Junior League initiative battles childhood obesity
By THERESA WINSLOW, Staff Writer
If Bentley Mendez had his way, meal planning would be simple.
Bentley, 10, would have pepperoni pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Of course, his parents won't permit it - and he knows that a daily pizza diet is neither practical nor nutritious.
"It's not good," said Bentley, a fourth-grader at Folger-McKinsey Elementary School in Severna Park. "(Eating healthy) helps me play sports and not get tired."
For him, that means meals that include lots of fruits and vegetables, some meat, and milk and cheese. His mother, Carole Mendez, president of the Junior League of Annapolis, allows Bentley and her two other children an occasional treat, but only after they've eaten fruits, vegetables and some protein. Besides ensuring nutrition, eating those foods also limits their treat intake, because they're less hungry, she said.
Getting other parents and children to follow the Mendezes' example is the thrust of "Kids in the Kitchen," a new initiative by the Association of Junior Leagues International. The program is aimed at curbing the rising tide of childhood obesity, and more than 225 Junior Leagues in four countries are participating, including the Annapolis chapter. The Kids in the Kitchen Web site includes healthy recipes, as well as tips on nutrition and fitness.
According to the Junior League, nearly one-third of children in this country are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. The organization also points to the association between childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart disease and lower self-esteem.
"Education is a place to start," said Pam Newby of Oklahoma City, president of the Association of Junior Leagues. "We can raise awareness and educate children and parents."
The Junior League of Annapolis will be visiting Marley Elementary School in Glen Burnie next month to introduce the program, and members hope to expand their activities to other sites, said president-elect Meg Samek-Smith of Annapolis.
"I'm thrilled that it's addressing a critical need," said Ms. Samek-Smith, who has three young children. "What we're doing is spotlighting the issue."
Marley Principal Donna Williman said the program is "a great idea" and could offer a fresh perspective on the mission of keeping kids healthy.
One of the aims of the program is to get children involved in preparing food, which is why the Kids in the Kitchen recipes are child-friendly. If the children have a hand in making the food, they may be more likely to eat it, Ms. Samek-Smith said. The program also involves parents because they're the ones in charge of buying food for the family.
Area nutritionists said this is key, since children eat what their parents buy for them and model their food habits after them.
"Children are overweight because they're following in their parents' footsteps," said Maureen Shackelford, a registered dietitian at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Ms. Shackelford said that fact that obesity rates are climbing is disconcerting, but said educating children about healthy eating is a good first step to stemming the rising tide. The Junior League of Annapolis is working with AAMC on the Kids in the Kitchen program.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Meg and the Junior League in their effort to reach out to schoolchildren," said Bill West, director of AAMC's community health and wellness services. "We think that it's the right idea to start thinking about nutrition, exercise and lifestyle in the elementary schools."
Smart snacks
Austin and Brice Persico sat around a table filled with bowls of cut up pieces of fruit.
The two brothers and other children dutifully slipped the fruit onto skewers, then dipped them in yogurt and shredded coconut. The boys were making Funky Fruit Kabobs, one of the many recipes featured on the Kids in the Kitchen Web site.
In another room at Ms. Samek-Smith's home, other children arranged vegetables on paper plates to resemble trees as part of the recipe called Trees in a Broccoli Forest. Nearby, others mixed the components for trail mix. The fruit kabobs and trail mix were definite hits, but the broccoli trees went pretty much unharvested by the children who made them.
The exercise showed just how hard the job of getting children to eat healthily can be, especially since these were the sons and daughters of local Junior League members - all of whom had already been schooled in nutrition.
When asked, most of the children said that, given the choice, they prefer cookies and ice cream to fruits and vegetables. But they also knew that just eating sweets wasn't good for them.
"Most kids I know eat healthy," said Allie Howard, 8, of Severna Park. "But some kids eat more junk. I think almost everyone in the world should eat more healthy."
Allie's favorite food is mashed potatoes, but she said she eats them sparingly.
Her mother, Beth Howard, who has two other children, said it hasn't been too hard getting them to eat healthily, but admitted the job is harder when she has to compete with all the advertising for junk food on television.
Annapolis nutrition consultant Jennifer Salos said that beyond the saturation of the ads, just having children sit in front on the television all day is another reason obesity rates are climbing. "There's a lot less outdoor time," she said.
Another culprit is the hectic pace of today's society, nutritionists said, where harried parents sometimes opt for fast food or microwaved items as quick solutions.
"Education is a stepping stone," said Sharon Boggs, diabetes nutrition educator at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie. "Knowledge is power."
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