is happening at young ages. It can be a double-edged sword. It keeps select, competitive, athletes actively involved in practicing their sport. On the other hand, the children who enjoy playing but are not good enough to get on the select team can feel defeated and quit the sport entirely. The activity and enjoyment they got from sports is often replaced by sedentary pursuits.
· We need to encourage public access to recreational activities to reinforce the idea that activity is fun for everyone.
Today’s hot topic;
Kurbo, a new app launched by WW (formerly Weight Watchers)
Kurbo is an app targeted at children ages 8-17 to track their food intake and set goals for weight loss.
We all want our kids to eat healthy meals that fulfill the requirements for their growing bodies. At the same time, we want to teach them healthy habits about nutrition and exercise that will follow them into adulthood. On the surface, Kurbo may seem like a good idea and Weight Watchers, as a company, has helped many adults reach and maintain their desired weight. However, this app, designed for children as young as 8, has many aspects that could cause lifelong issues with weight and self-image. The program is based on a stoplight diet that was originally created in the late 90’s by Stanford University. It places food into three categories: Red for foods you should stop eating, Yellow for foods you should eat in moderation and Green for foods you can eat as much as you want.
· Children are encouraged to set goals which can be helpful. While having more confidence or more energy are positive goals, they can also choose “make my parents happy” or “look better in my clothes”. These types of goals are not healthy and can lead to eating disorders
· This app is based on weight loss not nutritious eating. Unless you teach your children nutritious eating habits, they will continually be on the weight loss cycle.
· Many foods that are healthy and give you energy are placed in the red category.
· Growing children need calcium but according to this diet plan, calcium rich foods are in the red category. Your kids would need to get all their calcium from things like kale or spinach and we all know how that would work.
· The app can be punitive in that if you eat too many foods in the yellow category, they become the red category.
· The app labels foods as good or bad. Children see things in black and white and will struggle their whole life if they feel like calories are their enemy and not the fuel they need for energy.
· The “experts” who are coaching your children are not doctors, dietitians or people in the medical field. They are experts in communication, tourism management, political economy and business. They have no medical experience and do not have access to medical records to determine what may or may not be healthy for your child.
Instead of using the Kurbo app:
· Don’t make everything about food or weight.
· Save negative self-talk for private conversations away from kids.
· Rather than restricting unhealthy foods, make healthy options more available.
· Model healthy behavior.
· Do not use food as a reward. Brainstorm other things that your child would like.
· If you are concerned about your child’s weight. consult a medical professional without your child being present.
Articles concerning adolescent weight loss and health:
https://www.amyreednutrition.com/blog/2019/5/6/dieting-is-not-a-family-activity
https://local12.com/news/good-morning-cincinnati/keto-diets-should-not-be-a-family-affair?fbclid=IwAR08x-ljRIw0_Kzx1FI7LLUPBX67Z7LWGFS8gxwBfQPTVuHZfRtK6sj0VdA
https://sunnysideupnutrition.com/wws-new-app-whats-the-big-deal/
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/3/e20161649
Amy Reed, MS, RD, CSP, LD
Pediatric Dietitian
Owner, Amy Reed Nutrition, LLC
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