Posted October 7, 2010
A lot of children and their parents just don’t know that they are not eating healthy or they are not getting enough exercise, according to Kokomo area health experts.
Products, especially processed ones, often contain unhealthy ingredients people aren’t aware of, said Dr. Michelle Haendiges, who hosts a weekly seminar on nutrition outside her gynecology practice’s normal hours.
“High-fructose corn syrup is as addictive as alcohol,” she said.
To avoid the carbohydrate or sugar addictions, she said, the best thing to do is avoid, or at least limit consumption of, the food.
When children eat sugary breakfasts — or skip them altogether — they crash later in the day, she said, then they can’t focus in class or don’t want to do anything physically active.
Once kids reach their teenage years, weight issues can become more complex because of related self-esteem or social issues, Haendiges said.
Community and church programs can get children exercising and eating healthy, as well as schools. Over the past few years, educators have begun incorporating lessons about the importance of healthy eating and exercise to deter weight issues.
Inside the Schools
Kokomo-Center School Corp. has expanded beyond two gym classes per week to educate its elementary-school students about proper diet and exercise.
Linda Thompson, an assistant superintendent for the school corporation, said a federally funded grant, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program, has allowed the schools to teach the students more about healthy eating habits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded program awards money through state departments of education to help schools provide fresh produce during lunch and snack times.
The Kokomo-Center schools that received the grant money — Bon Air, Pettit Park and Elwood Haynes elementary schools — also give the students informational materials about the foods they are eating, Thompson said.
“A lot of times, the kids are exposed to fruits and vegetables that they might not have tried or might not have had them fresh,” she said. “So they can find out what it tastes like when you have fresh fruit or fresh vegetables as opposed to canned or frozen.”
The schools’ general curriculums also incorporate basic health and nutrition discussions.
“It’s everything from proper hand washing to looking at the food pyramid, what you need to do in terms of exercise, those kinds of things,” Thompson said.
Physical education continues to be a focus as well, she said. The school corporation has expanded the classes to kindergartners, she noted.
“Many schools around the country have been cutting back on art, music, PE and those kinds of things,” she said. “We’re very committed to providing physical education opportunities for our students. And we maintained and actually added to those programs despite our fiscal challenges this last year.”
The schools’ nurses also partner with students from Indiana University Kokomo and Ivy Tech Community College to screen the students for obesity, said Cindy Evans, Kokomo-Center’s director of social and student services.
Sue Wyrick, a nurse for Eastern Elementary School in Greentown, said the Eastern Howard School Corp. has done more in recent years to serve healthier foods in the cafeteria and encourage healthier snacks.
Outside the Schools
Educating about and encouraging healthy eating and exercise habits in children goes beyond the school day, Haendiges said.
Aside from feeding children right — and setting an example by staying away from their own guilty pleasures at the grocery store — parents should consider signing their children up for sports, martial arts and other activities requiring exercise, she said.
“It’s also not just about what you put into your body,” she said. “It’s about the activity.”
In some cases, families can seek help and guidance in the medical world.
Mike Jones, a physical therapist for St. Joseph Hospital, said the physical therapy clinic has handled cases where children have lived a sedentary life for extended times, which not only led to weight gain but, some times, painful physical problems.
Posture and mobility complications can evolve from weight gain and lack of activity, he said, at which point his clinic diagnoses the specific causes and tries to treat the problems.
“Once the issues of posture and mobility have been addressed,” he said, “we are often able to help individuals develop a more general exercise program to aid them in maintaining the gains made through physical activity while also promoting improved fitness beyond the formal rehabilitation process.
“In the case of children, involving their parents in these efforts and finding activities and environments in which the child feels comfortable are crucial for long-term success.”
–Daniel Human is the Kokomo Tribune business reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
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