I just finished the topic of pediatrics in my nutrition course, and really enjoyed it. Even though I don’t have kids, I found that a lot of the topics covered in the text (“Winning the Food Fight” by Joey Shulman) are relevant to everyone.
A piece of advice she gives throughout the book, which I totally love is that parents should lead by example. Your kids aren’t going to eat healthy if you keep filling the house with unhealthy foods, and don’t eat healthy yourself. Why would they choose raw veggies for a snack when they can have chips, or drink water when they can have a juice box or can of pop?
What exactly are these unhealthy foods? Shulman calls them ‘anti-nutrients’ because they don’t have any nutritional value, and can actually cause health problems (ie. cancer, Type II diabetes, asthma, behavioral problems and obesity to name a few). Here is list of widely used anti-nutrients that I think are the most important to avoid:
–Trans-fatty acids & hydrogenated vegetable oils: oils are heated up to make food taste better and last longer. Can cause a build-up of fat in arteries, increase bad cholesterol, damage cell membranes increasing risk of cancer, etc. Found in: margarine, regular peanut butter, cakes, cookies, crackers, French fries, potato chips, salad dressing, frozen foods
–Refined flour: processing strips away all the health benefits (vitamins, minerals & fiber) of whole grains, and causes blood-sugar to spike & than crash causing blood-sugar & insulin imbalances. Found in: white bread, white pasta, cookies, crackers, cereal, pretzels
–Food dyes: before the 1940s food dye came from natural plant sources (ie. beet juice & chlorophyll). Chemists soon developed a more cost-effective solution that has a longer shelf life: synthetic dyes. Eight dyes that are approved in Canada are:
Red #40
Blue #1
Blue #2
Red #3
Yellow #5
Yellow #6
Green #3
Amaranth
Fast Green
While none of them are great, the ones that seem to cause the most problems are the reds & yellows. Have you ever noticed what happens to your kids after they eat red candy or sugary cereals? They may go a little bonkers; “Parents report that after their children consume red or yellow dyes, symptoms of irritability, tantrums, belligerence, and antisocial behavior worsen”…other studies have shown “that food dye consumption can worsen behavioral problems such as attention deficit disorder (ADD)” (Shulman). Found in: candy, icing, bright colored cereals, toothpaste, juice, pop, ice cream, popsicles – read your labels!
–Refined sugar: processing removes all the vitamins, minerals & fiber from the sugar cane plant. Refined sugar is an addictive substance; causing withdrawal symptoms, excess sugar turns into fat, disrupts blood sugar & insulin balance, and weakens the immune system. Found in: candy, cookies, cakes, but also hidden in many other foods – ketchup, jams, cereal, juice, peanut butter
-Aspartame: food additive & toxic chemical used to sweeten foods in place of sugar. Can cause headaches, migraines, cravings for real sugar, anxiety, etc. Found in over 5000 products: baked goods, chewing gum, diet pop, juice crystals, candy
–MSG or monosodium glutamate (also called autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed yeast, vegetable protein or natural flavours): food additive & chemical that tricks your brain into improving the taste of food causing you to eat more. Can cause headaches, heart palpitations, stomach aches, hyperactivity, panic attacks, etc. Found in: soup stocks, sauces, frozen foods
–BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) & BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole): preservatives found in many common food items. Can cause cancer & tumor growth in lab animals and increase behavioral disorders (banned in certain countries). Found in: cold cuts, butter, beer, snack foods, gum, dehydrated potatoes
Sorry for the doom & gloom. Reading this list probably makes you feel a bit scared, overwhelmed, and helpless. Unfortunately a lot of processed & packaged foods contain anti-nutrients. One of the best ways to avoid them is to give your kids (& yourself!) unpackaged, unprocessed organic*, whole, fresh foods the majority of the time, and read your labels! Now that you know what to look out for, you can make informed, healthy purchases.
That being said, kids will be kids, and will come in contact with processed, packaged food – at school, birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. It’s ok. What matters is what you’re feeding them the majority of the time.
Some tips:
-Have fresh fruit & veggies chopped & readily available
-Give them water vs. pop & sugary juices (even 100% real juice has high sugar levels – 1 glass of OJ is the equivalent of eating 3 oranges)
-Use natural sweeteners like honey, real maple syrup, apple sauce & bananas vs. refined sugar
-Make your own popsicles using real fruit, plain yogurt or real fruit juice
-Buy whole grains vs. refined white flour
-Make your food with whole, fresh ingredients – avoid processed packaged & frozen foods
-Feed them what you eat! If you eat healthy, your kids should eat healthy
AND – I would highly recommend reading Dr. Joey Shulman’s book “Winning the Food Fight.” It’s so informative, and at the end of every chapter she provides a list of tips that will help you integrate healthy changes into your family.
*If buying organic is not an option, than make sure you wash your produce very well using vinegar water to eliminate some of the herbicides, pesticides & wax that may be on the surface
MSG is also not listed as MSG anymore and is listed as its full name “monosodium glutimate’- found in salad dressings, you know that Helluva Good crap and many other items you would be surpised about. Listed near the middle of the ingeredient lists.BHT is also found in many many cereals, crackers, etc- to “preserve freshness”. gross. Read labels- if its a long list, chances are there are a lot of synthetic chemicals and additives in it. Look at the end of the list. This is where things like BHT are listed. People are mistaken by these ‘supermarket’ labels that say “low in sodium” or blue menu items thinking that they are automatically the healthy option. not necessarily. In fact some low fat/low sodium items may actually be worse for you than “the real thing” because they contain more chemicals to get them that way. The best thing to do is read your labels read your labels and then read your labels. If you can’t pronounce it, or can’t explain what it is, chances are you shouldn’t be eating it.
I agree! Reading labels is so important, but you need to know what to look for. Sometimes there are ingredients that you can’t pronounce, that aren’t AS bad as others…the list of additives & chemicals is this post are NOT GOOD and should be avoided. Happy label reading!