Running Head: NUTRITION BASICS 1

Nutrition Basics:A Course for New and Expecting Parents

Kansas State UniversityBrooke Gober

NUTRITION BASICS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGES CONTENT

3-6 Introduction

7 Goals and Objectives

8 Agenda

9-10 Teaching Unit

11 Conclusion and Evaluation

12 References

11-13 Handout for class

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Introduction

In the 1950’s, adults and children ate higher amounts of bread, milk, fresh seasonal fruits

and vegetables. They also consumed much more red meat in their diets compared to today’s diet

with much more poultry, pork and fish. There was not as many choices in the types of food

consumed in the 1950’s as there is today. There were many unknown positive effects to the

eating habits, or types of food readily available to kids of the 1950’s (Meikle). We are just

beginning to understand the negative effects that the abundance of food choices kids have today

is having on their health. Back before fast food, soda, juice, prepackaged foods, chemical and

pesticides’, antibiotic use in our meats, food was more basic and pure. It was not uncommon for

families to grow their own vegetable gardens, raise their own grass fed cattle for consumption.

There was no need or talk of “organic” foods.

The positive effects not understood back in the day were children who grew up with more

bone health later in life; do to the higher consumption of calcium. Vegetable consumption was

eaten in amounts enough to prevent heart and respiratory diseases, as well as thwart off many

forms of cancer do the large amount of antioxidants provided by fresh vegetables and fruits.

Even given the higher amounts of red meat consumed ensured an abundance of iron.

Although, postwar calorie intake was more; obesity was not a problem as kids were

brought up to be far more active than today’s average child. Soft drinks as well as fruit juices

consumed daily, has grown from just 11% in 1950 to 90% today, with it now being a staple with

kids meals (Meikle). In a study published by pediatrics in April 2011, mothers reported greater

consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and saturated fat compared with nonparents. Mothers

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also had higher BMI’s than mothers without children. It was concluded that pediatricians’ and

healthcare providers should consider discussing dietary intake and physical activity with new

parents to help improve healthful behaviors. If we can help parents’ model healthy eating and

exercise habits, it will in return help raise healthier children, more aware of the negative and

positive outcomes on their own health that is directly related to food choices, as they grow into

adulthood.

When should good nutrition begin for children? According to a study by Taddese Alemu

Zerfu and Henok Taddese Ayele, during pregnancy. “Every year more than 20 million infants are

born with low birth weight worldwide. About 3.6 million infants die during the neonatal period.

More than one third of child deaths are thought to be attributable to maternal and child under

nutrition” (Zerfu and Ayele, pg. 1). Nutrition starts in the womb and has huge impact on our

children for the future.

It is imperative we switch our thinking from living to eat, to eating to live. As quoted in

the book, Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D, “Americans have been among the first people

worldwide to have the luxury of bombarding themselves with nutrient-deficient, high-calorie

food, often called empty-calorie or junk food. Food that is deficient in nutrients and fiber.” Our

children today are eating less nutrient rich foods and consuming an abundant amount of empty

foods, causing many health problems and obesity.

Bill Sears, M.D. referred to as Americas Pediatrician states that, “75% of all chronic

disease is preventable.” The theory being whole food being the link to disease prevention and

possible treatment to many such diseases already diagnosed. Saint Jude’s hospital is just one of

many beginning to treat patients with whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

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Dr. David Katz, M.D. is quoted as saying, “This may be the first generation of children to

have a shorter life expectancy than their parents” (Silberstein). In fact research is now saying by

the age of 12, many of our children have already developed beginning stages of hardening of the

arteries. That 1 in 3 children today will develop diabetes in their lifetime, more than 25% of our

children take prescription drugs on a regular basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics

recommends that children as young as eight can be treated with cholesterol-lowering statin

drugs. Finally 1 in 3 children are now considered obese. I venture to say kids today when

compared to the kids of the 1950’s have fallen victim to a far too common sedentary lifestyle.

Add to that the 80% increase in soda and sweetened juices, along with fast food establishments

on every corner, the nutritional state of today’s kids has become a slow and steady epidemic that

needs to be addressed. Education being the number one source to reach expecting parents with

the proper information and resources needed to reduce the high disease risk of our future

generations.

In her book, Hungry for Health, Susann Silberstein, PHd (page 16) poses the question,

are you digging your grave with your fork? She states that, “Yes, the evidence demonstrates that

Americans are digging themselves into early graves with their forks. Our children are

increasingly unhealthy, too.” She is as bold to state that children born in the year 2000, have a

50% chance of developing type 2 adult onset diabetes by the time they reach 30 (Silberstein). It

is now 2015, just fifteen years away from her theory that 50% of those kids will indeed be

diagnosed. These are scary statistics for expecting parents, but with proper education we can

hopefully prevent many such cases from developing do to the lack of proper nutrition.

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It is harder today for parents to feed their kids proper nutrition with both parents

commonly in the workforce trying to make ends meet. We need to not just educate expecting

parents, but give alternatives to poor choices. We need to find ways to make it easier to attain

proper nutrition first through the education of what good nutrition is and secondly offering ideas

to make it easier to actually feed their kids better quality, more nutritious foods. We live in a fast

paced society and people have grown accustomed to the whole idea of fast meals.

Our government has tried to help. In 1992, the USDA issued a food guide pyramid in an

effort to wean Americans off fat. They failed to tell the difference between refined carbohydrates

and complex carbs derived from whole foods. Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public

Health offered a pyramid that promotes whole grains, plant oils, fresh fruits and vegetables, raw

nuts and legumes. Susan Silberstein PHd, does a great job in her book of explaining four

principles of healthy eating. Her quote, “Pyramids don’t prevent disease; healthy habits do,” is

very telling as our goal needs to be not just education, but to take that education and put it into

practice.

Due to changing gender roles, it is imperative that nutritional education extend to the

expecting father as well. With the need of two incomes in today’s family, many fathers find

themselves home in the evening preparing meals, while the wife works. It needs to be a

combined effort of both parents in feeding and teaching proper nutrition to their children.

This program offers the most basic of nutritional needs for expecting mothers and their

children. It is amazing how just a few dietary changes can make a huge impact on the entire

families health and future.

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NUTRITION BASICS:

A COURSE FOR EXPECTING AND NEW PARENTS

Goal

Upon completion of this course, parents will report a better understanding of the importance that good nutrition has on the health of their child

Objective #1

Parents will demonstrate knowledge of basic nutrition

Objective #2

Parents will demonstrate six key groups used to categorize the food their kids eat

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AGENDA

12:30-1:00 Nutritious kid friendly lunch while giving class overview and introductions

1:00-1:30 Discuss the six key groups just served for lunch and the categories they belong in

1:30-2:00 Discuss each category in more detail

2:00-2:30 Question-answer session, with a handout of the six essential key groups with recipes and suggested nutritional books for further learning

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Teaching Unit

The main goal of this teaching unit is as follows: Upon completion each parent will better

understand the affects that nutrition has on their unborn children and family as a whole. Two

objectives will be covered in just one unit. First being the very basics of what good nutrition

consists of. Secondly, they will demonstrate knowledge of the six essential key groups of food.

This will help parents not only understand, but be able to put this into application into their

households.

While eating a child friendly lunch the instructor will introduce herself and ask each

participant to introduce themselves at each table while enjoying a time of eating from the six

different categories of food they will be learning about. Allowing this to be an interaction course,

helps the parents better their knowledge about the material they will be learning. Letting them

engage with one another can impact how much they learn and allow for parents to share ideas

about their nutrition thoughts.

After this time of introductions the instructor will begin her talk about the history of

nutrition and how it has slowly changed over the course of the past 60 years. The instructor will

discuss the decline in the health of today’s children and share the latest research showing how

poor nutrition is directly correlated to many childhood diseases and obesity. She will then

discuss the basics of what good solid nutrition looks like and how it can positively affect the

health of their children.

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This will lead into the six key groups of food and how to categorize them correctly,

making sure their families are getting all the essential nutrients they need. (1) fats, (2)

carbohydrates, (3) proteins, (4) vitamins, (5) minerals, and (6) water. They will learn about

unprocessed foods, whole foods, and REAL foods (foods that Release Essential Antioxidants for

Longevity).

Each table will have a hamburger happy meal in a glass covered cake platter that is a

couple months old, with one happy meal that is over 5 years old to demonstrate that there is no

nutritional value of any kind in one of the most common lunches served to very young children.

The instructor will teach them one catch phrase easy to remember, “If it doesn’t rot or sprout;

throw it out.”

With that being said, the instructor will open up the floor for any nutrition based

questions they may have. Allowing the parents to ask questions and speak about concerns can

help them understand and better apply nutrition in their children’s lives. This also allows there to

be opportunity for more specific information to be shared by the instructor.

To close, the instructor will read the book, Eat Healthy, Feel Great by William Sears,

M.D. A book written for parents to read to their kids; to teach them in a very fun way the

importance of eating healthy. This should be an enjoyable time as the parents are feeling much

more capable and knowledgeable about feeding and raising healthy, happy kids. There will be

extra copies of the book, Eat Healthy, Feel Great, offered for purchase, for those participants that

would like to take it home that day.

Finally, a handout will be given on Healthy Choices to each participant that attended the class.

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Conclusion and Evaluation

“Nutrition Basics: A Course for Expecting and New Parents” is a class that would be

ideal to teach once a month and offered to expecting parents. The target audience is pregnant

mothers, fathers and moms of preschoolers. It is of utmost importance to educate parents at the

earliest possible time entering parenthood. The earlier moms and dads begin to feed their

children better nutritionally based food, the better chance at a healthier life for the child.

Advertising for this most important subject and cause would best be done through local

MOPS groups, (moms of preschoolers) OBGYN offices, pediatrician offices and through flyers

hung at daycares as well as schools. Eventually this course could be expanded to educating

school age children through use of the Bill Sears M.D. book, as well as the hamburger happy

meal presentation. There should be a cost of $18 per person to cover the light lunch, handouts

and cost of the instructor.

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References

Zerfu, T., & Ayele, H. (n.d.). Micronutrients and pregnancy; effect of supplementation on pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review. Nutrition Journal Nutr J, 12(20), 1-5. Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-12-20.pdf

Welcome to Prevention Denver! (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2015.

Sears, W., & Sears, M. (2002). Eat healthy, feel great. Boston: Little, Brown.

Fuhrman, J. (2011). Eat to live: The amazing nutrient-rich program for fast and sustained weight loss (Rev. ed.). New York: Little, Brown and.

Dalzell, K. (2004). Give it to me straight!: Questions & answers for no-nonsense nutrition. Round Lake, Ill.: NutriQuest Press.

Pediatrics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2015.

Silberstein, S. (2005). Hungry for health: 157 delicious, nutritious dishes to help prevent and reverse disease. West Conshohocken, PA: Infinity Publishing.com.

Miekle, J. (2014, June 1). The truth about obesity: 10 shocking things you need to know. Retrieved October 22, 2015.

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Handout Part 1

Nutrition Detectives 5 Clues

(Created by Dr. David Katz – visit www.davidkatzmd.com to order a FREE DVD)

Clue #1 NEVER TRUST THE FRONT OF THE PACKAGE - look for the hidden truth in the ingredient list (so we should always look at the ingredient list when first choosing a product)

Clue #2 THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS ALWAYS THE BIGGEST – the product contains the most of this

Clue #3 LOOK FOR A SHORT INGREDIENT LIST - If the ingredient list is REALLY LONG with all sorts of words you don‘t recognize that‘s another clue that it may be unhealthy.

Clue #4 IDENTIFY HARMFUL INGREDIENTS - The Dirty Dozen (Experience Life Mag., Jan. 2009)

1. Hydrogenated Oils: Included in most packaged goods)

2. High Fructose Corn syrup, Sugar, Corn syrup

3. Artificial Colors (Red, Blue, Yellow, Caramel Color etc.) or Artificial Flavors

4. Artificial sweeteners:Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Sucralose, Saccharin, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet)

5. Preservatives (BHA, BHT, EDTA etc.)

6. MSG (Monosodium glutamate)

7. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein or autolyzed yeast extract, Sodium Caseinate, Calcium Caseinate

8. Potassium bromate (additive mostly in breads)

9. Propyl gallate (additive in baked goods, desserts etc.)

10. Sulfites(sulfur dioxide, metabisulfites, and others)

11. Sodium benzoate or benzoic acid

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12. Nitrites, Nitrates, Sodium Nitrates – can be carcinogenic

Clue #5 FIBER IS YOUR FRIEND because fiber helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels. It helps prevent colon cancer, constipation, hemorrhoids, obesity and much more. The typical American diet has about 10 g of fiber. We need 25-50 g each day! Try to get 2 to 4 grams of fiber per serving.

How to sneak in MORE FIBER:

♣ Crunchy Raw Fruits and Vegetables ♣ Eat Bean Dishes (lentil soups etc.)

♣ Trail Mix (RAW nuts & unsulphured dried fruit) ♣ Add freshly ground flaxseed, nuts, seeds,

dried fruit and beans to salads & smoothies

♣ Add berries to morning cereal ♣ Brown Rice or try QUINOA (mother grain)

♣ Veggie Burgers instead of hamburgers ♣ Mega Fiber Muffins, Pancakes and Cookies

♣ Whole grain bread and pasta ♣ Snacks: Raw Fruits and Vegetables, Trail Mix,

♣ Add avocado to sandwiches or dips non-microwave popcorn, whole-grain crackers, multi grain chips

OTHER TIPS: Add more OMEGA 3 FATS to your family‘s diet (95% of Americans don‘t consume these healthy fats!)

• ♣ Wild Salmon, Tuna, Herring, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, Halibut , Wheat Germ, Flaxseed, Walnuts, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Beans, Omega 3 Rich Eggs

• ♣ To figure out how much sugar is in your food, divide the sugar grams by 4. That tells you how many teaspoons there are per serving.

• ♣ Stay away from the ―Whites‖: white Bread, white rice, white pasta, etc.

• ♣ Healthy Sodium ratio: 1 mg. of sodium per calorie.

How to encourage your family to eat more fruits and vegetables:

Have fruit and vegetables washed and ready to eat. Cut up and have ready to eat with dips. Use fruit for a dessert or sweet snack. Add fruits and vegetables to what you already eat (add avocado to sandwiches etc.). Send fruits and vegetables as a snack in packed lunches or at home (fresh/dried). Carry with you when you are away from home! Serve salads and raw vegetables first at dinnertime, when your family is hungriest. Try new fruits & vegetables – Sometimes a child needs to be exposed to a new food 15 times before they’ll eat it..

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Handout Part 2

Healthy Snacks and Side Ideas-Simple Alternatives

Fresh fruit with dip Broccoli and Dip

Fruit salad Baked chips

Fruit cups Banana

Dried fruit Raisins

Fruit Leather (read ingredients) Raw nuts

100% Applesauce Dry cereal

Apple, carrots, celery slices w/ nut butter Plain yogurt with fruit

Veggies & pita bread triangles w/Hummus Granola bars

Nut butter spread on whole wheat crackers Ants on a stick

Hard boiled eggs

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