One of the things that really bothers me about our obesity epidemic is the number of children and teens who are overweight and will be fighting health problems their entire lives. I believe that a lot of this problem stems from our strong emphasis on eating processed foods and sweetened drinks. These kids don’t have a clue what is causing their weight gain or how to fight it.
Of course, another one of the problems is we have almost completely done away with physical education (PE) in schools. Budget cuts at school districts have done away with most programs that got kids moving. A long with this is the foods that are now provided in school lunches. The whole emphasis is what tastes good for kids instead of what is good for them. This means highly processed, high carbohydrate meals that can set them up for a lifetime of being overweight or obese.
But it is not just the weight gain which is a problem. These high carbohydrate meals can also have other health effects as shown by a study recently done at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. This study took two groups of girls aged 9-14 and gave them two different diets. The first group received 43% of their calories from carbohydrates and the second received 57% of their caloric intake from carbs.
Effects Of A Low Carb Diet On Girls
After five weeks the results were startling. At the end of the trial the girls in the low carb group showed an improvement in lipids (fats) in their blood. That is, triglyceride and cholesterol levels decreased. These girls also saw an improvement in glucose control and insulin response. Both of these may have an effect on the possibility of diabetes in later life. Along with these results, this group also saw an improvement in reproductive hormones.
The results of this study are important because it shows that even a short term decrease in the amount of carbohydrates eaten can improve health. We know that a high carbohydrate diet in adults sets off a chain of unhealthy events. These include an increase in lipids (fats) in the blood along with an increase of blood glucose and insulin. These are all associated with an increased risk for obesity which can lead to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
The study is reported at the UAB website. The results were so striking that a further study with more girls is in the works. According to Krista Casazza, Ph.D, R.D., the lead author, learning about the role carbohydrates play in the development of children may help us to decrease risk factors for disease.
No Carb Foods Play A Role
If you have a child who eats a lot of foods which contains carbohydrates then this should be a wake up call that you can have an effect on their health later in life. We seem to have the idea that everything a child does should be fun, including eating. Food is not meant to be fun, it is meant to provide our bodies the nutrition they need to be healthy.
I hear all the time that school meal programs serve high carbohydrate foods because that is all the kids will eat. Well, that may be true. But with the obesity epidemic in our children, don’t we owe it to them to provide food that is going to keep them healthy. If we throw out the candy machines and soda machines in the schools, and then only provide good food, they will eventually eat it if they are hungry.
I grew up in a time when school lunches were supposed to be nutritious and not fun. Sometimes kids didn’t eat all their food, but we did not have the obesity problem we have now either.
Please leave a comment by clicking the comment link above if you would like to add your opinion. We can get healthy again if we all work together.
