by Marissa Testa, MS RDN LD
“Does that have seed oils in it?”
“Is that gluten free?”
“I only eat whole foods.”
The list could go on and on. However, at the root of all the statements and questions above, is the search for “optimal” health. This is not something new to 2023. In the 80’s, low fat food took center stage. The 1990’s came and went with Adkins diet. In the 2000’s, access to supplements became all the more widespread as did many new strategic ways to eat through the availability of new foods and supplements via the internet, new products and next day shipping.
Has any of this made a difference?
There is a difference in how we eat now versus how we used to eat.
For one, Americans love pastries and breads, which makes up the majority of most people’s diets. Our butter intake, while decreasing, has been replaced with vegetable sourced oils. Fruit and veggie intakes have decreased when compared to the 1970’s with only 10% of the American public eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Additionally, most Americans report they seek a healthy diet, while over half of the report that they should do better most days of the week.
These data trends are concerning for typical Americans. When you consider children with special health care needs, the prosect of pursing a heathy diet seems grim and overwhelming to choose the “right foods” to feed a growing child, much less one with special needs, texture aversions and swallowing difficulties.
On average, children with special healthcare needs are nearly twice as likely to experience food insecurities and malnutrition than a child with less healthcare needs.
So, what can we do to improve our own eating habits and those of these children in our care?
Here are 2 tips to better your or your child’s health without jumping to extremes:
Drink some water.
Sounds simple. However, most people do not drink enough leading to a chronic state of dehydration and even constipation. This can then affect appetite and overall quality of diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions estimates 43% of Americans drink less than 4 cups a day, or half of the recommended 8 cups of water recommended per day for adults.
To drink more water, start by noticing how much plain water you drink in a day. The next day, try increasing your previous days amount by one cup and do this for a few days before increasing again. By increasing your or your child’s water intake slowly, you can avoid the constant urge to use the restroom and make the habit stick.
Eat some fruit. And some vegetables.
Again, easy right? The guidelines for Americans emphasizes fruits and veggies should make up half of a person’s plate each meal with a goal of 5 servings per day. However, the reality is, most people are not to this goal.
To work towards it, consider how many servings of fruits and vegetables you consume in a day. While having it in your refrigerator is wonderful, it doesn’t count unless it makes it in your body. Start by looking at the produce already in your home.
Does it go bad? Is it too hard to grab quickly? Prepping food by cutting it up before you need it can help make fruits and vegetables easier to eat. Also, by looking at your daily habits, you can make small changes like adding extra vegetables to your soups, more steamed broccoli to Chinese carryout or bananas to your oatmeal to work towards the 5-a-day habit.
For kids, exposure and modeling are key. Kids watching adults eat healthy are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables themselves. Children also may need to try a new food up to 10-15 times before it is accepted- if they have developmental delays this can be up to 30 times of seeing a food before it even makes it into their mouth!
If wasting food is a concern while trying to also expose your child to new foods, try freezing scraps and using them in smoothies as a new way to encourage acceptance with foods in a new texture! Sometimes offering foods warm or frozen (as long as they aren’t a choking hazard) can also help kids be more willing to try a new fruit or vegetable.
Change Towards a Healthy Diet Takes Effort
Overall, as with anything, change towards a healthy diet takes effort (as well as water and fruits and veggies!) Making a plan and taking a small first step can help you build momentum to make big live changes to improve your overall health.
A registered dietitian is a great resource to help you and are now more available than ever through groceries stores, telehealth and your local Community Health Clinic. They can assist with specialized diets for specific conditions to help you or your child work towards a healthier diet step by step.
Marissa Testa, MS RDN LD, is a remote metabolic dietitian at the Community Health Clinic.
Her passion is enteral nutrition, home-blended formulas and patient education making every family feel that they can feed and grow their children regardless of medical diagnosis.
Marissa lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Michael and also homeschools her three children. She will very willingly accept any recipes you are willing to share.