melodygirl
Cathlete
I thought this article was an interesting continuation of the soda in schools issue. I echo the concern of the "industry's involvement" and the fact that any policy is only as good as those who enforce it (schools and parents).
Note at the end of this article, these guidelines aren't going into effect until 2008. As the author states "What are we waiting for?"
By CHRISTINE DELL'AMORE, UPI Consumer Health Correspondent
Source: UPI
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A plan announced recently to rid U.S. public schools of soda -- intended to curtail the childhood-obesity epidemic -- may fizzle out if parents and schools don't back it up with more healthy messages, nutrition experts say.
"It's definitely a step in the right direction, but for this to have the impact we're hoping for, parents need to be modeling good behavior so children follow through," said Rachel Brandeis, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Parents should expect their behaviors to be mimicked by their children, Brandeis said, and that means not drinking soda themselves.
Likewise, schools should not only teach academics, but a healthy lifestyle, said Marlo Mittler, a Long Island, N.Y., dietician who specializes in pediatric and adolescent nutrition. Kids need to be taught why sodas aren't a good choice for them, she said.
"Think about how many hours a day your kid is in school. If a kid drinks water in school, and starts to drink one soda a day instead of three, we're ahead of where we are now," Mittler said.
Today, American kids are riding a perpetual sugar high. The average teenager consumes 250 to 325 calories a day in soda, according to the Mayo Clinic. Each can contains up to 10.5 teaspoons of sugar, more than a child needs in an entire day. Such dramatic sugar intake has contributed to a doubling of the rate of childhood obesity between 1980 and 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The consequences are far-reaching: The current generation might be the first to see a drop in life expectancy, said Fred Pescatore, a New York City nutritionist. By 2015 one in five healthcare dollars will be spent on obesity-related problems -- a cost the nation can't afford, he added.
Under the conditions of the deal announced May 3, which was supported by major soda manufacturers, elementary and middle schools will stock only unsweetened juice, low-fat milk and water.
In high schools, diet soda will remain, as will drinks with less than 100 calories per serving -- with the exception of certain milks and juices whose nutritional value trumps higher caloric content.
The William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Heart Association all worked to broker the guidelines, which could affect up to 75 percent of high schools.
"Bill Clinton's foundation in one move really made a nationwide change," said Jonathan Evans, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. "He was able to get around the table the people that mattered."
But the loopholes have many nutritionists troubled. Evans said he would have liked to see guidelines on portion sizes of many sodas -- now, kids drink 20 ounce sodas, instead of the traditional 12-ounce can. Sports drinks, which can contain up to 15 grams of sugar a bottle, also need to go, said Melinda Hemmelgarn, a nutrition and health communications consultant in Columbia, Mo.
"To say a sports drink is a nutritious beverage is far from the truth," she said. "You won't find a dietician who works in public health who will agree these are healthier beverages," she said.
Likewise, fruit juice or fruit-flavored drinks are almost as sugar-laden. Apple juice has more sugar than Coca Cola; even though it's natural, the body processes sugar the same way, Pescatore said.
Diet soda isn't faultless either, said Mittler. Diet sodas contain aspartame, a sugar substitute that some argue causes brain tumors and cancers. Sodas also have phosphoric acid, which interferes with the body's ability to use calcium, eroding bones and possibly leading to osteoporosis later in life.
Diet soda also has caffeine, whose addictive qualities are more potent in smaller bodies.
To wit: "There is no point in allowing any sweetened drinks in schools," Brandeis said.
Instead, kids should drink water. "If the issue is about money, replace Coca-Cola with Dasani," Mittler said, referring to the brand of water owned by Coca-Cola Company.
Some nutritionists also criticized the new soda guidelines as a thinly veiled attempt to keep health advocates at bay.
"This is a pure PR marketing move, and it's not going to do anything to increase the health of our children," Pescatore said.
Also, the fact the guidelines are unenforceable has slipped through the cracks in the media coverage thus far, said Michele Simon, director of the Center for Informed Food Choices, a group advocating unprocessed, local and organic plant foods.
"This is no different than what we've already had. There's no oversight," Simon said. "Now people are under the impression, 'Oh, the sodas will be gone from high schools,' and it's not true. We need laws, and we need both industry and schools to do the right thing."
Hemmelgarn was also concerned about industry's involvement.
"When I'm looking to set policies about my health, I don't want to receive it from industry, I want to receive it from a health association," she said.
Still, the issue is a moot point until 2008, when schools will begin putting the guidelines in place. Mittler was puzzled by the delay.
"What are we waiting for?" she asked.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Note at the end of this article, these guidelines aren't going into effect until 2008. As the author states "What are we waiting for?"
By CHRISTINE DELL'AMORE, UPI Consumer Health Correspondent
Source: UPI
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A plan announced recently to rid U.S. public schools of soda -- intended to curtail the childhood-obesity epidemic -- may fizzle out if parents and schools don't back it up with more healthy messages, nutrition experts say.
"It's definitely a step in the right direction, but for this to have the impact we're hoping for, parents need to be modeling good behavior so children follow through," said Rachel Brandeis, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Parents should expect their behaviors to be mimicked by their children, Brandeis said, and that means not drinking soda themselves.
Likewise, schools should not only teach academics, but a healthy lifestyle, said Marlo Mittler, a Long Island, N.Y., dietician who specializes in pediatric and adolescent nutrition. Kids need to be taught why sodas aren't a good choice for them, she said.
"Think about how many hours a day your kid is in school. If a kid drinks water in school, and starts to drink one soda a day instead of three, we're ahead of where we are now," Mittler said.
Today, American kids are riding a perpetual sugar high. The average teenager consumes 250 to 325 calories a day in soda, according to the Mayo Clinic. Each can contains up to 10.5 teaspoons of sugar, more than a child needs in an entire day. Such dramatic sugar intake has contributed to a doubling of the rate of childhood obesity between 1980 and 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The consequences are far-reaching: The current generation might be the first to see a drop in life expectancy, said Fred Pescatore, a New York City nutritionist. By 2015 one in five healthcare dollars will be spent on obesity-related problems -- a cost the nation can't afford, he added.
Under the conditions of the deal announced May 3, which was supported by major soda manufacturers, elementary and middle schools will stock only unsweetened juice, low-fat milk and water.
In high schools, diet soda will remain, as will drinks with less than 100 calories per serving -- with the exception of certain milks and juices whose nutritional value trumps higher caloric content.
The William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Heart Association all worked to broker the guidelines, which could affect up to 75 percent of high schools.
"Bill Clinton's foundation in one move really made a nationwide change," said Jonathan Evans, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. "He was able to get around the table the people that mattered."
But the loopholes have many nutritionists troubled. Evans said he would have liked to see guidelines on portion sizes of many sodas -- now, kids drink 20 ounce sodas, instead of the traditional 12-ounce can. Sports drinks, which can contain up to 15 grams of sugar a bottle, also need to go, said Melinda Hemmelgarn, a nutrition and health communications consultant in Columbia, Mo.
"To say a sports drink is a nutritious beverage is far from the truth," she said. "You won't find a dietician who works in public health who will agree these are healthier beverages," she said.
Likewise, fruit juice or fruit-flavored drinks are almost as sugar-laden. Apple juice has more sugar than Coca Cola; even though it's natural, the body processes sugar the same way, Pescatore said.
Diet soda isn't faultless either, said Mittler. Diet sodas contain aspartame, a sugar substitute that some argue causes brain tumors and cancers. Sodas also have phosphoric acid, which interferes with the body's ability to use calcium, eroding bones and possibly leading to osteoporosis later in life.
Diet soda also has caffeine, whose addictive qualities are more potent in smaller bodies.
To wit: "There is no point in allowing any sweetened drinks in schools," Brandeis said.
Instead, kids should drink water. "If the issue is about money, replace Coca-Cola with Dasani," Mittler said, referring to the brand of water owned by Coca-Cola Company.
Some nutritionists also criticized the new soda guidelines as a thinly veiled attempt to keep health advocates at bay.
"This is a pure PR marketing move, and it's not going to do anything to increase the health of our children," Pescatore said.
Also, the fact the guidelines are unenforceable has slipped through the cracks in the media coverage thus far, said Michele Simon, director of the Center for Informed Food Choices, a group advocating unprocessed, local and organic plant foods.
"This is no different than what we've already had. There's no oversight," Simon said. "Now people are under the impression, 'Oh, the sodas will be gone from high schools,' and it's not true. We need laws, and we need both industry and schools to do the right thing."
Hemmelgarn was also concerned about industry's involvement.
"When I'm looking to set policies about my health, I don't want to receive it from industry, I want to receive it from a health association," she said.
Still, the issue is a moot point until 2008, when schools will begin putting the guidelines in place. Mittler was puzzled by the delay.
"What are we waiting for?" she asked.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International