| Below are summaries of several nutrition research articles published in the January 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. For more information, or to receive a faxed copy of a JADA article, please call Bridget McManamon (800) 877-1600, ext. 4769; or e-mail bmcmana@eatright.org.
"Eat your peas!" Parents should do the same
Only 20 percent of preschool-age children consume the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day*. What can parents do to encourage their children to eat five a day? According to researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, the best thing for parents to do is lighten up on the phrase "Finish your vegetables," and to eat five a day themselves. Researchers evaluated more than 190 families with 5-year-old girls and collected data on parental pressure in child feeding and parents' own fruit and vegetable intake. Results showed that girls' fruit and vegetable intake was higher if their parents consumed fruits and vegetables as well. Parents who consumed fewer fruits and vegetables also reported applying greater pressure in child feeding and had daughters who consumed fewer fruits and vegetables. Researchers state that to increase children's fruit and vegetable intake, parents need to increase their own intake. In addition, children should be encouraged to "try" rather than "finish" their vegetables.
*Data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1989-1991.
Lowering your cholesterol? Beware of simple sugars
Women who are trying to lower their cholesterol levels by limiting dietary fat, may be doing more harm than good if they're replacing the fat with high-sugar foods. As commonly happens to women placed on low-fat diets, their total cholesterol levels decrease. However, this type of diet also reduces high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels - the "good" cholesterol - leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Maryland evaluated 55 overweight and obese postmenopausal women placed on the American Heart Association Step 1 diet, to determine the dietary cause of the decrease in HDL cholesterol. The study revealed that a decrease in HDL cholesterol was associated with an increase in consumption of foods containing added sugars. The AHA guidelines recommend consuming 55 percent of energy from carbohydrates but do not specify the ideal level of simple sugar intake. Because of this, researchers suggest dietetics professionals should emphasize to patients that the carbohydrate calories should come from complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars.
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