This is a guest post written by Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen of Raise Healthy Eaters
It’s not always easy maintaining good health in the modern world. Even with families making the move towards healthier lifestyles, choosing whole foods over processed ones, exercising and getting more shut-eye, it’s all too easy to take a wrong turn.
That’s because life is so different today than it was when humans foraged for food. Parents have a zillion choices to make when it comes to keeping their families healthy. And sometimes the best-intentioned decisions can also have negative consequences.
That’s why it’s important to check in with a trusted resource to see if your family is on the right track. As a registered dietitian with 15 years of experience, I’ve chosen the top 5 mistakes I see families make when it comes to navigating nutrition and health in this complicated world (and how they can turn things around!).
1) Avoiding the sun at all cost: Because skin cancer is a concern for many families, sunscreen and covering up are commonplace. But for many, sun exposure is almost nonexistent due to working indoors and living in places where the sun takes a considerable amount of time off.
The problem? The sun, not food, is the primary source of vitamin D. According to researcher Michael Holick, author of The Vitamin D Solution, humans have been producing vitamin D from the sun for 750 million years. The body needs vitamin D to work properly with low blood levels associated with everything from increased cancer risk to decreased bone mass to autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes.
Research suggests that 7 out of 10 people have insufficient levels of vitamin D levels in their blood, including kids. Because of this lack of sun, most experts recommend adults take 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily and the AAP recommends 400IU for breastfed babies and older kids drinking less than 4 cups of milk daily.
What is the best way to find out if you need more vitamin D? Get your blood levels checked at your next doctor’s visit. Holick says that there are additional benefits to moderate sun exposure so consider holding off on the sunscreen until your family has been out and about for 10-15 minutes.
2) Putting too much weight on multivitamins: When I talk to clients about key nutrients missing in their diet, they usually reply with “but I’m taking a multivitamin.” What they don’t realize is that multivitamins cannot make up for a poor diet. They also don’t contain enough of key nutrients including vitamin D, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids.
According to a report on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, about half of the population takes multivitamins. The report goes onto say that there is no evidence to support multivitamins prevent chronic disease. In fact, high levels of certain nutrients through vitamins and fortified foods may even be harmful.
Instead of taking a multivitamin for insurance, or other popular supplements, develop a strategy by evaluating your family’s dietary patterns.
A picky-eating kid who eats no fruits and vegetables, for example, may benefit from the wider-range of nutrients found in a multivitamin. As noted above, most people need a supplemental source of vitamin D. And if one’s calcium intake is sub-par, taking extra every day makes sense.
The bottom line: Work to get your diet in great shape and take supplements if you see gaps. Consult a dietitian or doctor for guidance.
3) Lumping all omega-3 fatty acids together: Omega-3s are the latest buzz word in health news. When I read articles and talk to people, I notice they tend to lump all fish and plant sources (flax, walnuts and canola oil) together.
Why does it matter? Because plant sources of omega-3s don’t contain the two key fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found primarily in fish (salmon, tuna, herring and trout). These fats are responsible for the majority of the amazing health benefits of omega-3s.
DHA is an essential fatty acid found in the brain so it’s crucial for developing children. Adequate intake of both DHA and EPA has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease, eye disease (macular degeneration), certain cancers, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and mental health issues.
Yet most people only get one-fifth the amount of DHA and EPA they need with blood levels having decreased over the years, even in breast milk. To ensure adequate intake, aim for two to three sources of fish every week, supplementing with fish oil as needed.
4) Thinking the absence of a negative = healthy: I was talking to a mother the other day and she told me she feeds her kids hot dogs that are nitrate free. She also buys juice drinks that are absent of high fructose corn syrup. And trans fat free is another health claim on her radar.
The problem with this approach is that nitrate free hot dogs are still hot dogs. The first ingredient in the juice drink she was talking about is organic sugar. And almost every product in the grocery store is trans fat free because most companies are replacing them with saturated fats, another not-so-healthy item.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe there is room for all types of food in a family’s diet. People just need to be aware of what exactly they are buying. The best thing to do is to look at the product as a whole and not just for what it doesn’t contain. Check the ingredients and ask yourself is this is something you want your family to have frequently, occasionally or rarely.
5) Focusing on structured exercise only: Everyone knows exercise is good for them and their family. So they wake up to run, go to the gym, take their kids to the park and enroll them in team sports. And once they get their allotted amount of exercise, they figure they can relax.
The problem is research shows there are negative health consequences to sitting too long regardless of daily exercise sessions. So while doing that exercise class is great, moving more throughout the day and sitting less has additional health benefits.
Keep it Simple
When you find yourself getting overwhelmed with the do’s and don’ts of health information remember to keep it simple. Eat whole foods, supplement as needed, keep your body moving and stay informed of latest research by checking in with a credible source. The payoff will be a happy and healthy family.
Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen is a registered dietitian, mother of two and creator of Raise Healthy Eaters, a blog that provides parents with simple and sound nutrition advice. Check out Maryann’s latest series on how to turn picky eaters into healthy eaters.
Well said Maryann especially I love the fact when you say that some people just put too much faith on Multivitamins . What I do not understand is in this first world country when food is available in surplus why people do not eat fresh food and healthy food to get all those vitamins. Instead of just pooping pills.
Simple yet informative, Maryann! Love the fact that you’ve highlighted the dependency on multi-vits. I think there is no better way to get your vitamins than through fruits, vegetables and grains.
Thanks for sharing these simple yet oft-forgotten tips and ideas.
Thanks! I think we make nutrition complex when it really is simple.
Maryann,
Great advice! I particularly like the first point about the sun and vitamin D. Now if you could make the sun shine brightly in the Midwest everyday, that would make things much easier!
Vince
With a recommendation to eat fish products 3 times per week, we are talking about a seriously unsustainable level of wild fish consumption. This means that the only real sustainable way to get this amount of fish intake is through farmed fish like tilapia and catfish which are far poorer sources of the omega-3s and have a high level of the potentially dangerous omega-6s.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tilapia/MY00167
I don’t know how true this is, but I have heard from my doctor that the whole idea of sun exposure for vitamin D is overrated. She claims that it takes over 30 minutes to actually start producing it, by which point you’re frying like a turkey.
Anyhow, I wholeheartedly agree with these points. I really believe in Michael Pollan’s approach to eating: “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” I think as long as we try to focus on things that are real, rather than man-made, we’ll come out ahead.
(Although one part of me is thinking–maybe the whole reason life expectancy is 85 and not 30 is the fact that we’re engineering food). Who knows…right?
Wojo — it’s difficult to rely on the sun for D because there are many considerations such as time of day, age, skin pigmentation and weight. Not all people can utilize the D from the sun. Check this article for more information http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/family-vitamin-d-deficiency/
They key is to get levels checked, take supplements as needed and allow some sun for additional benefit. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you for this article.
I think people are driven by a lot of ‘fear’ surrounding what we should or should not do to be healthy. Do get out in the sun cause we are Vit D deficient verses don’t go in the sun cause of sun cancer. – It can all be very confusing at times as to what you can or can’t do for the end result of good health. Fear can drive us to spend a lifetime trying to avoid the big scary health risks like ‘sun cancer’ yet, at the same time we can miss out on something so beautiful and simple as being in a sun ray.
Interesting pointers. Makes me feel like we aren’t doing all that bad… even though there is definitely room for improvement. An important topic, for sure.
Doesn’t it work out that if we’re living our entire lifestyle healthfully (diet, sleep, avoidance of harmful things, etc.) then getting in the sun won’t be any kind of tragic harm?
It seems to me like we get crazy about the sun when people are getting sun cancer, when the underlying issue could be something very different. When someone gets cancer of the skin, the whole person should be considered, not just the epidermis. Same for any other disease that affects any part of the body.
I am so glad that you brought up the point of getting out into the sun. My little one and I spend lots of time in the sun and the two of us never get sunburns and have nice tans. Other mothers sometimes look at us like we’re crazy!
I find that the magic of being out in the sun is that my little one sleeps so much more soundly. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but certainly I notice the more we are out in sunshine and fresh air, the better we sleep. Which is amazing for both of us.
Thanks for this list.
I’m right with you on all these points. The one in particular that resonated was the “healthy” junk food. I remember an acquaintance telling me she didn’t let her children eat Cheetos until they started making them organic. Um, they’re still Cheetos.
All wonderful points – I like what you have to say about getting exercise – parents “playing” with their kids in an unstructured, fun way is wonderful exercise for everyone. In my own home, I have “played” tennis with my 10-year-old for years. He knows I love the sport and thinks we are just out having fun. We do a lot more than just hit the ball back and forth over the net and both of us get a pretty good workout while having a great time together.
Great points! I really like your advice of keeping it simple. There is so much information out there that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Use common sense and follow 3 simple rules – balance, variety and moderation. Food should be less about “rules” and more about “eating” – mindful eating that is!
Completely agree about your point on sun exposure for vitamin D. Nature did not intend us to be deficient in vitamin D even though she gave us different skin colors. Our skin is designed to make vitamin D from the sun without the risk of making “too much” to cause vitamin D toxicity. Too much sun without sunscreen of course is not good, but again, common sense should guide you so you can protect yourself from a sun burn.
I was shocked to learn that even in sunny Florida, low vitamin D levels are quite common. Public health message and heavy advertising of sunscreen products is causing us to overuse sunscreen or avoid the sun completely. Here is an article I wrote recently
Plenty Of Sun But Very Little Vitamin D
http://bit.ly/cA8zrM
Love your points. I am just starting to write a blog for moms about keeping your kids healthy — full disclosure: in connection with a GREAT new immune health product — and I think it’s so hard to get the right information out there. All your tips are right on, though I’d definitely add that in today’s world, research has shown that we simply don’t get the same levels of nutrients in food that we used to (I can share the research) so supplementation is important. Totally with you on the hot dogs and juice drinks, though!