When you think of malnutrition in a third world Asian country you tend to think of starving children with pot-bellies caused by protein deficiency, scratching around in the dirt for something to eat. Unfortunately this type of malnutrition does still exist on our very doorsteps, however another type of nutrition based disease is now becoming apparent not only among Western children, but in the local population as well.
Obesity is one of the biggest threats to child health. Genetics, decreases in physical activity, increases in television watching and computer games, and consumption of fast food are factors that have led to an increase of childhood obesity all over the world. Excessive consumption of sugar sweetened “soft drinks’ may also be a key factor.
Sweetened soft drinks and syrups are cheap and available to almost anybody on any budget. Fast food chain restaurants will even give you a “bottomless” cup of the stuff if you buy enough burgers. On the local village level street vendors sell iridescent single serve plastic bags of “es syrup” for less than a bottle of aqua. But the “Liquid candy” is taking its toll on the younger generation.
Studies have shown that although no single factor can be cited as the sole cause of childhood obesity, there seems to be a strong link between soft drink consumption and the risk of childhood obesity.
Consider that the typical teen consumes approximately two cans of soft drinks per day that contain 300 calories and 20 teaspoons of sugar! This is a whopping 20% of a child’s daily recommended caloric intake. (Current guidelines recommend a limit of 10% of daily calories from added sugars).
When you add to this other sugar rich foods that may be consumed during the day, children could consume one-third of their daily calories from nutrient-poor, energy-dense snack foods, which makes nutritional deficiencies another area of concern. Children seem to be choosing soft drinks or sweetened fruit drinks instead of milk, pure natural juice, or water which can decrease their levels of protein, calcium, zinc, and vitamins A & C.
The prevention of childhood obesity is of great importance. It has been estimated that 25% of obese children are already showing signs of glucose intolerance and it is estimated that a child who is diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus (mature onset or non-insulin dependant diabetes) at age 10 years may lose between 17 and 26 life-years to complications of the disease.
So how do we combat the “liquid candy” epidemic? First of all examine your food cupboard and fridge and see if there are some serious lifestyle changes that need to be made. If you already lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle at home then your children will also need to be educated on the evils that are “out there” in the stores, cafes and even school canteens.
Here are some tips
- Children can compensate for the added calories from occasional soft drinks by choosing more nutritious, lower calorie drink options throughout the rest of the day and increasing their amount of physical activity.
- Encourage your school canteen to concentrate on providing more nutritious lower calorie beverage choices in their canteens such as milk, water, and 100% fruit and vegetable juices.
- Make water your main source of fluid in the home. This becomes a lot more interesting when you tell youngsters that they are drinking the same stuff that lions do!
- For a refreshing soft drink alternative try a glass of unsweetened apple juice, a glass of soda water or a glass of water and lots of ice!
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Kim Patra is a qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife that has been living and working in Bali for almost twenty years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any health concerns with you and she maybe contacted via e-mail at info@chcbali.com”.
