Eye on Health: Child Nutrition

February 25, 2011

is just six months old, but his mother is already paying close attention to

how much formula and fruit he eats every day.

" It's very important to me, especially for brain development also for making

sure no diabetes or I don't want my son to be overweight. He was already 9

pounds one ounce when he was born, " says 's mother, Sarai .

Dr. Menillo works with parents to instill healthy eating habits and it

starts early on.

" There's lots of reasons why babies cry. They're not always hungry. So it's

important not to feed for comfort because a lot of us have gotten into this bad

habit of turning to food or some of us when we want comfort and that's sort of a

bad habit to start early on, " says Dr. Menillo.

But that is happening, and more kids are obese than ever.

The American Dietetics Association calls it's latest report a wake up call for

parents. Of almost 12-hundred families surveyed, it revealed 17-percent of

children obese, but most of the children were actually malnourished, lacking

critical nutrients in their diets.

Dr. Menillo says ten year old children are now being tested for adult onset

diabetes.

" We're seeing glucose intolerance, which is a precursor to diabetes now in

adolescents. Some have diabetes that you used to get only when you were much

older, " says Dr. Menillo.

When children are hungry Dr. Menillo says open the refrigerator instead of the

cupboard

" Offering fruits and vegetables at every meal is very important and that should

start happening from early on, " says Dr. Menillo.

She recommends avoiding feeding children processed food.

" The more processed, the more filled with calories and artificial preservatives

and all kinds of other chemicals that certainly our babies don't need, " says Dr.

Menillo.

Reading the labels is critical. Some guidelines the doctor uses for children

four and older:

Fat should just be 30 percent of the calories. Carbohydrates 60 percent, protein

ten, and fiber just over 11 percent of a daily diet of about two thousand

calories.

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