Choices, choices, choices

bdmomuae (65)in #education • 8 years ago

Amy is an 11-year-old fifth-grade student. Amy was about 15percent above her ideal body weight prior to this year, and during the past year she has gained approximately 7pounds. She is extremely concerned about her weight and body image and does not want to be overweight in her first year in middle school.

Amy has opted not to eat breakfast because she thinks this will help her lose weight. During the morning hours at school, she finds that she is having trouble concentrating, and she becomes tired and irritable. The elementary school that Amy attends offers after-school intramural sports. She does not care for many of the foods served for lunch in the school cafeteria.

Outside of school, Amy prefers french fries and snack foods such as potato chips to satisfy her hunger. She normally goes home after school and has a snack before she begins her homework. After she completes her homework, she either talks on the telephone to her friends or watches television.

Amy is interested in nutrition and has begun reading food labels to find out the ingredients, particularly the amount of fat and calories. She has heard that fat is bad for her but doesn't know how much she can eat or that there are different types of fat. Amy is confused by the food labels and the different and conflicting information in the media. She is somewhat aware of the types of foods that are considered healthy but is not certain about what foods are unhealthy. The idea of putting all the information together to have a healthy diet and lifestyle is overwhelming to her.

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Jason is a thin sixth-grader. He wants to be on the high school wrestling team when he gets older. His brother has told him that he will have to be bigger and heavier. He remembers that, he was told he had to gain weight quickly. He heard his brother telling his friends how much fun it would be to eat lots of cake and candy to gain weight fast. That didn't sound right to Jason, but he plans to do the same thing if he has to, to get onto the high school wrestling team - a major goal for him.

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Will Amy's eating pattern result in a constant battle with food and weight throughout her life? What messages about weight control has Jason received?

For some people, eating behaviors emerge from family eating patterns. Others develop eating habits from well-documented information. Other succumb to media hype and advertising. Many people have become obsessed with specific components of food and their relationship to disease. They may want a quick fix. Some people incorporate one piece of information about a food and eliminate or pay no attention to others. For example, some people are proud of eliminating fat from their diet but do not question the chemicals used to replace the fats or the artificial sugar added to food. They have not asked themselves about the health risks associated with crash diets or the stress from worrying about their weight.

People spend a great deal of time eating for reasons other than nutrition. Eating can be a way of making people feel good. Food sometimes has a role in a system of reward or punishment. How often we have heard, "If you eat everything on your plate, you can have dessert." Dessert is the reward for doing something "right". Food has been used as a lesson in social consciousness: "Children in (some locations) are starving, so you shouldn't waste food - clean your plate!" Food is also a central component of hospitality. Social planning often centers on the choice of a good restaurant and the quality of its food. That quality rarely has anything to do with nutrition or good health; it simply relates to good taste and presentation.

In some families, eating together is a ritual that defines how well the family is functioning: "A family that eats together, stays together". Food and the roles people play in its preparation are an indication of their culture. Mothers may be considered good mothers because of the way they feed their family. Frequently, dietary habits and foods are chosen or eliminated from diets because of religious tenets. For all these reasons, children and adults should be educated about nutrition.

Given all this information, nutrition educators have to assist in the development of habits and lifestyles that support healthy eating by further understanding the effects of mental health, attitudes, and values about how people eat. The primary goal of the health educator should be to incorporate this information into the curriculum in a meaningful way. Helping children make dietary choices that will enhance their health is of critical importance. Frequently, this means making choices that are different from their families and peers. Necessary changes in habits and diets are required as new information about the relationship between health and nutrition continues to emerge.