By: Jennifer Jope for Reflux1Mom was right - again. A new study shows that a positive maternal attitude towards family meals may actually decrease the risk of teenage obesity.
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Steps to incorporate healthier food into your diet:
Eat fruits and vegetables naturally or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques. Steam vegetables or use low-calorie dressings. Avoid frying and high-fat dressings and sauces.
When fresh produce isn’t available, canned or frozen fruits and veggies are the next best thing. However, watch out for those with added sugar, syrup and other caloric ingredients.
Skip the juice and eat the fruit. Juice no longer has the fiber a piece of fruit can offer.
Whole fruit fills you up better than dried fruit. ¼ cup of raisins is 100 calories, but for the same amount of calories, eat one cup of grapes.
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Although the United States has long had an obesity problem, the study was conducted in Australia with University of Queensland researchers. They found that teenagers who regularly ate meals with their family had less of a chance of being overweight.In the United States, the statistics are tough to hear. According to www.overweightteen.com, 15.5 percent of teenagers (age 12 to 19) were overweight in 2000. Another 15 percent of teenagers were at risk of becoming overweight based on body mass index measurements. Approximately 25 percent of young people, ages 12 to 21, reported participating in no vigorous physical activity.
Dr. Abdullah Al Mamun, lead researcher from University of Queensland’s School of Population Health, said consistent family meals could reduce snacking and create healthier food and social habits.
“Eating together will enable the parent to have better knowledge of the child's food choices and amount that they tend to eat,” Mamun said.
Parents’ attitudes about food and exercise can play a major factor in teenage weight gain, according to www.overweightteen.com. Parents are advised not to let children eat “unconsciously” in front of the television or computer. When a person is focused on their meal, there is less chance for overeating.
The Australian study sought to determine whether a “maternal attitude towards the family regularly eating together and maternal report of how often the family eat together are associated with adolescent offspring being overweight.”
The researchers surveyed 3,795 mothers and their 14 year-old teenager in 1995. The data was collected in Brisbane, Australia.
Researchers found that the prevalence of obesity at 14 years old was 22 percent for males and 27 percent for females. Seventy-eight percent of the mothers reported their family ate together at least once a day. However, only 43 percent said they felt eating together was important.
The teenagers whose mothers felt eating together was not important had a higher chance of being overweight at 14 years old. Researchers did not find a link between maternal reports of how often the family actually did eat together and obesity at age 14 in the offspring.
The study found that half of the families ate red meat on most days and a quarter ate fast food at least two or three times each week.
The researchers concluded that a maternal attitude towards family eating patterns, but not how often the family actually eats together, are associated with childhood weight gain. The researchers noted that a maternal attitude towards family eating may reflect broader maternal influences (beyond family eating pattern) on their child’s diet and eating patterns over a longer period of time.
An encouraging attitude from parents is shown to be helpful for an overweight child or teenager. If parents follow their own advice (for instance, not eating in front of the television), children are likely to follow the example set by their parents.
The study found that more than half of the families had children who played sports between four and seven times each week. However, approximately 40 percent still had enough time to watch five or more hours of TV each day.
