Think "more food equals more value?" Oversized servings are contributing to oversized adults and children.
No matter where you are, you're never far from a burger. Or tacos or pizza or soda pop. It's easy to get a quick meal for yourself or the family, thanks to the hundreds (literally) of fast food joints on every corner in greater Little Rock.
No matter where you are, there's TV close by. Everybody's got one or two or three at home, and the sets at bars and restaurants and waiting rooms and day cares keep us from going into withdrawal. For nearly half of us, when the tube gets tedious, there's the computer to keep us amused, if immobile.
Sometimes, we go for the combo: We jump in our cars, grab a pizza and some pop, and drive back home for some screen/munch time. It's as American as apple pie a la mode.
It's no wonder we're all a bunch of lardbuckets.
This new lifestyle, big helpings of cars, suburbs, fast food and television, is taking its toll on Arkansas's kids. Supersized drinks, supersized fries, supersized kids.
It's adding up to supersized health problems. The most alarming: Type 2 diabetes, almost unheard of in children a couple of decades ago. Type 2, formerly known as "adult-onset" diabetes, is brought on by overeating, inactivity and familial risk factors. Doctors at Arkansas Children's Hospital have recorded an 800 percent increase in new cases of Type 2 diabetes among kids.
That was no typo. From 1988 to 1995, the number of children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes rose 800 percent. Three-fourths of the patients were black. Ninety-six percent were obese.
Diabetes causes more chronic health problems than smoking, a Rand Institute report said this summer. Complications are serious: Blindness, heart disease, circulatory problems that require amputation. People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes before the age of 40 can expect to die 8 years sooner than their healthy contemporaries, English researchers say.
But even if fat kids don't become diabetic, they suffer other problems. Many develop sleep apnea, a sleep disturbance in which oxygen is cut off for seconds, which can make them sleepy and cranky during the day. High blood pressure is common. Many have high cholesterol. Portion control is a key to successful weight management. By knowing how much of your favorite foods is enough, you can enjoy them and still control calories. You won't have to guess to get your portions back in line: Nutrition Facts labels, better shopping skills, measuring equipment, your own eyes, and words that signal reasonable portions can all help.
How To Control Portions When Eating Out
- Avoid buffets and "all-you-can-eat" restaurants. They make it too easy to overeat.
- At salad bars, fill your plate with lower-calorie greens and vegetables, and garnish with only small amounts of higher-calorie dishes. Remember: Just because it's at a salad bar doesn't mean it's salad!
- Steer clear of items that scream LARGE - giant, grande, supreme, extra-large, jumbo, double, triple, double-decker, king-size and super. Seek out portion descriptors that indicate moderation (and don't let them make you feel you're getting less value) - junior, single, queen-size, petite, kiddie and regular.
- Instead of ordering a main course, choose soup and a salad, or soup and an appetizer, or an appetizer and salad. Or order a half portion.
- Order from soup to dessert - but split everything down the middle with your dining partner.
- Order and eat "family-style," but request one or two fewer dishes than the number of people dining. Pass and share.
- If a huge dinner entree is set in front of you, slice off a reasonable portion and ask your waiter to put the remainder in a take-home container immediately - before you finish that reasonable portion and are tempted to start nibbling on the rest.
Give us a call today at 883-0115 or toll-free at 866-883-0115 to schedule your "FREE CONSULT" today to learn more about how you can improve your health through balanced nutrition!
Essential2Health, Natural Health Center, Inc. "Take Back Control of Your Health Today!"
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