September 24, 2011

A Weight Loss Book For Children




Maggie has so much potential that has been hiding under her extra weight. This inspiring story is about a 14-year-old who goes on a diet and is transformed from being overweight and insecure to a normal sized teen who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self-image.”

 




On the surface, this concept may seem like a good idea; its common knowledge that childhood obesity is a problem.  I am an advocate for helping children and teens reach and maintain a healthy weight.  You’ve heard the stats:  

"Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.
  • Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.
  • Obese youth are more likely than youth of normal weight to become overweight or obese adults, and therefore more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases."

Straight from the mouths of CDC.   

But let me ask you, what is your definition of “positive self-image”?  If it’s going on a diet to lose weight because a child is being made fun of by kids at school, I’m going to argue with you. 

Of course it is good if teens maintain a healthy weight and are physically active as well as involved in school and sports.  However, a diet book geared towards a  4-8 year old audience about a 14 year old girl who goes on a diet after kids taunt her and call her “chubby” and “fatty” doesn’t seem healthy to me.  In this kids book, Maggie apparently learns about nutrition and physical activity, becomes the school soccer star and gains popularity.  I haven’t read it yet – it is due to come out in October.  Maybe reading it will change my mind, but at this point, I am terrified for any child who picks it up. 

Cynthia Bulik, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sums it perfectly: "We don't want kids to 'go on diets,' we don't want kids to use diet language.  You have to think about how the messages will be interpreted by a child's brain. They will not see any nuance — they will see a causal association between losing weight and becoming popular, pretty and athletic. It emphasizes valuing people for their size and appearance rather than for who they are."

Thank you  Ms. Bulik for being a voice of reason and pointing out that children view weight loss and societal pressures differently from adults (who have a hard enough time with it).  Further, what about the fact that girls often gain weight – a lot of weight – around puberty which is NORMAL?  What about the fact that we don’t need to be changing our physical appearance because of the way someone else feels about our bodies (or boys that taunt)? 

Here is what I would say to 14-year old Maggie if I had her in front of me:

Hey Maggie,

I’m proud of you for becoming interested in good nutrition and for discovering how fun sports can be.   It sounds like you’re doing really well! 

I just want to check in with you to see how you are doing with all this change.  How are your grades in school?  Do you have friends to hang out with?  There are things in life that, hard as it seems right now, may be more important than the way you look.   I heard that some boys called you “chubby”.  That must have been really hurtful.   Maybe we could talk about some ways to deal with bullies. 

Going on a diet is not necessarily what you want to be focusing on at this point.  What are your favorite foods?  How do you feel about food?  How are your hunger levels?  Maybe we could talk about some foods that are healthy for you and support your activity level while playing soccer.  A student athlete needs a lot of good foods to fuel their activity. 
Maggie, I would hate to see you on a diet for the rest of your life.  I would hate for you to associate being skinny with being liked.  Too many people live this way, unhappily.  Can we rename your "book, “Maggie Discovers Soccer” or “Maggie Discovers Spinach” instead?  Maybe, "Maggie Stands Up to a Bully" or “Maggie Finds Happiness just the way she is”? 

Maggie, I wish you luck.  But let me just tell you, if you were my child, you would NEVER be on a diet.  Never. 

September 18, 2011

Food Field Trip!

I had the opportunity last week to take an Ethnic Food Field Trip around Chicago with all 100 interns in the city.  We got on buses and started south of the 290 at the University of Illinois-Chicago campus in the morning.  Our first stop was North at Kedzie and Lawrence where we saw an impressive Hispanic supermarket full of interesting peppers, beans, and tons of spices.  I immediately  noticed an contradiction down one aisle as the left side featured traditional spices and the right side was lined with modern-American foods like Gushers, popsicles in plastic bags, and piles of sugar cereal in all forms.  Two worlds collide. 

At the same stop, we visited a Middle Eastern supermarket featuring bottles of Ghee (clarified butter), rows of olive oil, and a whole aisle of hookah tobacco.  The store smelled delicious and we noticed that the yogurt section was very different from a typical large grocery store: all they had was plain, whole yogurt – no food dye, no cartoons, and no added sugar.   It was perfect. 

My favorite stop of the day was Kamdar Plaza on Devon Ave which is an Indian market where we were treated to super spicy vegetarian samosas.  We were amazed at the selection of lentils in every color as well as huge bags of cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon.  I will definitely be back at that store to stock up – the prices were amazing, too.   

Next door at a meat market, some were shocked at the goats and sheep hanging by their hind-legs in the back of the store – eyeballs still in socket and skinned.  I think that this is an experience that many meat-eaters would rather miss out on.  When you pick up a package of clean, bloodless muscle in plastic wrap at the grocery store, you don’t have to experience death.  In my opinion, eating meat is an important choice each person makes and the more in-touch with the process you are, the more educated you become as a consumer and the more you understand your place in the world and the impact of your selections.  I wonder how our food culture would change if Safeway featured animal carcasses hanging in the meat section?    

We had a light lunch at Reza’s Restaurant in Andersonville with delicious hummus, pita, feta, tomato, basil and falafel.  Our last stop was Argyle and Broadway next to a Pho place I’ve been to several times already called “Tank Noodle” which is very decent.  For excellent banh mi, Ba Le is right next door featuring delicious sandwiches and very unique styles of Bubble Tea.  Our field trip leaders provided snacks along the way and the "Argyle" snack featured coconut rice balls - so delicious!  Several students had issues with the sticky, gooey texture of the rice flour, but I found the contrast to the crunchy coconut coating perfection.  

It was a really fun day, but the main point of it all is that dietitians need to have a cultural understanding and sensitivity to the value of food among different people.  In order to work with different clients and population, you have to understand their food choices based on culture, religion, and access.  In Seattle, I experienced international cuisine that differed from Chicago and now I can find new markets, neighborhoods and restaurants that I am unfamiliar with.  I think it’s important for us all to explore food cultures besides our own and to support small businesses and markets sometimes rather than your typical trip to your usual grocery store.  I can say that I’ll be back to go lentil, chili pepper, and spice shopping at many of the stores we visited on our field trip. 

September 12, 2011

Skinny Girl Margarita Lawsuit?

So, I was listening to morning radio show here in Chicago this week and I was very disappointed to hear a story about Skinny Girl Margarita. Not that I’m an advocate for the product; I’ve never had it. Why would you ever buy a mix when it’s so easy to make a fresh margarita on your own? (See below for an easy “scratch” rita).

What disappointed me was the lack of knowledge, research, and concern from the radio show. Skinny Girl Margarita is being sued for false advertising on their label. They claim it is “all natural”, but the product contains Sodium Benzoate. Instead of finding out what Sodium Benzoate is (basically a preservative), the radio folks proceeded to make fun of its “scientific” sounding name and claim that they’ll “still drink it ‘cause it tastes good”. Great – nice example to set for the public.

According to Fooducate.com:

“Sodium Benzoate is a preservative used to prevent food and beverages from molding. Basically, it extends shelf life. It is especially used to preserve acidic foods and beverages such as pickles, salad dressings, fruit juices, and soft drinks. And margaritas.

An unfortunate side effect is that when mixed with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) sodium benzoate transforms into benzene, a known carcinogen and DNA damager. The rate at which benzene is formed is affected by light and heat, as well as the time spent on a shelf from production to consumption. In order not to take chances, the FDA has limited usage of sodium benzoate to 0.1% of a product by weight.”

Well put! Thank you for that simple explanation. This information leads me as a consumer to understand that if I’m striving for “all natural”, (which is a very vague definition and one you should be wary of) products containing Sodium Benzoate are not among them. If we don’t support legal ramifications for false advertising, especially when it comes to food products, we will be more unable to trust labels and manufacturers than we already are.

Next time you hear a scientific sounding word you are unfamiliar with, try looking it up. The explanation may be simpler than you think. What we put in our bodies is of great importance. If you choose to drink alcohol, here is a simple way to make a great margarita, minus the Sodium Benzoate, food dyes, and High Fructose Corn Syrup you’ll find in grocery store brands: Use a shaker if you have it but you can stir it up, too.

• 2 oz (a shot glass) of tequila. I’d skip the caramel colored Golds and go for a 100% Agave Silver which mixes well in drinks. Save the Reposado and Anjeo for sipping neat.
• Squeeze 1 or 2 fresh lime wedges and toss the whole rind in, too
• Use about 1/3 cup Limeade or Lemonade. Santa Cruz Organic is my personal favorite.
• Add a splash of fresh oj or cranberry juice

Pour concoction in a big glass of ice and shake or stir it well.
Swipe the rim of another glass with a lime wedge and dip it in salt if you like it that way.
Pour your mix along with the ice into your salty glass and enjoy.

September 5, 2011

Apple Chunk Spice Muffins

Desperate for an easy breakfast to grab this coming week (paired with an Apple Crostata gone terribly wrong last night) left me with an idea for apple muffins on this Labor Day Monday. Because I never have buttermilk in-house and because I must add extra spices to everything, I had to adapt several recipes and am calling this one my own. Enjoy!




¾ Cup Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran Cereal
¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ cup Brown Sugar
1 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Cinnamon
½ t. Nutmeg
½ t. Ground Cloves
½ t. Ginger

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

¼ Cup Canola Oil
1 Egg
½ Cup Milk
1 T. Vanilla

2. Whisk egg and combine all wet ingredients.
3. Pour wet into dry and stir until moistened.

2 Cups Apples chopped. I peeled mine, but don’t think it’s necessarily necessary .

4. Fold apples into mixture
5. Fill 12 muffin tins (greased or with liners)
6. Bake at 400 F for 18 minutes

Because the apple chunks take up so much room in the tin and because they are so delicious, I think I would make a double batch next time so I can have 24 instead of 12....


*original recipe by ginger hultin September 2011

September 3, 2011

Does Eating Healthy Equal Weight Loss?

Last night I flipped on the weight loss show “Ruby” about a morbidly obese woman in Georgia on a journey to getting healthy through diet and exercise. It’s an old show, but I’ve never seen it before and I was interested in the approach they would take with her. I’m not going to analyze the show here but will mention an incongruity that bothered me.

In the first episode, Ruby’s blonde “Health Freak” (you know I was unhappy about that term) friend from the West Coast came to motivate her. They went shopping at a “Health Food Store” where the West Coast Blonde encouraged Ruby to buy food that is healthy and would therefore help her lose weight. She wanted Ruby to buy gluten free rice pasta instead of regular. She wanted Ruby to buy what I believe was Agave nectar as a “healthy alternative to sugar” and she wanted Ruby to go vegetarian and eat Millet Burgers. Of course, all of these things scared Ruby. She claimed, “I’d never eat a veggie burger!" and tried to sneak chocolate bars into the cart the entire time. I have a lot of comments about this shopping trip but just a couple that I will mention:

1. Claiming Agave is a healthy alternative to sugar is bold. Fructose levels can be higher in this product than levels found in high fructose corn syrup. It is also processed as it is extracted from the Agave plant. For a diabetic like Ruby, Agave may be very detrimental to her health and weight loss.

2. Why would it make Ruby lose weight if she eats Gluten Free products? There has been nothing mentioned about her being gluten intolerant or Celiac. Gluten Free products are great and they have made a huge difference for some people who cannot eat wheat products, but weight loss is not what I associate with Gluten Free. It doesn’t make any sense.

3. Ruby doesn’t need to be consuming more packaged products, bars, and gimmicks. She needs a good produce section and some cooking lessons.


This morning at the new Marino’s Market in Chicago, the checker commented on our brown organic eggs.

Checker: “Do you like these eggs?”
Us: “Yes – they are delicious and good for you”
Checker: “I’m going to be better now that I work here. I’m going to try those organic eggs. I feel bad because I don’t even know what some of the vegetables are in the produce section!”
Us: “That is understandable; this store has a lot of great produce! The good news is you can have fun learning. Each week, maybe you could buy a new one and experiment cooking with it?”
Checker: “Yea – that’s a good idea! I’m going to try that – I’m going to get skinny working here. I’m finally going to get skinny.”
Us: “Well, as long as you’re healthy – vegetables are very healthy for you”
Checker: “Have a nice day”

Checker, I applaud you. Buy organic eggs! Stand up for animal rights, sustainable farming practices, and delicious food. Try new veggies, even if they are unfamiliar. You CAN be healthier. But does eating organic eggs or more veggies make you skinnier? Perhaps; perhaps not. One thing’s for sure, eating organic eggs and more veggies will give your body access to more natural vitamins and minerals, you will consume a great source of fiber and antioxidants, and you will be supporting farming practices that are better for animals and the environment alike. To me, that is far more important than getting “skinny”.

My lesson today is, don’t get confused between eating healthy and being thin. There are a lot of aspects to maintain a healthy body weight – physical activity, portion choices, meal pattern, genetics, social eating, and choice of drinks to name a small few. Just because you choose gluten free, organic, or natural products does not necessarily mean you will become thin. Choosing these products is important for many reasons and I strongly encourage you to do so, but please don’t do it because you think you will lose weight easily.

Focus on fresh, quality food. Focus on health.