BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
ROOSEVELT — A colorful plate. That’s the easiest way for kids to remember to eat a well-balanced diet.
Nutritionists from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, gave a presentation to elementary school students on Oct. 8 in order to encourage them to eat healthy and sensibly.
The Shape It Up program is a joint venture between the university and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
Given that childhood obesity has become a major health issue, it is important for today’s kids to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly.
Results from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) using measured heights and weights indicate that an estimated 16 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years old is overweight. This represents a 45-percent increase from the overweight estimates of 11 percent obtained from the survey data taken between 1988 and 1994.
Anita Siu, a professor at Rutgers’ Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in Piscataway, led activities with the help of two college student assistants, Kirk Tung and Jennifer Chao.
Serving sizes were demonstrated to kids in comparison to the size of tennis balls and basketballs. For items such as ice cream and fried chicken nuggets, according to Sui, a serving no larger than a tennis ball is recommended.
For those who like soft drinks, Sui had volunteers from the audience pour teaspoons of sugar into a glass of water. When 12 spoonfuls had been added, most children agreed that the water didn’t look too appetizing. That’s when Sui informed them that each can of Coke contains the equivalent of 12 spoons of sugar.
The most interactive fun was had with a large plastic tube. Tung asked the kids to imagine that the tube was an artery. Then red juice was poured into the “artery” to show how blood flows through it. With plastic gloves on, kids were allowed to push lard into the tube, the lard representing different types of fats consumed in junk food. Within a short amount of time, the artery was clogged. It was messy, but the point had been made.
Kids were also taught how foods of different colors work in beneficial ways. For instance, orange fruits and vegetables help with eyesight. Red foods, such as tomatoes and apples, help fight cancer. Blue and purple fruits like raisins and blueberries aid memory. Green foods help build bones. Yellow foods like bananas and squash assist in lowering cholesterol.
The kids were advised to “try to make your plate as colorful as possible.”
In addition, Tung demonstrated how to find the pulse in the neck. He then had three youngsters do 20 jumping jacks and check their pulse rate afterward. He gave the students easy exercise tips, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and taking the dog for a walk, and encouraged kids to be active in sports as well.
All of the children received the Shape It Up activity book, which provides good information about proper eating and exercising.
According to Horizon’s Web site, more than 400 elementary schools have expressed interest in participating in the Shape It Up program, and 150 schools are scheduled to begin it this fall.
For more information, visit www.horizonblue.com/shapeitup.