Experts advise healthier diets for kids

• By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer

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Child health experts urged families to promote healthier diets to avoid obesity and fatty liver disease.

Speaking at the launch of community-based nutritional programs for children sponsored by the Mustard Seed Mission and Quaker Oat Co in Taoyuan on Aug. 22, nutritionist Chen Hsiu-wen (陳琇雯) said that a study of 440 obese children in Taiwan showed that 19.5 percent had a fatty liver.

A separate survey by the Child Welfare League Foundation showed that 30.2 percent of Taiwanese aged 10 to 12 years old were overweight or obese, higher than the 25 percent global average according to WHO statistics, she said.

Students from Xikou Elementary School in Taipei look at packaged drinks on April 7, 2010.

Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

The foundation poll also found that children drink at least one bubble tea-type beverage a week, 21.3 percent eat sweet snacks or desserts daily, and 63.2 percent regularly eat dinners that are rich in carbohydrates, but low in protein, she said.

Parents should make sure their children not only eat enough food, but also that the food is nutritious and promotes health, Chen said.

Parents are too often concentrated on ensuring their children gain weight and height, without regard to the kind of foods they consume, she said.

Taiwanese children are eating too much refined sugar, fatty and ultraprocessed foods, and not enough quality protein, dietary fiber and micronutrients, such as iron, calcium and zinc, she said.

The unbalanced diet leads to increased risks of fatty liver disease, obesity and diabetes, she said, adding that the early teenage years are a key developmental stage for a person’s health later in life.

Parents should regulate their children’s consumption of cakes and sugary drinks, as surges in blood sugar could trigger insulin insensitivity that leads to diabetes, she said.

Good carbohydrates should replace refined sugar and ultraprocessed foods such as cakes to ensure stable blood sugar levels and mental concentration, Chen said.

This means eating unsalted nuts, whole-grain bread, whole-grain oats, yam and brown rice in meals, she said.

Many of these same foods are rich in dietary fiber, which boosts gut and metabolic health, and removes excess cholesterol, Chen said.

Fish, eggs, lean meat, tofu, sugarless soybean and dairy should be the main sources of protein for children, with a vegetable side dish in each meal, she said, adding that whole fruits should be served in place of juice.

Pick unsaturated fat, which strengthens cardiovascular health, Chen said.

Child development expert Wang Hung-che (王宏哲) said parents should deal with picky eaters by involving them in food preparation and offering alternative dishes, instead of forcing them to eat food they dislike.