Restaurant meals for kids fail nutrition test: consumer group

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The group, which has agitated for everything from healthier popcorn at the movies to calorie labeling in supermarkets, found that among almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to meet nutritional standards 97 percent of the time.

That was a marginal improvement over 2008 when such meals failed to meet standards 99 percent of the time.

Every children's meal offered at popular chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dairy Queen, Hardee's, McDonald's, Panda Express, Perkins Family Restaurants and Popeyes fell short of standards adopted by the center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutritional recommendations.

The meals also fell short of standards set by the National Restaurant Association's Kids LiveWell Program, said the CSPI, which titled its study, "Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu."

"Most chains seem stuck in a time warp, serving up the same old meals based on chicken nuggets, burgers, macaroni and cheese, fries, and soda," said Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director. "It's like the restaurant industry didn't get the memo that there's a childhood obesity crisis."

Among the meals singled out was Applebees' grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, fries and two percent chocolate milk, which has 1,210 calories, 62 grams of fat and 2,340 milligrams of sodium.

The combo meal had nearly three times as many calories as the CSPI's criteria for four- to- eight-year-olds suggest.

At Ruby Tuesday, the macaroni and cheese, white cheddar mashed potatoes and fruit punch combo has 870 calories, 46 grams of fat and 1700 milligrams of sodium, said Wootan.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that children eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day to avoid high blood pressure, which can lead to coronary disease, stroke and other ailments.

Being overweight as a child leaves a person vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes and a shortened life span. About one-third of American children are now considered overweight and 17 percent are considered obese, according to USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The CSPI cited Subway restaurants' Fresh Fit For Kids meal combinations as exceptions to the salty, fatty norm.

Subway serves apple slices with its kid-sized sub sandwiches and offers low-fat milk or bottled water instead of soda. All eight of its children's meals met CSPI's nutrition criteria.

A few other establishments have begun to offer side dishes beyond French fries. In fact, every child's meal at Longhorn Steakhouse now comes with fruit or a vegetable.

"More chains are adding fruit, like apple slices, to their menus, but practically every chain could be adding more vegetable and whole grain options," said Ameena Batada, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

Labeling can be a potent tool. The report cited two studies that indicated customers who are provided with calorie counts on the menu sometimes gravitate toward healthier choices.

To produce its study, the CSPI looked at 50 top U.S. chain restaurants, finding 34 of them had meals designed for children and were willing to provide nutritional data. It analyzed those meals and meal combinations.

By Diane Bartz | Reuters – Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Hey Kids, Want to Play a Game?

Click here to play a game about managing diabetes

Diabetes In Brief for Kids

3 Helpful Ways That Can Help Kids Avoid Type 2 Diabetes

One of the most common diseases seen in children is diabetes. A child who is diagnosed with diabetes means that the kid's blood glucose levels are too high. It is not healthy for anyone to have high levels of glucose in the blood because this will result to different types of health complications like heart disease, eye problems, nerve damage and kidney issues. Most children who have this disease are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes or juvenile. However, more and more children for the last couple years have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, because of the rise of obesity.

 

Type 1 of this disease is an autoimmune disease which means it's difficult to prevent kids not to have this disease, however Type 2 diabetes can be prevented since excessive weight is the main cause for this type. This is a difficult disease for parents and children, but there are definitely a lot of helpful things that both parents and kids can do in order to prevent having this disease. Here are some three important helpful ways on how can parents help their children avoid type 2 in order to live healthier lives and enjoy their childhood:

 

1. Prevention Starts at Home

Any prevention starts at home and experts will definitely agree to this. You can help your child prevent Type 2 by controlling what your child eats. You need to educate your child about the types of food that he needs to eat in order to stay healthy. It's definitely important that you encourage your child to eat less sugar-filled foods and eat more foods that are rich in fiber. If you'll be able to start this diet at your own home, you can surely guarantee to help your kids reduce the risk of obesity because fiber helps stabilize blood glucose levels and improve cholesterol.

 

2. Kids Need To Exercise

Exercise is definitely very important in order to raise healthy kids. It's a must that you encourage your child to exercise and spend more time doing physical activities because this can help them maintain healthy weight. Keep in mind that exercise after meals definitely helps in keeping blood sugar levels normal. Try to encourage your kids that it would be great for them to spend more time playing outside rather than sitting around and watching TV.

 

 

 

3. Regular Medical Check-Ups Are Important

In order to prevent your kids to have Type 2, it's really important that you take your child to regular medical check-ups. It's always good to consult your doctor for professional advice regarding your kid's health especially if the child is overweight. You'll be able to learn more helpful things from your Doctor that's why experts recommend that regular check-ups for your child should be on your list in order to successfully prevent your child to acquire Type 2 diabetes.

It's difficult for any child to be diagnosed with Type 2 that's why parents must help their kids to prevent this disease. Just try to follow these helpful ways and you can guarantee that you will help your child prevent type 2 diabetes and make him live a healthier and much happier life. Good luck!
 

Most parents tend to get panic attacks when they find out their kids have type 2 diabetes. You should not panic and instead focus on the things that you need to in order to help in diabetes management.

 

Read The Things That You Need to Do When Your Child Has Type 2 Diabetes (at http://aaroncapp.com ) and learn the important things that you should include in your to-do list.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Capp

Signs of Diabetes in Kids

The symptoms of diabetes may show up differently in the case of adults and children. The demonstration of the symptoms may differ according to its type. The signs of diabetes may come up more rapidly in the case of children and infants compared to adults. In the case of children and infants suffering from diabetes type 1- beta cells are destroyed at a greater pace. Children are usually found affected with ketoacidosis- a symptom of diabetes. In some other cases, diagnosis reports may indicate ketoacidosis or hyperglycemia during stress or infection.

Kids suffering from diabetes type 2 are usually obese or overweight. Some children may have family background of diabetes. Such kids generally show physical symptoms of insulin resistance such as dark patches of skin which is medically known as acanthosis nigricans. The symptoms of diabetes type 1 are different from diabetes type 2. The signs of diabetes in children often develop rapidly within a span of few weeks. Kids suffering from diabetes type1 may show the symptoms such as:

Frequent urination and increase in thirst: Due to excessive deposition of sugar in the bloodstream- blood cells extracts out fluid from the tissues. Excessive loss of fluid from the tissues and blood vessels can cause the child to feel thirsty. Thus kids may desire to drink more water. Since kids tend to drink more water, they frequently rush to washroom.

Extreme hunger/ increase in appetite: In such conditions, the child may often demand for extra food. They will complain about extreme hunger. Many times they will inform you that their hunger is not satisfied even after consuming food. Since the glucose obtained from food does not enter cells, but stays back in bloodstream and disturbs the immune system. This leads to loss of immense energy and shrinks the energy, which triggers extreme hunger in children.

Sudden weight loss: You may witness explained weight loss in kids - even after continuous consumption of food. Weight loss is caused due to insufficient supply of energy foods in their diet. Hence, they draw energy from reserved storage of fats. Excessive loss of body weight will cause a child to experience extreme tiredness and weakness. This will make your immune system weak, which will further invite numerous infections.

Extreme weakness: Due to insufficient supply of energy food, the child will experience lots of tiredness and weakness.

Yeast infection: Diabetes type 1 in babies also welcomes yeast infection. This may develop rashes on their skin. It is necessary to feed children with nutritional diet and make them drink plenty of water. They should drink at least ten to twelve glass of water in the entire day.

Blurred vision: The decrease in the level of fluid and blood from eye tissues will create difficulty with vision. The child is unable to see or may witness double objects.

Children are often not aware of various diseases and their symptoms. It is very necessary for parents to notice abnormalities in the child's health. Parents should inform about the importance of good health. As soon as their child shows the above mentioned signs of diabetes, immediately seek a medical attention.

Please check my blog at signs of diabetes

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_John_Smith

What Is Diabetes? What Causes Diabetes?

Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).

There are three types of diabetes:

1) Type 1 Diabetes

The body does not produce insulin. Some people may refer to this type as insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes, or early-onset diabetes. People usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years.

Type 1 diabetes is nowhere near as common as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.

Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood-glucose levels by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet.

Between 2001 and 2009, the prevalence of type 1 diabetes among the under 20s in the USA rose 23%, according to SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth data issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). (Link to article)

2) Type 2 Diabetes

The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance).

Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type.

Some people may be able to control their type 2 diabetes symptoms by losing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of exercise, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. However, type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease - it gradually gets worse - and the patient will probably end up have to take insulin, usually in tablet form.

Overweight and obese people have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight. People with a lot of visceral fat, also known as central obesity, belly fat, or abdominal obesity, are especially at risk. Being overweight/obese causes the body to release chemicals that can destabilize the body's cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is also greater as we get older. Experts are not completely sure why, but say that as we age we tend to put on weight and become less physically active. Those with a close relative who had/had type 2 diabetes, people of Middle Eastern, African, or South Asian descent also have a higher risk of developing the disease.

Men whose testosterone levels are low have been found to have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, say that low testosterone levels are linked to insulin resistance. (Link to article)

Measuring the glucose level in blood

3) Gestational Diabetes

This type affects females during pregnancy. Some women have very high levels of glucose in their blood, and their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin to transport all of the glucose into their cells, resulting in progressively rising levels of glucose.

Diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made during pregnancy.

The majority of gestational diabetes patients can control their diabetes with exercise and diet. Between 10% to 20% of them will need to take some kind of blood-glucose-controlling medications. Undiagnosed or uncontrolled gestational diabetes can raise the risk of complications during childbirth. The baby may be bigger than he/she should be.

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University found that women whose diets before becoming pregnant were high in animal fat and cholesterol had a higher risk for gestational diabetes, compared to their counterparts whose diets were low in cholesterol and animal fats. (Link to article)

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/diabetes/