The article suggests that fewer than 15% of daily calories should be consumed as added sugar (meaning sugars that are added to foods during processing or manufacturing).  There were some very disturbing numbers reported in the article about the disproportionately high rate of sugar consumption among Blacks. The article reports that  a survey conducted between 2005-2010 found that nearly 17% of Blacks (compared to 9% of whites) were heavy consumers of added sugar, that is, they consumed more than 25% of their daily calories from added sugar!

According to the article, the truth about sugar-sweetened drinks is that they are some of the biggest sources of added sugar.  Even drinking one 12-ounce can of soda daily increases the risk of chronic disease by one-third!

All this just underscores the importance of monitoring your child’s (and your) intake of sodas and other sugary beverages. We must change our children’s taste buds so that they are not craving sodas and will make better choices (like water) instead.

One tip Beccastone has found that may help you and your child to drink more water is to buy a pitcher with an “infuser”, which is an empty tube with holes that is attached to the top of the pitcher.  You can fill the infuser with fruit or vegetables like fresh raspberries, cucumber and oranges, just to name a few, and the flavor will seep into the water within hours and change its flavor. You can even add some herbs like mint or rosemary to add some additional flavors.

So talk with your child about drinking more water; it could mean a longer, healthier life.

Q: What can parents do to help ensure their kids have healthy hearts?

A: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US for men and women in all population groups. For African Americans, heart disease is more likely to be severe and at an advanced stage when diagnosed.

There are a number of things that parents can do to reduce the chances that their child will have heart problems as an adult. Physical inactivity in children can lead to obesity, and obesity can increase the chances that you will develop hypertension, high cholesterol, and possibly diabetes. These are all major risk factors that can lead to heart disease as an adult.

So my advice to parents is make sure your kids get plenty of exercise and eat healthy foods at both school and home. Parents should check to see whether there are vending machines at schools (or other places where their kids spend time) and what those machines are selling. If the machines sell only candy, chips, soda pop and other sugary drinks, ask the school to replace these items with fruit, vegetables, and other healthier alternatives. Even fruit juice can be high in sugar content and should be consumed in limited quantities. Give your kids healthy snacks that will see them through the day so they are less tempted to eat sugary or salty items.  This same advice holds true if kids are at home doing remote learning.  Parents should monitor kids’ intake of sugary foods.

In addition to diet and exercise, parents should encourage their kids not to smoke. The Surgeon General recently released a report warning about the increase in teen smoking and the immediate and long-term adverse health consequences. It should be required reading for every young person. The schools are trying to educate kids about the dangers of smoking. But parents need to re-enforce and support the school programs. Kids are still taking up this habit in junior and senior high school so the programs need to start early and continue.

Q: How much exercise should a child get each day? Is there a particular kind of exercise?

A: For most children, an hour a day is a good rule of thumb. It doesn’t have to be a particular type of exercise, although it should include some running or jumping. After school sports programs are a good idea as kids get older. Parents should also be alert if schools try to reduce costs by eliminating things like recess and physical education classes.  If kids are at home, maybe find some online exercise program for your kids’ age group.

Q: What are some of the early warning signs that your child may need to see a doctor?

A: If the child is short of breath and has trouble keeping up physically with his or her peers, a parent should take the child to see the pediatrician. The pediatrician can then refer the child to a specialist if necessary.

This brings up another point that a child should see the pediatrician on a regular basis and not just when the child is having a health crisis. At least once per year, children should have an annual check-up. Children should also be examined before they participate in any organized sport such as football, basketball, tennis, soccer etc. This gives the pediatrician a chance to screen for any obvious problems and determine whether further testing is needed.

Q: How does a parent know whether their child has a weight problem?

A: Ask the pediatrician who can calculate body surface area based on height and weight. There are also charts, which will show the normal ranges for particular ages. Even if a parent is not concerned about a child’s weight, it is a good idea to talk to the pediatrician generally about the child’s weight, diet and level of activity. Eating habits are formed when kids are young and if you get them to eat right at an early age, there is a much greater chance that they will not develop bad eating habits later on. For example, my own grandson never developed a taste for candy; he would much rather have fruit because that is the way he was fed from the beginning.

Q: Where can parents get more information about maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle?

A: I can’t emphasize enough that one of the main issues is diet. A diet high in fat, salt and sugar can lead to a narrowing of the arteries at any age and illnesses like kidney disease, heart disease, and diabetes. Some of the foods that African Americans have traditionally eaten might have been OK when we were doing hard physical labor, but they no longer fit today’s lifestyles and activity levels.

Here are a couple of suggestions where you can get additional information on diet. The American Heart Association has a website that contains lots of helpful information. Community health centers are another source of information as well as nutritionists and dieticians in the schools who might be willing to answer basic questions.

Note: Dr. Jesse E. McGee is a practicing cardiologist in Memphis, Tennessee and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. McGee previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Association of Black Cardiologists. Dr. McGee attended University of Iowa Medical School.

1. Integrate physical activity into everyday life
2. Increase the availability of healthy food and beverage options.
3. Change how nutrition and physical activity are marketed.
4. Make schools a focal point for obesity prevention.
5. Encourage employers and health care professionals to support healthy living.

Parents have a big role to play in preventing obesity by teaching their kids smart eating and exercise habits early in life and by modeling healthy behavior. To help parents develop strategies that work for their families, Beccastone asked a few of our parents what they do to encourage healthy habits.

Diet

The IOM report recommends making water available at all times to discourage drinking sugary sodas and juice drinks. A mom told us that she purchased an inexpensive but colorful water bottle for her child to take to school and other activities. The child even decorated the water bottle with stickers of her favorite cartoon characters. She carries it with her to school and on the bus and sips from it throughout the day.

Several moms said one of the ways they have improved their kids’ diets is to make sure they eat breakfast so they get off to a good start. Among the foods those moms mentioned as good breakfast choices that appeal to their kids are: oatmeal with fruit; low-sugar breakfast cereal and 2% milk; whole wheat bagels or English muffins with peanut butter and bananas; toasted waffles with fresh fruit; and yogurt with honey and with granola. Another mom said she always puts extra snacks in her kids’ backpacks in case they get hungry after school. This mom buys in bulk and puts snacks in small plastic bags so she can control portions and save money. Good snacks are foods like low-fat string cheese; unsalted nuts; peanut butter and crackers; fruits such as apples, grapes, and cherries; dry cereals (Cheerios and granola are popular); and yogurt. Eating regularly also prevents kids from getting too hungry and then overeating at the next meal.

An activity that is growing in popularity and combines exercise, nutrition and even a little science is vegetable gardening. Families that don’t have access to a plot of ground can use plant containers to grow herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. There are special plant varieties that grow well in pots. Kids enjoy eating what they have grown and might even get interested in learning how to cook meals using their homegrown herbs.

Kids spend most of their waking hours at school and the IOM report notes that many schools have vending machines that do not offer healthy snacks and drinks. Parents may be able to request that the school offer better choices or, if that’s not possible, ask the school to remove the vending machines altogether.

Nutrition

Several moms said they had made a conscious effort to learn more about nutrition so they could teach their kids to read and understand the labels on food and how to interpret portion sizes. They were surprised to discover that the labels often described calories and nutrients for portions much smaller than they or their kids were consuming. Reading labels and estimating portions put math and reading skills to practical use so the exercise serves multiple purposes. Mothers also talked about teaching their kids to make healthier choices at restaurants by reading menus more carefully and looking for any nutritional and calorie information about menu options.

Media Messages

The IOM report urges advertisers to change the way they market to children and adolescents and to market only foods and beverages that support a diet following the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans (for example avoid foods high in sugar, fat and sodium and replace them with fruits, vegetables and whole grains). Some parents of younger kids told us that they actively monitor the television programs their children watch and either avoid programs with a lot of advertising for candy, sodas and overly sweetened foods, or talk to their kids about the bad effects of that kind of food and alternatives that are available. It’s harder to monitor viewing habits of older kids, but some parents said they still talk to their teens and pre-teens about how and what to eat in order to counter the messages they may be exposed to via the media.

Physical Activity

The IOM report says kids should have at least 60 minutes of exercise per day and notes that very few schools meet this minimum requirement. So that means parents or caregivers should check to see what level of exercise their kids are getting at school and after school activities and decide whether they have to supplement a child’s exercise routine. Walking is an easy way to add more exercise to daily activities. One mom told us that she and her neighbors started walking with their kids to school every day and walking to more activities like church and the grocery store. It’s also nice to just take a walk with your child, especially in the summer when days are longer and schedules can be more relaxed.

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These are just a few ideas that parents might use to give their child the best chance of growing up healthy and staying that way. There are more very good ideas and information at a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services here. Please share with other Beccastone parents your thoughts on raising healthy kids by posting a comment on this article.