2005 Press Releases

Back-To-School Lunch and Snacking Ideas from
The Pediatric Weight Management Program
at Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Livingston, N.J. -- In response to a national trend toward childhood obesity, acting Gov. Richard Codey recently introduced a new lunch policy for New Jersey schools that forbids the sale of candy, soda, fatty foods and high sugar snacks during school hours. The policy, which must be in place by September 2006, also limits the size of drinks. Henry Anhalt, D.O., Medical Director of the Healthy LIFE® Pediatric Weight Management Program at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center, hopes the change will influence other states and help to reverse the national rise in obesity among children.

“So many more children are becoming overweight and obese at younger ages,” Dr. Anhalt says. “In the last 40 years the rate of obesity has doubled in children ages 6 to 11 and tripled in children ages 12 to 17. Overall, kids are 11 pounds heavier than they were 20 years ago.”

Debra Gill, Ph.D., behavioral director of the Healthy LIFE® Pediatric Weight Management Program, relates that school children are deluged with food choices that are high in calories and are delivered in portions that are too large. Years ago, hot lunches at school consisted of moderate portions and children often brought a healthy lunch from home. Now, school children frequently have access to fast food at school, portions are “super-sized,” and vending machines have been readily accessible, Dr. Gill reports.

Obesity in children can lead to a variety of other risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol and feelings of depression and anxiety. Childhood obesity often leads to obesity in adulthood.

The Healthy LIFE® Pediatric Weight Management Program offers the following tips for parents on how to create more healthy lunch and snack offerings for their children:

• Use lean lunch meats, such as turkey or ham, when making sandwiches, or roll the meat up with a toothpick.
  
  
• To increase the intake of beneficial fiber, make sandwiches with whole grain breads. Or, to save calories, try “light” high fiber breads (you can even find white bread with added fiber).
  
  
• Small baggies filled with high fiber cereal, such as Fiber One, or shredded wheat––frosted shredded wheat adds great taste––will help the gastrointestinal system and provide a healthy snack.
  
  
• Sucking candies, such as lollipops, take a long time to eat and offer lots of pleasure. Children feel they are having dessert, even thought they are consuming 50 calories or less.
  
  
• Sugarless gum is also a handy treat in a lunch bag, and chewing this gum may even help to clean teeth during the school day.
  
  
• Offer low-fat dairy foods, such as light yogurt and skim milk, to increase calcium intake without boosting calories.
  
  
• Keep cut-up pieces of fruit and veggies in the refrigerator for easy access. Consider dipping these pieces in low-fat yogurt or sending them to school in a small covered bowl.
  
  
• Soda drinks add extra, empty calories and elevated levels of sugar. If parents chose to provide an occasional soda as a treat, they should consider giving a diet version of the beverage. Artificial sweeteners in diet soda safely reduce the level of sugar intake.
  
  
• Fruit juice is another source of calorie-laden sugar. Parents who want their children to have the health benefits of fruit should provide the real thing: apples, oranges, etc. A multivitamin can also give children the vitamin C and other nutrients found in fruit juice without increasing the sugar intake.
  
  
• Always keep portion size in mind. A small order of fries can satisfy the appetite with far fewer calories than a super-sized version.

The Healthy LIFE® Program

Dr. Anhalt, nationally-known expert in pediatric obesity, co-directs this program with Dr. Gill, who has been helping clients manage their weight for over 10 years. Healthy LIFE®, which teaches participants how to eat healthy and become physically fit, was created to address the growing need for assistance for children and families regarding weight management. The primary goal is to help children lose excess body fat and equip them with the tools they need to maintain a healthy weight for life.

Participants of Healthy LIFE® receive multidisciplinary expert instruction, weekly guidance and encouragement, and the opportunity to practice newly-learned behavioral skills over a 6-12 month period. Through weekly planning, problem solving, and praise for effort and accomplishments, children learn to handle challenging situations in healthy ways.

For more information, please call Healthy LIFE® at (973) 322-7496

Date: July 25, 2005

Contact: Public Relations, (973) 322-9901

[ top ]