It seems like every now and then I stumble across studies related to Children’s health, Women’s health… you know, pretty much the stuff that I deal with every single day as a mother and each new study seems to disproves everything the so-called “experts” had been trumpeting up to that point.
As a busy mom of (soon to be four) children and a professional who works at home and tries to give her family the healthiest foundation possible. The topic of Feeding your kids the right way seems to have as many “right” ways as there are opinions about it. Ever since my daughter’s life was drastically improved by my fundamental change in nutritional understanding and the continued success of my ideas with my other children has led ME to think that I am on the right track.
I found this study on one of those ”let’s see what the board of pediatrics have to say today” specials. I have separated it in a series of ”Points”.
PLANT BASED DIET MAY REDUCE CHILDHOOD OBESITY: STUDY
A new study published in Nutrition Journal, studied 1764 healthy children and adolescents (age 6-19y) attending schools in Southern, CA to investigate the association between the risk of being overweight and the consumption of different food groups.
1: THE BATTLE OVER DAIRY
Researchers stated:
“This study has shown that specific plant-based food groups may have a protective role in preventing overweight among children and adolescents whereas dairy intake may be associated with an increased risk of overweight” said researchers Michelle Wien and Joan Sabaté led by Vichuda Mathews from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health at Loma Linda University in CA.-
Researchers have a good point. Plant-based foods do contribute in preventing weight-gain among children and adolescents. Dairy foods are biologically adapted to put as many calories into a young child as is possible to help prevent starvation, dehydration and to help promote growth. By default this food group is loaded with calories, and if you are forcing glasses of milk on your kid at every meal you are giving them a large increase in calories. If you then let them watch TV for 3 or 4 hours untill bed time then there is a good chance they are being over feed. So dropping dairy calories in favor of more usable and beneficial calories found in veggies, fruits, and meats is probably a good step.
On the other hand, these type of studies throw the baby out with the bath water. Stating that dairy intake increases obesity by listing things such as puddings, milk shakes and ICE CREAM as part of the dairy intake category in their studie is true only in the fact that all of these CONTAIN SOME DAIRY, but a statement like that also leaves some big issues to address. Foods like these SHOULD NEVER, by any means be considered DAIRY these are treats/sweets (its like observing drug addicts and noticing that they wear pants, then concluding ” There is a connection with addiction and wearing pants!”) I feel that this lack of common sence by the researchers makes the whole study questionable if not a waste of our time.
Conclusion:Sure, ice cream, if eaten more than occasionally, is going to make my kid obese because is made out of high caloric cream not real whole milk and is loaded with SUGAR, but is it the “cream ” which is potentially leading my kid to be unhealthy or is it the cream, sugar, and general lack of exercise? As a quick note I personally know someone who went through the Naval Special Warfare /Winter Warfare training in the Artic and he ate a full stick of butter at least 2 times a day (he was consuming about 9000 + calories a day then) and after a few weeks when the training was over he was leaner and stronger and felt better than before the huge uptick in his Dairy. While I am not advocating this type of eating it is worth noting that if you burn more calories you can consume more with or without dairy.
two: THE BATTLE OVER FAT
“Our findings [also] suggested that the intake of full fat dairy foods may be obesogenic, therefore it is important to continue to support public health guidelines that recommend the intake of reduced fat dairy products.”
How would fat-free milk be better than whole milk? it’s dairy at the end, only it has been “made better…” by the 70 years of research. In addition,some skim fat-free milk has added dry milk solids (gross) and not to mention that the good fat has already been skimmed out (to reduce calories), while the less beneficial but lower caloric proteins have been left . Drinking and eating very low-fat is extremely harmful, leading to a deficiency of fat soluble vitamins. trappers in the 1700 called the excess intake of lean meat “RABBIT STARVATION” and it was well-known to be as lethal as any form of starvation. Chriss Kresser author of the Healthy Baby Code makes a remarkable solution in his article Why eating only lean protein is a bad idea to avoid letting your body from “withdrawing” fat soluble vitamins stored in your liver in order to absorb the proteins:
“The solution, of course, is to eat fat with your protein. This means enjoying fattier cuts of meat (i.e. 15% fat ground beef instead of 3%), always eating eggs with the yolks, drinking full-fat milk instead of low-fat or non-fat, and avoiding highly processed protein powders and other supplements.”
It does matter if your chocolate milk is fat-free or not what matters more is that we stop accepting the idea of A Chocolate Milk with no hesitation. Fat is what keeps you alive and makes our higher thinking possible. don’t be scared of fat just for fats sake. Rather use is for what it is. If you think you or your family are eating to many calories don’t find a “mad science’ way to keep eating the way you are eating. Look at the problem if milk, or beef, or pork are too fatty, maybe I should look elsewhere for our calories. Try lamb or game bird, drink water or tea. The trend in the last 20 years as been to try and make all our food “Fat-Free” As a mother who breast-fed and uses whole goats milk untill 8-9 months all I can say is, SCARY
3: THE BATTLE OVER GRAINS AND NUTS
“Greater consumption of grains significantly decreased the likelihood of overweight”
“Nut intake significantly decreased the likelihood of overweight”
The researchers reported that the intake of grains have protective effects on the risks of overweight, they found no significant differences in risk of overweight for fruits,meat, fish and eggs and an increased likelihood of overweight for dairy . Eating more grains, nuts and vegetables is a fair advise! except DID THEY JUST FORGET ABOUT ALL THE SUGAR AND CHEMICALS found in the “FOODS” they are considering in the study? foods like Box cereals, muffins, french toast, waffles, and pop-tarts are not “grains” and certainly not real food, lucky charms might increase your luck of “fat charms” when you find out they have corn syrup, artificial flavors and all kinds of chemical rant names. Not to mention the fact that many more people than previously thought have allergies to different Nuts and Grains.
” Grains, nuts and peanut butter (which they count as a nut in the study ) are less costly than many animal based foods and are enjoyed by most children and adolescents.”
This is VERY TRUE! grains, seeds and nuts keep many people alive that would otherwise die of starvation. But let’s be reasonable. If your family is so poor (as many are where I am from) that all they can afford is rice, beans and some bread, EAT IT!!! Eating healthy is only useful as long as you are ALIVE. After death I would bet good money that the rules on nutrition change. But here in the U.S.A only a small fraction of the population is actually in danger of starving to death. In the cases of my family, we are below the “poverty” line and qualify for “food Assistance”. The government GIVES us money to buy food. Granted it is not enough to eat the way we want all the time, but we make real choices and cuts in other areas of our lives to make sure that food (you remember the thing you live off of?!!) is a top priority for our budget planning. I can see why Peter Pan peanut butter sandwich is a favorite among children and adults. It is cheap, easy to make, really doesn’t go bad and it contains sugar and salt (tastes good) and keeps the kids quite where a handful of carrots or brocoli is a fight to get the kids to eat it, goes bad in a week and caloric pound for pound is more expensive. But using these arguments as a reason for a life time of malnutrition and disease is a very short-sighted argument. The 30 dollars you saved buying Bread not Meat, or the Chips instead of the Fruit will end up costing you and your family in the long run, and the price might be more than you want to spend.
4: CONCLUSION. A SERVING OF HALF SADNESS AND HALF TRAGEDY.
All of the foods with the exception of diet soda and three non-conforming foods were classified into seven food groups by a Registered Dietitian:…”
So let’s pound 20 diet cokes a day with no problem, but if you eat a stick of butter you might die of heart disease. As my Husband might say…”Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot!”
The groups were classified as: dairy, grains, nuts, meat, vegetables, fruits and low-nutrient foods (punch, donuts, sweet roll, chips, French fries, other fried potatoes, candy bars, other candy bar, cookies, cake, pie, twinkie, popsi- cle)
Using two logistic regression analysis models controlling for gender, type of school and soda intake with or without further adjustment for other food groups, we observed a consistent relationship and significant linear trend for the intake of grains, nuts and LNDF (low nutrient-dense foods] and likelihood of overweight” said researchers.
Pizza was one of the foods considered as a half serving of meat and half grain ( ”meat” foods were real wieners, fried chicken,bologna, ) chili and stew were combinations of half serving meat and half vegetable with no mention made of chilies loaded with High Fructose Corn Syrupe and sugar or home-made healthy chili. Combination of half LDNF and half dairy was an ice cream bar while an ice cream cone was half LDHNF and half grain .
They are telling us to not let our children eat ice cream but that low-fat ice cream cone covers a serving of dairy and grain both recommended!… healthier choice, I think not!
pizza is bad but a Pop -Tart is not. Having a muffin for breakfast, fried chicken for lunch and a candy bar and you’ll be obese (of course you will), but the study insists that if you eat cereals, and grains with fat-free milk and no LNDF and only meat with as little fat as scientifically possible you will become thin and healthy.
Even the surgeon general has began to come around to the fact that this advise is hogwash. You might end up “thinner”, but never healthier.
WHAT THEY RECOMMEND “AFTER ALL???”
We recommended plant-based foods as one sensible approach for the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents. Plant-based dietary patterns should be encouraged and promoted in the school food programs at the local and national levels.” they concluded, based on surmounting evidence that shows that a vegetarian diet can provide a healthy alternative lifestyle at any age.(7)
Researchers finished by adding improved “Food policy at local, national and international levels is warranted to ensure that plant-based foods are affordable,accessible and a desirable selection among children and adolescents”
Right, the affordable and accessibility of “GOOD” food to low-income parents is a black mark on the U.S.A. We could easily ensure that food quality was much higher.Personally I would be overcome with joy if I walked into a store and found that veggies, meats, fruit and even unprocessed grains could be bought for what it costs to buy frozen pizza, mac and cheese and top ramen, but as I have mentioned in other posts, while it is not easy or convenient we as consumers do have a say in our options. That is one of the great things about capitalism. If we scrimp and save, denying ourself the luxury of that big screen tv, or the second car (which my family 5 almost 6 DOES NEED) and other “new” necessities we can fight back and pay more for what we feed our children. We can demand that they get rid off the junk food at schools (yes the schools will lose the money they get for having it there but and I hate to say if maybe we could give more to the schools and less to the Walmarts’) a simple rule of good parenting, pack your kid’s lunch. feed them yourself or don’t complain about how they eat.
Good Morning America Health hosted Resident Food and Coach Registered Dietitian Cynthia Sass to talk about the study and how to help your kids eat more healthfully.
This is the icing on the cake, literally going bad
When asked: Why are plant-based foods so protective in avoiding weight gain among children? she replied:
Well, that was another interesting thing when I read the study,the researchers of course are not a 100% sure why, because the study really looked at the association not really at direct cause and effect, but what they said is that these 3 food groups{grains, nuts, and Veggies} tend to be very satiating…so they may naturally curve your intake later in the day, so if a child has some good old fashion [???] as a snack versus a cookie they may feel more satisfied by that, stay fuller longer and then may delay the return of their hunger or they may naturally eat less later.
Adding later than
“these foods have been shown to boost metabolism allowing you to burn more calories.”
Furthermore when asked about reduced fat dairy intake she added:
“It’s ok for a 2-year-old and above to have skim milk, or they can go to a dairy alternative of course like a soy milk or something like that”
Switching to skim milk ( as mentioned before) or soy milk is for instance not recommended. Soy IS NOT A HEALTH FOOD. Some of the health risks of drinking soy: malnutrition,digestive distress,thyroid dysfunction,cognitive decline,reproductive disorders,infertility,birth defects among others.
I want parents to be aware of the dangers of soy. I made a huge mistake with my oldest daughter by feeding her soy milk base formula and consequently soy products directed by the doctors, the results were disheartening. however once i had cut out all soy products i notice improvements almost at once. and this is not uncommon! so don’t make my mistake!
If you’d like to read more about the truth behind soy you can check out Dr. Kaayla Daniels and author of the book The Whole Soy Story or watch this video
“The good news about reduced fat milk is that it has all the calcium all the protein all the nutrients, the only difference that they call it skim milk, because they separate the fat out and they skim it off the top, so all the good stuff is left behind and that not so healthy fat that we want to avoid is removed”
She finalized by adding some healthfully tips of her own:
“Creating good happy family memories around healthy foods is one important strategy. I know a lot of kids growing up they are celebrating they go for ice cream or they go for pizza,but going for something healthy when you are celebrating can make a positive association between healthy foods and celebrations”
“If you naturally go for ice cream maybe do what we call a reversed banana split where you have more fruit and smaller scoops of ice cream”
This is closer, substituting less bad stuff for more good stuff is on the right track, but why even stop there? If your going to give your kids Ice Cream a couple of times a year (I give them a Sorbet) it will not directly lead to your childs obesity and untimely death. Give them some real whole milk organic ice cream. But it should never be a routine. Birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays these are not really reasons to give your kids junk food. if every year you have cake and ice cream on birthdays ( X 6 per year) your kids will grow up associating birthdays with ice cream! So instead of doing some weird half and half dance where they will still be getting ice cream (only now they think you keep the lions share for yourself) just figure out a healthy alternative. Figs and berries or cacao bars and coconut, be creative!.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
This is one of the menu examples from the “Nutritional Services Department” at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital
Check it out! So after all, my kids will be healthy if they eat more vegetables right?. No worry kids you can still devoured macaroni pasta(refine sugar) with fat-free cheese (chemically ripped) and sour vegetables (seasoned with a sauce that most certainly has sugar in it), served with mashed potatoes (more starch), a slice of fat-free cheesecake (with more sugar) with your favorite topping (chocolate if you want to pack on sugar) and a mango smoothie (perhaps with more corn syrup or sugar added, did I say more sugar???) and be healthy as a horse!! But what the heck,they are eating more vegetables in their macaroni right??
IS THIS A JOKE.
References:
Matthews et al. Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:71
Author details
of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA. 2Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING?
If you like me to review more studies or blog about something else shoot me an email or comment below! I’d love to hear your ideas and advises.
Have a wonderful day!
This is an awesome article! I am a wellness coach, and just shared it on our facebook page! Really well thought out and informative!
Thanks 🙂
Ali
You are welcome Ali : )
Sugar is plant-based.
Good timing! I recently posted about my article in the Sept/Oct issue of Paleo Magazine comparing the USDA recommendations for kids vs a Paleo diet. I created 2 example days of meals to compare so that people can SEE FOR THEMSELVES how the nutrients stack up. I also explain how it all comes together in a lot more detail in the article which can currently only be found in the issue of the magazine.
Check it out here:
http://balancedbites.com/2011/09/feeding-kids-usda-recommends-vs-paleo-diet.html
Diane,
You did such an amazing work with your article! It is encouraging to know that people like you are helping parents to find a healthier way to feed their kids. I highly recommend people to read this issue. For the record…I think you will do an excellent job as a MAMA : )
Thanks lady! If I ever go down that road, I think I’ll be pretty ready for it!
No suprises here. The researchers are from Loma Linda University. Loma Linda is the mecca of Seventh Day Adventists. Vegetarianism is one of the tenets of their religion,
That should have been — no surprises.
What an excellent article! Thank you. This will be really helpful when discussing nutrition with other people, and especially the ones with children.
I moved back to the US in 1999 after having lived in Europe for 7 years. My children were then 4 and 7. We signed them up for AYSO soccer. I was absolutely shocked at the snacks that were provided to the children by the other parents. Not one oreo per child but an “individual” pack of 6 oreos, a fruit flavored sugar drink, some fruit flavored candy and chips. When my oldest started middle school I was again shocked to learn that the school included fast food kiosks for lunch. Actual chains like Taco Bell had a concession on the campus. It was not possible to eat a healthy meal buying food at school. Is it any wonder that there is an obesity epidemic?
After reading your excellent article I would conclude that the corporate interests have to acknowledge that childhood obesity is a problem but don’t really want us to make any real fundamental changes in our diets. Changes that would undoubtedly reduce their profits. We can’t be passive consumers of food or of information. We have to do our own research, as you have done. After all who cares more about my children’s health than I do?
It never ceases to amaze me how someone can put so much effort into conducting a study that says virtually nothing relevant.
It’s the same thing every time:
“Well we found people/children who ate whole grains were healthier…but we didn’t control for whether those people were more affluent, more health conscious or anything like that…we also don’t differentiate between processed animal products loaded with transfat, preservatives and other chemicals, and real meat…and umm, yeah we did the same thing with dairy and so on. So yeah, our the implications of the research are pretty clear cut…”
What a joke.
I feel like I know more about nutrition and obesity then this lady… that’s sad. I’m a college dropout.