TRAFFIC LIGHT EATING

I also found this on my Dr. Sears Newsletter...

"One of the best ways to help your child eat healthy is to teach them Traffic Light Eating. Just like when we are driving a car, a traffic light tells us what to do:

Green means “go”
Yellow tells us “slow down”
Red means “stop” and think

Green light foods are “grow” foods. You want to help your child learn to eat as much as they want of these foods that include all fruits and vegetables. Green light foods are: grown and not manufactured, low in calories, high in nutrients, colorful, and usually can be eaten raw.

Yellow light foods are “slow down” foods. These foods are OK to eat everyday, but not too much. Yellow light foods include: Pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, noodles, eggs, lean meat, chicken, lowfat yogurt, nuts and seeds, olive oil, soy foods, whole grains, fish, low fat cheese and vegetable oil.

Red light foods are “stop” and think about - make a different choice or eat a smaller portion. Red light foods are low in nutrients, high in calories, fat or sugar or contain artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils or tans-fats. They include: butter, cookies, candy, frozen yogurt, fatty meats, pastries, chips, and white bread."

HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

I found this info in Dr. Sears Newsletter...

"News about this inexpensive highly concentrated sweetener seems to be everywhere. This product which is synthesized from cornstarch is widely used in the food industry, most notably as the primary sweetener in soft drinks and baked goods. Cheaper to produce than traditional sugar, use of it increased 1,000% from its introduction in 1970 to 1990.

How it is different from traditional sugar (sucrose)?

High-fructose corn syrup is processed differently by our bodies than with sucrose. Our bodies instead tend to send fructose directly to the liver, instead of through the intermediary breakdown steps that sucrose goes through. The liver’s response to the fructose is to generate new fat cells, which it then dumps into the bloodstream as triglycerides (fatty acids).

How Does it Affect My Child?

Studies have shown that fructose does not illicit a response from insulin and other hormones that signal that a child is full, which helps regulate food intake and body weight. Also, those triglycerides that we spoke about above are increased and develop a resistance to insulin. High-fructose corn syrup changes how a child’s body handles fats, so we end up storing fats and burning sugar.

The risk with high-fructose corn syrup is that it can contribute towards weight gain and type II diabetes in children. However, a child may not necessarily be overweight or obese to acquire type II diabetes."