Trimmed-down treats help kids stay slim

Associated Press/LM Otero

Competitors played Quake III during the QuakeCon computer game competition in Mesquite, Texas. Companies like Intel Corp., mouse-maker Logitech Inc. and router company Linksys are spending up to $1 million a year to sponsor game tournaments..By Jude Mahoney ~ The Associated Press

ATLANTA -- If you suspect that one of your children is overweight, you're probably right.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures show that the percentage of young people who weigh at least 20 percent more than their ideal body weight has more than doubled in the past 30 years.

By CDC estimates, more than 5 million, or 12.5 percent, of Americans between the ages of 6 and 17 are seriously overweight. A six-year survey by the National Center for Health Statistics concluded that 20 percent of children in the United States -- one out of every five -- is overweight.

Other studies show that 70 percent of those who are overweight between the ages of 10 and 13 are likely to remain overweight or obese as adults.

CDC director Dr. Jeffrey Koplan says obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions, and while the entire population is heavier, our convenience-laden, inactive lifestyle has affected its youngest members most dramatically.

According to Koplan, "Obesity and overweight are linked not only to heart disease but to diabetes and other chronic conditions." Elevated blood pressure or insulin levels are related to blood cholesterol levels, which are directly affected by diet.

Tossing out good foods

Koplan, a co-author of the study, says nothing short of a "comprehensive national effort" will affect our burgeoning tendency to bulge.

None of this is news to elementary school teachers, who see their students routinely throw away or trade healthy home-packed lunches for sugar-laden, high-fat snack foods.

Adele Giabbai, who has taught first grade in Falmouth, Mass., for 30 years, says there's not much teachers can do about it.

"I can't count the number of lunches I've seen children throw away, especially when the school lunch was pizza or fish sticks. If they don't like what they have, they'll throw it out or give it away, even if they have nothing else to eat."

Ann Browning, a 25-year veteran teacher in DeKalb County, Ga., agrees.

"Nachos and burgers always beat a sandwich, fruit or, God forbid, a salad."

This translates into some startling figures. While the National Cancer Institute recommends that children and adolescents eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, more than half of them eat less than one serving of fruit, and almost a third eat less than one serving of vegetables that are not fried.

The average total caloric intake of most children and adolescents (85 percent) is 34 to 35 percent fat, and more than 91 percent eat too much saturated fat. Only 20 percent eat the five daily fruit and vegetable servings recommended by the National Cancer Institute.

What can be done?

Plenty, says actress Marilu Henner, author of "Healthy Kids: Help Them Eat Smart and Stay Active -- for Life."

Henner is avidly opposed to processed foods and chemical additives, so "Healthy Kids" proposes dietary measures that may be too extreme or expensive for many.

Make meal plans

Her recipes specify organic vegetables, poultry and dairy products (when used). They substitute soy cheese and rice milk for commercial dairy products, and foods such as organic honey and whole grains for processed sugar and flours.

For those parents who have trouble persuading a child to become vegetarian for health or ethical reasons, there's a treasure trove of recipes for light versions of foods like chicken fingers, loaded nachos and pepperoni pizza at www.cookinglight.com.

Their ingenious low-fat, low-calorie recipe for Corn Dogs was such a runaway success with my test kitchen team that I was inspired to go on searching for other fabulous fakes.

You'll find outstanding low-fat and nonfat recipes for salad dressings at www.goodhousekeeping.com.

No one, especially a child, can lose weight without a plan and some moral support. Koplan says schools must offer healthier lunch options and more physical education, cities must build more sidewalks and bike paths, and parents must limit children's TV time and encourage them to play outside.

In the meantime, there is a wide range of options for low-fat items to prepare.