A negative article on snacking

[Kathleen]

Kids Snacking Too Much
Study Shows 27% of Children's Daily Calories Come From Snacks
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDMarch 2, 2010 -- Kids in the U.S. are gobbling down more unhealthy snacks daily than ever before, a new study shows.

The study, published in the March issue of the Health Affairs, shows that children snack almost three times a day on candy, salty chips, and other junk food.

Moreover, University of North Carolina researchers say American kids are drinking more sugar-heavy fruit juices and sweetened sports energy beverages that are packed with calories.

The researchers say the study is one of the first to look at long-term eating patterns in children, and indicates that snacking now accounts for more than 27% of kids' daily calories.

Between 1977 and 2006, the study shows, snacking added 168 calories per day to kids' caloric intake.

"Our study shows that some children, including very young children, snack almost continuously throughout the day," says Barry M. Popkin, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in a news release. "Such findings raise concerns that more children in the United States are moving toward a dysfunctional eating pattern, one that can lead to unhealthy weight gain and obesity."

Popkin and Carmen Piernas, also of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, studied nationally representative surveys of food consumption in more than 31,000 kids ages 2 to 18 in the U.S. from 1977 to 2006.

They homed in on snacking patterns and found large, disturbing increases over the past few decades.

In 1977-1978, for example, 74% of the children said they snacked on foods outside of regular meals. That exploded to 98% in 2003-2006.

Popkin says in a news release that children still eat three meals a day, "but they're loading up on high-calorie junk food that contains little or no nutritional value during these snacks."

The biggest increase over the three-decade period was in salty snacks, such as crackers and chips. The researchers also say they were surprised to find that kids are eating more candy at snack time, an unhealthy habit that not only can lead to obesity but to cavities.

The largest increase in caloric intake from snacks was found in kids ages 2 to 6, who ate 182 more calories per day in snacks, which the researchers termed a troubling finding.

Not only are today's kids more likely to choose sugary fruit drinks over milk, they're less likely to pick up a fresh apple or vegetable for a snack than in past decades, the researchers say.

Popkin says parents should try to limit snack time to once per day for children 6 and older and make sure plenty of healthy foods are available, such as apple slices, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables.

Children between 2 and 18 are "moving toward a consumption pattern of three meals plus three snacks per day," the researchers conclude, adding that snacking habits are playing a big role in today's pediatric obesity epidemic.

[kwidener7]

Yeah, I was glad to hear something similar on my local NPR station. Here's the link to the article and the audio http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =124248337. I think it may be the same researcher.

[RJLupin]

I believe it, and it's not just kids. Adults I know, including myself before No S, do the same thing. It's as though we now view hunger as a disease that must be prevented at all costs, by snacking/eating 24/7. Even the diet books tell you you should be more or less constantly eating. In schools, there are snack machines everywhere full of sugary, salty goodies and sodas.

I think part of the problem is how warped our priorities have become. Instead of spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying meals with loved ones, it's now become the fad to over-schedule yourself to the point that you have 10 minutes, if that, to eat. "I was so busy all day, I worked right through lunch and just scarfed down a Power Bar in the car on the way to my yoga class" people say, as though that were a good thing to be proud of and not something tragic. Perhaps even more tragic is what happens to the children. Parents enroll them in after-school classes, all kinds of sports, to the extent that they have zero free time and have little choice but to grab whatever they can from the fast-food places. Then, of course, when people stagger home at 8pm, they plop down into a chair and eat ice-cream to "reward" themselves for working so hard.

Until we stop making ourselves so busy, and start carving out time for healthy meals instead of treating food like some chore that has to be gotten over with as soon as possible, I think the obesity epidemic will only get worse.

[kwidener7]

Actually, both articles are talking about the same research.

Here's another good one that seem to go hand and hand with Reinhard's philosophy:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/12 ... html?ps=rs

I like the Go, Slow, and Whoa analogy. It reminds me of the green, yellow, and red of the HabitCal, except applied to individual foods.

[RJLupin]

Here is another good article about permasnacking and its unfortunate consequences. It does a good job of pointing out how constant eating has largely replaced playtime with children.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/dining/20gusti.html

[~reneew]

Everywhere I go, people serve food. Snack snack snack all day day day.

[clarinetgal]

Snacking. Blech!

[bluebunny27]

Only lil' kids can snack all day really.

My lil' nephew is 9 years old, he is not fat but I think he eats pretty badly sometimes, always grabbing bags of sweets, chocolates, etc. He has treats daily, candy bars, cakes, usually multiple times every day ...

Ok, I babysit him once in a while and he keeps asking to go to the corner store and get those sugary things, it's like a 'mantra' (!) Repeating it endlessly until you give in, heh. I don't usually have any candy bars, cakes, pastries ... but I think they have some at the corner store, heh.

Often he snacks all the time and then when it's time to eat a proper meal he takes 2 bites and he is done ... then 2 hours later he is hungry of course, so it's more snacking, eating muffins, cakes, pastries ... that's what kids want, sugar, fat, salt ... not nutritious food, processed stuff. The more processed the better.

Since he is moving a lot he doesn't gain that much weight even though I'm sure if I would add up all the calories he probably eats more calories than me daily and he's only 9 y/o, heh !

The sugary treats definitely pack a lot of calories so it takes a lot of veggies to equal those donuts he wants for dessert. I'd be really curious to know for sure, how many calories he eats in a day, having all those chocolate treats and whatnot while I'm eating my BIG SALAD for lunch ... typical.

No wonder a lot of kids put on weight, especially when they become teenagers and stop moving all the time, playing, running outside, all that ... I try to talk to him about good eating habits but it's like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose really. I was trying to convince him to eat bell peppers the other day, mushrooms too ... no go. He likes other veggies at least.

Cheers !

Marc

37 Years Old, 5'10" Tall
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Nov. 1st. 2009 : 190 Pounds
(1 Year : - 90 Pounds)

Current Weight : 191 Pounds

[reinhard]

Thanks for this link, Kathleen (and Gia, in another post).

It's great in terms of adding additional support for the "no snacking" rule, but sad in terms of how bad a problem this had become.

Why do things always have to get so awful before people even notice them?

Reinhard

[becky123abc]

I"m just blown away by this...this is revolutionary to me. Every diet plan I've tried (and I've tried a whole lot of 'em ) has made a place for snacking. I've always thought the best way to eat was to have healthy snacks...but my healthy quickly turns into whatever I can get the easiest...which is usually junk!

I've highlighted so much about snacking in my No-S book...it just makes so much sense...but I've never heard this "preached" (can't help it, I'm a Pastor's wife ) before!!!

I think if I can conquer the snacking habit...mindless eating....so much of my battle will be won!

I can certainly see how my own children snack more than I did growing up...and they hardly want supper sometimes...then they are hungry for more snacks an hour or so later.

I have so much thinking to do...

Thanks so you all for providing such a great place to learn and make these lifechanging improvements! Mr. Reinhard, you are my new hero!

Becky