Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

A Healthier Future Ive never had a problem with my weight. I was rail-thin up to my freshman year of high school when I started building muscle from running, but still, I never had to watch what I ate or even gave it a second thought. Chocolate drizzled snacks, ranch smothered pizza, and ice cream sundaes were a weekly norm. My little brother was the same way - always sneaking snacks out of the pantry and counting his nickels and dimes to buy cookies at lunch. My dad was worse. Without fail, I would hear cookie containers and chip bags crinkling late into the night. Never once did I think that we were privileged or lucky to have such little concern over our eating habits. Yet, in reality, we are just that. My little sister is one of the most impressive seven year olds around. Maybe I m biased, but Ana always manages to surprise me with her maturity and intelligence. Shes always practicing her spelling, asking what words mean, and saving money for books on the Kindle. Over spring break, I took what I thought would be a stretch and talked to Ana about sustainability on our walk to the library. Once again, Ana impressed me. She easily picked up on the difficult concepts I was trying to explain, like global warming, and even filled in the definition of sustainability for me. Sustainability is using just enough today so So that we have enough for the future! Since Ana was born, there has been some concern about her extra weight. Of course, we ensured a lot of physical activity family hikes, fall and spring soccer, and Just Dance Wii

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

competitions for good measure. As she grew taller, her weight seemed to be more proportional too. Yet, Anas weight has gotten more serious in the last year. At 6, she started developing pubic hair. Now at 7, shes starting to bud. These signs of early puberty can mean many things for her. My stepmom (Anas biological mom) has a disorder known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. Simply from heredity, Ana is at a higher risk of developing the problem herself. According to Washington University Physicians, there is a 50% possibility that a daughter of a woman with PCOS will develop it also. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome comes in many shapes and sizes. For my stepmom, she suffers from the shakes when going too long without eating, wild hairs, and previously had complications getting pregnant. Still, shes lucky, just like me, my brother, and my dad with our unhealthy-no-weight-gain eating habits. Ana might not be so lucky though. Already, her precocious puberty is an early sign of PCOS. If it manifests further, she could experience hair growth on her face, back, chest, and other unnatural places for a woman, pelvic pain, anxiety or depression, sleep apnea, unreliable or absent periods, cysts on her ovaries, and skin tags. Most horrifying, is that PCOS could lead to infertility (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Fact Sheet, 2010).

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

After visiting an endocrinologist and addressing Anas early signs of puberty, t he doctors gave a simple recommendation: If she loses weight, she will be at a lower risk of developing the syndrome. They said that the best way for Ana to lose weight was through a healthier diet, no more snacks, big desserts, or candy. For a seven year old (or anyone for that matter) this is no easy task. In order to ensure Anas health in the future, my family knew that we had to commit to healthier eating habits in our home. Inevitably, Anas health has made me much more conscious of the dietary choice s and overall wellbeing of the younger population in general. I was shocked to learn that 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese in America (Child Obesity, 2013). This leaves only two thirds of the child population with the potential to be at a healthy weight. While it has been my familys focus to prevent Ana from PCOS, she and every other 1 in 3 children have much more at stake. Kids that are overweight are more likely to develop asthma, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver and menstrual problems, trouble sleeping, and metabolic syndrome (Health Risks of Overweight Children, 2013). These are issues that will persist throughout their lives, cause daily struggles, and potentially decrease their life expectancy. Of course, predisposition to diseases like PCOS can make the negative side effects become an even longer list. Yet, a seven year old cannot be expected to know what to consume in order to be healthy and lose the weight necessary to prevent these problems. So, whose role is it?

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

It was my familys commitment to eating healthier that made me realize just how difficult it is to answer this question. I have realized how challenging it is to acquire information about what foods are healthy in the first place and then how difficult it is to be able to find them in the stores. At the same time, its a struggle to get Ana to even eat the better foods, when school lunches are loaded with calories and many of her friends are busy eating only ice cream for lunch (its true). These issues are making the fight against childhood disorders caused by added weight much harder. I believe it is a combined effort of education, parents, and the food industry to facilitate the development of healthy eating habits at a young age. These proper habits are necessary to reduce the effects seen from being overweight and obese in childrens futures. From elementary school to college, there are many areas of deficiency in educations role in exhibiting healthy eating habits to students. One of the main things that irked me throughout high school was serving size to health ratios. Without fail, the calorie heavy foods, like thick macaroni and cheese and greasy strombolis, came in the largest portions. If you wanted to be full after eating, this was the route you had to take. Eating healthy with a salad was difficult because salad dressing could not be kept on the side without being charged an extra dollar, too many toppings was extra too, and salads counted as your main dish and vegetable, making your meal only a small salad with cheese and one slice of cantaloupe. On that note, fruit was kept to very small portions as well- 10 grapes, 4 strawberries, or a petite banana. A different strategy would be to price school lunches not by portion sizes, but by

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

calorie count. This way, students would have a fiscal incentive to eat healthier, and eating healthy foods like salads and fruits would not be held to such small proportion sizes. Even with this approach, a school must also consider the competitive foods available in their facility like those in vending machines. These are known as competitive foods, because they compete with what healthy choices are available from school lunches (Competitive Foods in Schools, 2013). Most vending machines offer snacks like chips, cookies, and candy bars, making their presence have a negative effect on students healthy eating habits. The clear alternative is to make positively impacting competitive foods available. Fresh Vending is one company that provides this option to schools. Their vending machines consist of yogurts, fresh juices and fruits, smoothies, granola bars, and organic snacks (Healthy Snacks for Vending Machines, 2013). These vending machines can replace the on-the-go or after lunch high saturated fat snacks with ones that have nutritional value and create positive eating habits. This switch is an important move if schools are looking to make a greater impact on their students weight and future health. On a different note, school curriculum has the potential to play a huge role in a childs eating habits also. Health classes should draw a strong focus on nutrition and provide an outlet for students to ask questions and get information about how they can lead healthier lives. This could come in the form of individual nutrition evaluation hours in school and food logs throughout the school year. In order for this to work, health classes cannot only be taught from a book, but by a nutritionist or certified health teacher also. Throughout my schooling, I cannot count how many health teachers turned out to have a degree in something completely

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

unrelated. This gap in teachers knowledge makes health class not about education and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but simply about passing for the student. The curriculum and employment of health teachers must be reevaluated if students are to develop the eating styles necessary for a healthy future. A school is only one influence on a childs eating habits though. Once they return home, their parents are the sole providers of smart eating options and enforcement of proper eating habits. Factors like income, education, and time availability of parents play a large role in how successful they will be in helping their child become a healthy eater however. Because of this, the food industry must make it easier for parents to make the right choices for their familys diet. Eco-labeling is one very direct way to educate care givers on what foods to buy in the store. Today, these labels are often seen on foods that are organic or fair trade. They could be even more effective by including labels indicating if they are locally sourced, making them fresher options. It would also be effective to take a twist on eco-labeling by providing information about the negative aspects of foods by using stickers that indicate the presence of preservatives and high fat or calorie contents. These labels would be much like Surgeon General Warnings on cigarettes but in regard to diet. With these positive and negative eco-labels, parents would be more aware of the food they are buying and serving to their families. With this knowledge, parents can provide their children with healthy eating habits and reduce their chances of being overweight.

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

Outside of the grocery store, fast food and sit-in restaurants play an important part also. Recently, places like McDonalds have shifted to include calorie counts on their menu. Once again, this in-your-face labeling is very effective in educating parents who dont have time to research nutrition about what the proper foods are to provide for their children A larger scale option is for more organizations like Climate Counts to develop. Climate Counts is a non-profit that scores companies on how environmentally friendly they are, with ratings for climate footprint and backing of climate legislation (Scorecard Overview, 2013). A spin on Climate Counts would be an organization that rates food providers with health scores. These scores could include grades on calories, fat content, and organic and locally sourced options available. With these ratings posted outside of the restaurant, people would be able to make more properly informed choices about where to purchase food from. Public scores would also provide an incentive for food providers to offer healthier options on their menus. The responsibility to provide proper childhood nutrition cannot solely be placed on educational institutions, parents, or the food industry individually. It is through a collaboration of direct education of the child, parents enforcement, and food business influences that a healthier youth population will be reached. It is one of my biggest goals to see my beautiful and intelligent sister raise a family of her own and live a life as free of health complications as it can be. In order for this to be possible, we must collectively take the nutritional initiative to provide and consume healthier eating options. Without a collaborative effort, the percentage of childhood obesity and consequences will only rise. For Ana and every other child in America, this cannot be the case.

Kayla Susko 8 April 2013

Adam Haley Engl 138T

Works Cited "Child Obesity." The Obesity Prevention Source. Harvard School of Public Health, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesitytrends/global-obesity-trends-in-children/>. "Competitive Foods in Schools." CDC.gov. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/nutrition/standards.htm>. "Health Risks of Overweight Children." UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. University of California San Francisco, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/health_risks_for_overweight_children />. "Healthy Snacks for Vending Machines." FreshVending.com. Fresh Healthy Vending, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://freshvending.com/products/>. "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Fact Sheet." Womenshealth.gov. United States Department of Health and Human Services, 17 Mar. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/polycystic-ovarysyndrome.cfm>. "Scorecard Overview." ClimateCounts.org. Climate Counts, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://www.climatecounts.org/scorecard_overview.php>."Healthy Snacks for Vending