A  FIGHTING CHANCE

ARE PARENTS DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO FEEDING THERE CHILDREN?

 
 
Is a calorie a calorie?
Let me break the “Calorie” thing down a little further just so I don’t confuse the parents I’m trying to target… Is Brown Rice better than White Rice? Absolutely! Are Sweet Potatoes better than White Potatoes? Absolutely! Is Brown Rice and Sweet Potatoes better than Pizza or Mac and Cheese? Absolutely!
The main point I’m trying to make is that the type of Calorie is more important than the amount. I’m sure that statement won’t go over well with everyone but it’s the truth… Different Carbs cause different Insulin responses hence Brown Rice having a lower Glycemic Index vs. White Rice. A 300 calorie piece of Chicken will affect a child’s blood sugar differently than that 300 calorie Ice Cream Cone. A calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie! One thing should be noted is that adding Protein with ANY Carb will slow the child’s insulin response.
 This is the one thing that kills me when I see a young child eating Pasta with no Chicken or Pancakes with no Eggs… Kids shouldn’t eat much different than adults! They should eat often and the foods should be nutrient dense. The food should be free of Food Colorings, additives, Preservatives, artificial sweeteners, Trans-Fats and other High Fructose Corn products… This can easily be achieved by limiting foods eaten out of a box and shopping primarily from the perimeter of your super market. A child should limit foods that have expiration dates, long ingredient lists with a long shelf-life. Children should eat adequate amounts of “GOOD” fats such as Whole or Raw Milk, Raw Butter, WHOLE EGGS and natural fats found in animal products and fatty Fishes…A child should never be eating a LOW FAT Diet! A large majority (80%!) of the brain is comprised of fat and fat is what the brain needs to work optimally. Also, a child’s main beverage consumption should come from WATER, not DIET COKE! Are you kidding me!
 I just listened to more BIG FAT LIES on The Today Show spewing from a RD/Nutritionists mouth promoting Cereal, Skim Milk and Orange Juice as being a “Healthy” breakfast! She continued the typical advice by advising a Low Fat Turkey sandwich on Whole Wheat with yet again some more Low Fat (KEY WORD) Yogurt! Incredible! As you might see I’m not a big fan of RD’s or Nutritionists for that matter but the list below is something I feel like we can see eye to eye on.
1. Eating too many fibrous vegetables is not the cause of childhood obesity.
2. Non-Fibrous Carbohydrates (breads, pasta’s, sugar, flour, anything ending in -ose) have a negative affect on insulin levels and blood sugar
3.One of the job’s that insulin is responsible for is the storage of Fat
4.Protein and Fat have no negative affect on insulin levels or blood sugar
5. Debatable but Carbohydrates are considered by most to be the bodies “primary” source of energy 
6. Playing video games, spending countless hours on the computer (Facebook;) and communicating with the world through text messaging doesn’t burn much energy
I’m glad we got that out of the way. Can we agree once more that RICE; white, brown, wild, sprouted, fried, stir-fried, baked, fricasseed, tossed etc…is a Non-Fibrous Carbohydrate…? Were on a roll now! If in fact Rice is a Non-fibrous Carbohydrate, which it is, it would also mean that it would have an affect on one’s insulin levels. Ok, forget the damn Rice! I don’t care what Starchy Non-Fibrous Carb it is… It could be Organic, Ezekiel, frozen, fresh, sprouted, gluten free, hormone free, whole wheat and approved by Weston Price and Francis Pottenger themselves! If you or your child consistently sits on there butts playing video games, surfing Facebook or texting all while consuming any STARCHY NON-FIBROUS CARBOHYDRATE you eventually will have to deal with over-fatness or ill health. This is a non-issue! Adults and children alike take in too much energy (carbs) and do absolutely nothing with it. These types of Carbohydrates should be exercise dependent PERIOD.
 We as parents are responsible for creating our child’s future nutritional habits… Good or bad these habits will follow your children through out there lives. These habits can either increase health and vitality or decrease health and vitality. It’s all up to you! Like I said, your child doesn’t know what’s best for him/her, you do, and well at least now you do. Your child doesn’t buy the groceries, you do!
If you’re child is over-eating like the kids on the Dr. Phil Show it’s because his/her body is malnourished. A child’s body will look to get what ever it can get out of crap food! If there is no nutrients in that food the body will crave more food until it receives adequate nutrition… If there choices are empty calories coming from dead foods it can be a vicious cycle! So if your child is consistently sick (it’s not a anti-biotic deficiency!), tired/lazy, is over-weight, over-eating, has ADD, can’t sit still and is running around out of control you must take a closer look at what TYPES of FUELS (Proteins, Carbs and Fats) you are putting in his/her gas tank…Your car won’t run optimally on Diesel (Standard American Diet) if it’s supposed to take Supreme (Organic Meats, veggies/fruits and nuts). What exactly makes you think you or your child’s body will run optimally on Sugar Smacks and Orange Juice?
Matt Pack, NASM CPT, Nutrition Lifestyle Coach http://www.extremefatlosstraining.com
http://www.impackfitness.com