Study: Today’s Parents Less Able to Spot Obesity in Their Kids

Parents have become less able to realize when their child is overweight or obese, a new study finds.

In fact, parents interviewed between 2005 and 2010 were 24 percent less likely to spot a weight problem in their child than parents interviewed between 1988 and 1994, the researchers said.

The report was published online Aug. 25 in the journal Pediatrics. “The society as a whole is stuck with a vicious cycle,” said senior study author Dr. Jian Zhang, an associate professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. “Parents incorrectly believe their kids are healthy, they are less likely to take action, and so it increases the likelihood that their kids will become even less healthy.”

Obesity has more than doubled among children aged 6 to 11, rising from 7 percent in 1980 to nearly 18 percent in 2012, researchers said in background information.

Pediatricians will be key to breaking the cycle, said Amanda Staiano, director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

“Parents see doctors as an authority figure, and we see success with weight loss interventions and treatments when a pediatrician is involved,” said Staiano, who also serves as co-chair of The Obesity Society’s Public Affairs Committee. “It’s paramount that every time a child comes in for a visit, the pediatrician reviews the child’s height and weight, and discusses how they are doing with their parents.”

The new study relies on data gathered during the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which has been conducted at regular intervals by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the early 1960s.

In the survey, parents of children aged 6 to 11 are asked whether they considered their child to be overweight, underweight or just about the right weight. CDC technicians then measure the child’s weight and height, and use those to calculate their body-mass index (BMI).

Parents surveyed between 1988 and 1994 correctly perceived about 51 percent of the time that their child was overweight or obese. That number slipped to 44 percent for parents asked to assess their child’s weight status between 2005 and 2010.

More than three-quarters of parents interviewed in the 2005-2010 survey perceived their overweight children as “about the right weight” — 83 percent for boys and 78 percent for girls, researchers report.

The advent of the childhood obesity crisis likely has made it more difficult for parents to perceive that their child has gained a potentially unhealthy amount of weight, Staiano said.

“We compare ourselves to the people we see around us,” she said. “If a child is in a class where most of the kids are overweight or obese, that becomes the new normal.”

In addition, medical definitions of obesity and overweight have become overly complicated, so much so that parents may have a hard time accurately applying the standard to their child, Zhang said.

“The recommendation developed by the CDC is fairly complicated, and it can be very hard for parents to understand that,” he said.

Both Zhang and Staiano said parents also could be influenced by the stigmatization of obesity, and are reluctant to label their child as overweight or obese for fear the kid will suffer hurt feelings or face cruel taunts from others.

“Nowadays, parents may be concerned there is a stigma if they admit their child is obese,” Staiano said. “They also may not know what to do about it, so there may be a little bit of denial there as well.”

Zhang agreed with Staiano that pediatricians are likely the only people who can effectively intercede.

“Practitioners are in an ideal position to help the parents and correct their misperception,” Zhang said. “Without help from professionals, the epidemic of childhood obesity cannot be reversed.”

Source: philly.com

Kids No Longer Play While Mom’s Away

We know that kids’ earliest experiences have lasting effects throughout their lives. Well, what about the long term effects of playtime in their early life? Young children learn and begin to understand the world around them through play. The neighborhood playground offers a variety of learning experiences for children at any age. They learn to take turns on the slides and swing sets. Children begin to interact with other kids, making new friends in the sandbox. Additionally they are getting good exercise by climbing up the slide or running around the field playing tag. By having active playtime early in life, children are more likely to continue being active throughout their lives and make more healthy choices.

Children Spend Less Time Playing

Unfortunately, a recent policy brief issued by the Alliance for Childhood reports that there has been a steady decline in children’s play over the past forty years. A decline in children’s play is alarming for multiple reasons. Spending less time playing means that children are developing at slower rates and leading less active lifestyles. This lack of physical activity at such an early age could have lasting negative developmental and health consequences such as childhood and adult obesity.

Sedentary Lives Contribute to Obesity

Obesity rates in the United States have been on the rise for the past twenty years. Even more alarming is the increasingly high rate of childhood obesity (CDC, 2011). A possible contributor to high rates of childhood obesity is the elimination of recess and physical education classes in schools. According to a 2006 School Health Program Report Card, Memphis City Schools did not require a recess period for all elementary classes. Even further, a 2009 Memphis Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports that 70% of students did not attend a PE class daily at school, and 17% of youth were obese (CDC, 2009). Not only are kids not playing at home, but also they are losing playtime and physical activity classes in school.

In response to the high instance of childhood obesity, President Obama created the Whitehouse Task Force on Childhood Obesity, whose first task was to create a report on the state of childhood obesity in the United States. The taskforce is charged with creating an interagency plan to end childhood obesity. As part of this initiative, Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move Campaign. The program targets children at all ages from zero to 18 and uses a multi-pronged approach to combating childhood obesity by emphasizing regular exercise and healthy eating habits to children and their caregivers. The Campaign also works to provide healthy and affordable foods in the schools and their neighborhoods (Let’s Move, 2011).

In response to striking rates of childhood obesity and the loss of time for physical activity in the schools, the City of Memphis is beginning to target neighborhood safety so that kids and families can feel safe playing outside in their neighborhoods. The Let’s Move Memphis Chapter, in partnership with Mayor Wharton and the Memphis Police Department, has begun to establish “safe zones” around city parks during peak physical activity hours, 5:30 am – 7:30 am and 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm. These “safe zones” will have a higher concentration of police officers during peak hours, which will allow residents to feel more comfortable exercising or playing outside. The program was launched in mid June and will initially focus on the Hickory Hill Community Center, Frayser Park, Alcy Samuels Park near the airport, Southside Park in South Memphis, and several parks in Whitehaven.

Our Children Need More Opportunities to Play

Memphis children of all ages are losing playtime at home and at school. Kids used to play outside for hours. Now they are spending more time inside playing on the computer or watching television. A recess period is not required of all elementary classrooms, and 70% of Memphis students are not required a daily PE class. This loss of play has negative consequences both for child development and health. Limited physical activity, when combined with poor nutrition, has led to an alarmingly high rate of childhood obesity in Memphis at 17%. In response to this high rate, the Memphis Chapter of the Let’s Move Campaign has worked with the city to establish safe zones around city parks during peak activity hours so that families can once again feel safe playing outside.

Source: The Urban Child Institute

References

Alliance for Childhood. 2010. The Loss of Children’s Play: A Public Health Issue: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Health_brief.pdf

Center for Disease Control. 2006. Memphis School Health Program Report Card: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/shpps/2006/districtcards/memphis/drc_memphis_shpps2006.pdf

Center for Disease Control. 2009. The Obesity Epidemic and Memphis Students: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/pdf/obesity/memphis_obesity_combo.pdf

Center for Disease Control. 2011. U.S. Obesity Trend:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

Let’s Move Campaign:
http://www.letsmove.gov/about

Phillips, B. 2011. Let’s Get Physical. The Memphis Flyer:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/lets-get-physical/Content?oid=2977229

A Narrative History of the CACFP

The Children’s Aid Society of New York provided this country’s first school food service program in 1853. By 1900, other cities were making significant efforts to initiate some type of school food service program. By 1913 there were 30 cities with school food service programs, most of them operated by private charities. During the Depression years of the 1930’s, the federal government began to provide financial aid to assist with school food service programs.

In 1946, the 79th Congress passed the National School Lunch Act and established the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The Act assisted states in providing an adequate supply of food and assisted other facilities in establishing, maintaining, operating and expanding non-profit school lunch programs. The government also established several policies regarding implementation of the NSLP:

● Free or reduced-price lunches would be served to children unable to pay full price.
● All meals for all students would be subsidized.
● The program would be nonprofit.
● Lunches must meet nutritional requirements.
● The program should use donated foods as much as possible.

In 1962, the 89th Congress passed the Child Nutrition Act.

The history of government support for child care feeding programs began in 1965 as part of a three-year pilot program known as “Special Food Service Program of Children.” That was the forerunner of the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The pilot program provided assistance to nonresidential child care centers serving children from low-income areas or from areas with significant numbers of working mothers. In 1968, Congress instituted the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) as part of the Child Nutrition Program. This was to improve nutritional status and prevent disease in children attending day care centers, recreational centers and settlement homes in low-income areas of the U.S., where large numbers of working mothers lived. Meals were required to meet minimum nutrition standards, and were to be served at no cost or reduced cost to children unable to pay full price.

In October of 1975, new child nutrition legislation, Public Law 94-105, expanded the program to include family day care homes and all private or public non-profit day care facilities. The law extended eligibility to all non-profit day care centers (those serving non-needy as well as needy areas). It also opened participation to family and group day care homes, allowing them to join under the sponsorship of a qualifying “institution” or organization.

In November of 1978, the CCFP became permanent. Public Law 94-627 modified the program in these major areas:

● Permanent authorization was given to the program.
● Cash reimbursement changed from an income to a reimbursement.
● Categorized rate for day care homes to a flat rate or reimbursement for each child in family day care homes.
● Reimbursement for all meals served in the homes would be at one rate, regardless of the family income of the participants.
● USDA would pay sponsoring agency administrative expenses.
● Sponsoring agency monitoring and supervisory assistance was expanded.

The Rules and Regulations implementing this law went into effect May 1, 1980. To carry out the CCFP, agreements were made between state agencies and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service for reimbursement to qualified contractors of child care facilities, outside-school-hours centers and family day are homes, for nutritious meals and supplements to children.

In 1989, the Program expanded to allow adults in adult day care centers to participate. The name changed to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to reflect the change.

In 1996, a welfare reform legislation was enacted that created significant changes to the CACFP. Resulting in a two tier system that went into effect in 1997.

The CACFP has grown throughout the years. Nationwide approximately 3.2 million children are served each working day in family day care homes and thousands more participate in child care centers and Head Start Programs.

The goals of the Child and Adult Care Food Program are to ensure that well-balanced, nutritious meals are served to children and to help children learn to eat a wide variety of foods as part of a balanced diet.

The Program Serves:
● Children under the age of 13.
● Migrant workers’ children, age 15 and under.
● Physically or mentally disabled persons receiving care in a day care home or child care center where most participants are 18 years or younger.
● Adults who are functionally impaired or over the age of 60, and unable to care for themselves.

Day Care Home Participation
● Family day care homes must follow the state licensing requirements.
● Family day care homes must participate through a sponsoring organization.

Sponsoring Organizations
Sponsors must be either private or public non-profit agencies or state and local government, and have the staff and expertise necessary to provide nutrition and services to the family day care home community.

Source: The National CACFP Sponsors Association

Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade

Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles with weight and higher risks for cancer, heart disease and stroke.

The drop emerged from a major federal health survey that experts say is the gold standard for evidence on what Americans weigh. The trend came as a welcome surprise to researchers. New evidence has shown that obesity takes hold young: Children who are overweight or obese at 3 to 5 years old are five times as likely to be overweight or obese as adults.

A smattering of states have reported modest progress in reducing childhood obesity in recent years, and last year the federal authorities noted a slight decline in the obesity rate among low-income children. But the figures on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in obesity rates among all 2- to 5-year-olds, offering the first clear evidence that America’s youngest children have turned a corner in the obesity epidemic. About 8 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds were obese in 2012, down from 14 percent in 2004.

“This is the first time we’ve seen any indication of any significant decrease in any group,” said Cynthia L. Ogden, a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the lead author of the report, which will be published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, on Wednesday. “It was exciting.”

She cautioned that these very young children make up a tiny fraction of the American population and that the figures for the broader society had remained flat, and had even increased for women over 60. A third of adults and 17 percent of youths are obese, the federal survey found. Still, the lower obesity rates in the very young bode well for the future, researchers said.

There was little consensus on why the decline might be happening, but many theories.

Children now consume fewer calories from sugary beverages than they did in 1999. More women are breast-feeding, which can lead to a healthier range of weight gain for young children. Federal researchers have also chronicled a drop in overall calories for children in the past decade, down by 7 percent for boys and 4 percent for girls, but health experts said those declines were too small to make much difference.

Barry M. Popkin, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has tracked American food purchases in a large data project, said families with children had been buying lower-calorie foods over the past decade, a pattern he said was unrelated to the economic downturn.

He credited those habits, and changes in the federally funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, for the decline in obesity among young children. The program, which subsidizes food for low-income women, reduced funding for fruit juices, cheese and eggs and increased it for whole fruits and vegetables.

Another possible explanation is that some combination of state, local and federal policies aimed at reducing obesity is starting to make a difference. Michelle Obama, the first lady, has led a push to change young children’s eating and exercise habits and 10,000 child care centers across the country have signed on. The news announcement from the C.D.C. included a remark from Mrs. Obama: “I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans.”

New York City under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg also made a major push to combat obesity. The city told restaurants to stop using artificial trans fats in cooking and required chain restaurants to display calorie information on their menus.

Many scientists doubt that anti-obesity programs actually work, but proponents of the programs say a broad set of policies applied systematically over a period of time can affect behavior.

The obesity rate for preschoolers — 2- to 5-year-olds — has fluctuated over the years, but Dr. Ogden said the pattern became clear with a decade’s worth of data. About one in 12 children in this age group was obese in 2012. Rates for blacks (one in nine) and Hispanics (one in six) were much higher.

Researchers welcomed the drop but cautioned that only time will tell if the progress will be sustained.

“This is great news, but I’m cautious,” said Ruth Loos, a professor of preventive medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. “The picture will be clearer when we have a few more years of data.”

Still, she added that the 2- to 5-year-olds “might be riding a new wave,” in which changes in habits and environment over many years are finally sinking in. She noted that people who are now 60 years old caught the beginning of what she called the obesity wave that carried the next generation with it.

“Once the obesity epidemic emerged in the 1980s, it took us a while to realize that something bad was happening,” Dr. Loos said. “We’ve been trying to educate parents and families about healthy lifestyles, and maybe it’s finally having an effect.”

Tom Baranowski, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, said there was not enough data to determine whether the decline would spread to older children. Since 2003, the rate for youths over all — ages 2 to 19 — has remained flat, said Dr. Ogden, author of the C.D.C. report.

But 2- to 5-year-olds are perhaps the most significant age group, as it is in those years that obesity — and all the disease risk that comes with it — becomes established, and it is later very difficult to shake, said Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, a professor of medicine and public health at Emory University in Atlanta.

“You have to say maybe some real progress is taking place at the very time it can have the most impact,” Dr. Koplan said. He said he believed the decline was real, as the finding followed several studies that detected patterns of decline among young children, including one by researchers in Massachusetts and the large study by the C.D.C. of low-income children.

“The weight of evidence is becoming more marked,” he said. Still, he cautioned that the age group was only a small slice of American society: “One blossom doesn’t make a spring.”

Source: New York Times

Child Obesity Bigger than America, with 1/3 of European Teenagers Overweight

One in three 11-year-olds is overweight or obese across Europe, a detailed analysis on obesity levels in 53 countries has showed. Action needs to be taken “to stop overweight becoming the new norm,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Up to 27 percent of 13-year-olds and 33 percent of 11-year-olds in some European countries are overweight or obese, according to the WHO latest report. It’s believed that lack of exercise, as well as the “disastrously effective” marketing of unhealthy foods, high in fat, sugar and salt, has led to a sharp rise in obesity and overweight in recent decades. Among the countries with the highest proportion of overweight 11-year-olds is Greece (33 percent), Portugal (32 percent), and Ireland and Spain (30 percent each).

From 2002 to 2010, the number of countries where more than 20 percent of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds are overweight rose from 5 to 11.

Over 30 percent of boys and girls aged 15 and over in 23 out of 36 countries are not getting enough exercise. Among adults, women’s rates of poor physical activity span from 16 percent in Greece to 71 percent in Malta and 76 percent in Serbia.

Thanks to restrictions on advertising of unhealthy foods, promoting vegetable and fruit consumption and physical activity in schools, France, Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands appeared among the few champions who managed to stem the epidemic of overweight and obesity, however.

National governments should enforce legislation, and insist on informative labeling, nutrient profiling and regulated marketing, requiring the food industry to take responsibility, the WHO recommended in its report.

In Britain, where according to official statistics most people are overweight or obese, (this includes 61.9 percent of adults and 28 percent of children aged between two and 15), on average the population consumes too much saturated fat. Intakes of the so-called non-milk extrinsic sugars exceed the recommended level for all age groups, most notably for children aged 11-18, where mean intakes provided 15.3 percent of food energy, according to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

The epidemic of overweight and obesity threatens children’s health, since childhood obesity goes hand in hand with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, orthopedic problems, mental disorders, underachievement in school, as well as lower self-esteem.

“Preventing children from becoming overweight or obese is vital to their avoiding the associated, lifelong health risks,” the United Nations health agency said.

Over 60 percent of children who are overweight before puberty will be so as young adults. Such children are three to seven times more likely to be overweight adults.

“Our perception of what is normal has shifted. Being overweight is now more common than unusual,” the WHO’s regional director, Zsuzsanna Jakab, pointed out.

We must not let another generation grow up with obesity as the new norm,” she added.

Physical inactivity “coupled with a culture that promotes cheap, convenient food high in fats, salt and sugars – is deadly,” Jakab warned. Children need at least one hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day not to gain extra weight.

“We need to create environments where physical activity is encouraged and the healthy food choice is the default choice, regardless of social group,” a WHO expert on nutrition, physical activity and obesity, Joao Breda, said in a statement released with the report.

“Physical activity and healthy food choices should be taken very seriously in all environments – schools, hospitals, cities, towns and workplaces. As well as the food industry, the urban planning sector can make a difference,” he added.

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century, the WHO says. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five, is estimated to be over 42 million. Close to 35 million of those live in developing countries.

Source: RT News

Dismissing Kids’ Feelings Can Lead to Emotional Eating, Obesity: Study

An ‘insecure’ parenting style in which parents dismiss their kids’ emotions may steer children towards eating for comfort, which can lead to obesity, University of Illinois researchers found.

Emotionally supportive parenting leads to healthier eating habits in children, according to University of Illinois researchers. Parents who regularly punish or dismiss their children’s anxieties could be setting their kids up for obesity, warns a new study.

That’s because kids who fail to learn how to regulate their negative emotions – a skill that can be fostered by affirmative parenting – are more likely to turn to food for comfort, which can eventually lead to obesity.

That’s the overarching conclusion of a University of Illinois study, which found a connection between poor parenting skills, defined in the study as “insecure parents,” and a child’s propensity for consuming junk food.

“The study found that insecure parents were significantly more likely to respond to their children’s distress by becoming distressed themselves or dismissing their child’s emotion,” said lead author Kelly Bost.

“For example, if a child went to a birthday party and was upset because of a friend’s comment there, a dismissive parent might tell the child not to be sad, to forget about it. Or the parent might even say: Stop crying and acting like a baby or you’re never going over again.” Instead, parents should learn to help their children describe what they’re feeling and work on problem-solving strategies with them.

Insecure parenting was also related to “comfort feeding,” as well as fewer mealtimes and more screentime, all known factors that have been linked to unhealthy eating habits and childhood obesity. For the study, 497 parents of toddlers ages two and three were asked to answer 32 questions that gauged the nature of their relationship to the children. Parents were also asked to rate themselves on a scale that measured depression and anxiety. They then responded to questions about how they handled their children’s negative emotions, family mealtimes, and the estimated hours of TV viewing a day. Meanwhile, a study out of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto released last year also found that preschool children are less likely to be obese if they live in a safe neighborhood, and within walking distance of parks and retail services.

Source: nydailynews.com

Nutrition Report Cards Help Kids Make Healthy School Lunch Choices

With nearly one-third of all children and adolescents in the U.S. overweight, parents and school officials face a difficult challenge in trying to instill healthy eating habits. Despite many attempts, they’re still finding it difficult. But a recent pilot program in rural New York shows promise, and it comes at almost no extra cost, because it only involves sending parents weekly nutrition report cards by email.

For the program, which was conducted by researchers from Cornell University, 27 parents received weekly emails that listed the amounts and types of food that their children were eating. The report cards included totals for the number of meals, white milk, flavored milk, water, fruits and vegetables, starchy sides, ice cream, cookies, chips, and other snacks that the child consumed. At the end of the study, the researchers found that students whose parents got report cards were more likely to eat healthier, choosing fruits and vegetables more often, and flavored milk less frequently than a control group.

“I like seeing the snacks they purchased,” one parent involved in the study said in an open-ended response after the study took place, according to a statement. “It made me understand why my one son was always out of money on his account.” The report cards also offer an opportunity for parents to speak with their children about the food they are eating, and to teach them about healthier eating habits. “Keeping track of what my children were purchasing at school was helpful in talking with them about making better choices about food,” another parent said, according to The Atlantic. 

“This pilot study underscores that a nutrition report card is feasible and efficient… Although the results are preliminary, they suggest that [nutrition report cards] may be helpful in nudging children toward more healthy, less expensive options … at little cost to the school district,” the researchers wrote in the article describing the study in the journalPLOS One.

Child obesity rates have more than doubled in children and adolescents over the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pilot program is just another in a slew of attempts — from Obama administration’s National School Lunch Program to paying kids to eat healthier to banning homemade lunches to allowing children to pre-order their food — to abate the childhood obesity epidemic, which has shown signs of stabilizing recently.

Source: Medical Daily

Snack It Up Program Seeks to Fight Childhood Obesity

A new program to combat childhood obesity has been launched in Dallas-Fort Worth that will help provide healthier snacks to area youngsters in some out-of-school programs.

The Snack It Up pilot program was created by Healthy Kids Ouf of School, an initiative of ChildObesity180 at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
“We developed Snack It Up in response to out-of-school-time program leaders telling us that fruits and vegetables were not easily accessible,” Christina D. Economos, Ph.D., vice chair and director of ChildObesity180, New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, and Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Kroger (NYSE: KR) is the first grocery retailer to sign up for the pilot programs in Dallas and in Atlanta, ChildObesity180 said in a release. Kroger will offer discounts to programs such as Pop Warner football leagues and 4-H to promote healthier eating habits.

Snack it Up connects selected out-of-school program with grocery providers to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for area children who participate in out-of-school activities.
According to ChildObesity180, obesity rates in the United States have more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past three decades.
The pilot program received funding assistance from Newman’s Own Foundation.

Source: bizjournals.com

10 Signs Your Kid is Dairy Intolerant

Most dairy intolerance develops between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Babies typically produce lactase (the enzyme required for the small intestine to break down the proteins and sugars naturally found in milk) upon birth as they need it to digest breast milk . By age 3, many children show signs of being intolerant to dairy. Lactose intolerance is common in the general US population by the age of 20 years. In Asian-American, African-American, and Native American populations, it is considered normal to be lactose intolerant.

It is important to note that dairy intolerance is not the same as milk allergy. While an individual may have both, he or she may also simply be unable to digest milk proteins without having an actual histamine or other immune response. This post covers the former, not the latter. A milk allergy is a separate condition than I cover here.

1 – Skin rash – Skin rashes are common and the source of them is often not discernible. If your child breaks out in a rash within a few hours of dairy consumption, or within 24-36 hours after an increased dairy consumption, it may be a signal that his or her body is challenged by it.

2 – Abdominal pain, including cramping – When the small intestine is unable to break down the lactose in milk, pain can easily ensue.

3 – Gas & borborygmi (loud tummy sounds)

4 – Nausea and/ or vomiting – Often this occurs within 2 hours of consumption, but it can also be a chronic low grade issue. Especially if you notice your child’s appetite is diminished for a few hours after consuming dairy.

5 – Acidic bowel movements – These occur because the body cannot digest the lactose in the small intestine. When this occurs it is then passed on to the large intestine, where it combines with the normal bacteria of the colon and becomes acidic. Stool can be tested for acidity, and often you can smell an acrid quality when your little one’s poops become acidic.

6 – Frequent colds & flus – When the small intestine and colon become gummed up with undigested milk proteins, the body has a less than optimal flora environment. Couple this with an excess of phlegm accumulating in the lung and you’ve definitely got a vulnerable kiddo’s immune system.

7 – Runny nose that doesn’t clear up with the end of a cold or flu – Often the body will attempt to discharge excess mucus build up on-goingly. This build-up is from the undigested dairy and other sludge your darling sweetie’s little body has been accumulating in the face of a dairy intolerance.

8 – Sluggish or lethargic behavior – Energy comes from properly digested and assimilated foods, high in nutrients – many of which are absorbed through the lining of the small intestine. When our systems are challenged with products our unique bodies find offensive, we wind up with fatigue, lethargy, and less than optimal energy due to less than optimal nutrient absorption and an overtaxed digestion.

9 – Phlegmy cough that lasts longer than 2-3 weeks – While there may be many causes of an ongoing phlegmy cough, it may also be another sign that your child’s body is accumulating excess mucus, possible due to intolerance for dairy.

10 – Bad breath – When the body cannot digest lactose, the lactose becomes metabolized by bacteria in the body, which then produces hydrogen and methane as byproducts. The methane can be detected on the breath as a result.

Source: realfitmama.org

Tennessee Schools See Hunger in Eyes of Many Students

When Sarah White visits schools, she can tell which children go hungry over the weekends.

White, Tennessee’s executive director of school nutrition programs, has seen students waiting, lined up, to get into school on Monday mornings, and not because they can’t wait to get to class. They are eager for breakfast, White said.

“I don’t think people realize that hunger exists for children,” White said. “It is heartbreaking, and it’s rewarding to see them eat.”

White says that more than half of all public school students statewide — about 62 percent — are eligible for free or reduced-price federal meal programs served in schools. This includes breakfast as well as lunch.

Of the 935,317 public school students in the state in 2012, nearly 60 percent were considered economically disadvantaged. Studies show that children who come from poverty tend to be less prepared for the rigors of school.

Statistics become available during the first quarter of the school year, after attendance stabilizes.

Around the Nashville area, the numbers have been about the same as last year. But in the more rural counties, school nutrition supervisors are seeing gradual increases. For example, Melody Turner, nutrition supervisor for Wilson County Schools, says that 10 years ago the percentage hovered around 23 percent, but now it is approaching 30 percent.

“I don’t know for a fact, but I’m sure it’s the economy,” Turner said. “People just don’t have the funds they used to have.”

Statewide, the number of students participating in free or reduced-price meal programs has remained about the same the past four or five years, although White remembers that about 20 years ago the figure was about 47 percent. She says there may be a few reasons why those numbers have gone up besides an increase in population.

New Steps Help

White says a weak economy has forced more parents to get help. Plus, changes in eligibility requirements, extended services to at-risk youth and the fact that it is easier to sign up electronically have also helped. Nearly all school systems have online applications parents can fill out.

The food program has been opened to children whose families receive food stamps, the children of migrant workers and the homeless, runaways, foster kids and families receiving temporary assistance. They are now automatically signed up for the meals, White said.

There also are measures in place now that remove the stigma attached to being among those who need the help. Schools take special care so that no one knows.

In the Franklin Special School District, where about 43 percent of the students participate in the food programs, all students key in a number upon exiting cafeteria lines. Only a few administrators know who is paying full price, a discounted price or receiving the meal for free.

School systems also now get lists from the Department of Human Services and can match up names and get children into the meal program, White added.

In Cheatham County, where overall numbers have stayed the same, there are huge differences among clusters of schools, said Tara Watson, chief academic officer for Cheatham County Schools. About half of the district’s 6,600 students receive free or reduced-price meals. But there are some schools where 70 percent of the students participate in the food program and others where only 15 percent participate, Watson said.

And, as is usually the case when there are higher numbers of economically disadvantaged, academic achievement is lower.

The Franklin Special School District redrew attendance lines to try to reduce the disparities, and now the numbers are slowly evening out. Franklin Elementary School, for example, had about 65 percent of its students receiving free meals. Since the rezoning, the school is now at about 42 percent, which is closer to the district’s overall number.

Unlike the Franklin district, Cheatham’s school system is dealing with an entire county and faces natural boundaries such as a river and ridges. Evening out its numbers would require a population shift, Watson said.

“We try to make it work for all students,” she said.

Williamson County Schools, one of the most affluent school systems in the state, has a similar challenge. While the overall number of students participating in free or reduced-price meal programs is about 11 percent, the highest concentrations of students participating in the programs are at Fairview area schools, including Westwood Elementary School, with 44 percent participation; Fairview Elementary School, with 36 percent; Fairview Middle School, with 38 percent; and Fairview High School, with 34 percent.

Source: WBIR