With school a week away, SEARHC nutrition services manager Tara Farley has healthy advice for parents who are starting to think about packing and preparing snacks and lunches for their children.
But, she adds, “You are never going to hear me say don’t eat this and don’t eat that.” Rather, she talks of picking the best foods, moderation, cutting back on sugars and refined carbohydrates — and getting kids involved in making decisions about what to eat.
“Involve kids in packing their own lunches,” Farley suggests.
For example, parents and their children can make their own trail mix as a snack, with a healthier mix of nuts and dried fruit. “When you make things yourself, you have more control.”
Packaged, processed foods certainly are easier to bring home from the store but are high in refined carbohydrates, she says, even the healthier-sounding choices like many granola bars. The body turns those carbohydrates into sugars, which creates a sugar rush. But then comes the downside as the sugar surge wears off. “You lose focus, you lose energy.”
Farley, who has worked as a nutritionist and dietician for 12 years, has seen an increase in obesity in children, along with a trend toward higher cholesterol and glucose counts, which can lead to serious health problems. Paying more attention to foods can help reduce the risks.
Based in Sitka, she works with children on referrals from pediatricians, meeting with families in telemedicine appointments to help direct them to healthier diets. “We work really closely with parents when they have concerns with their child’s weight or eating.”
She also has noticed a couple of other recent trends, both of which are unhealthy for children.
Since the economic stress of the pandemic, Farley has seen more families dealing with food insecurity — they lack the consistent financial ability to purchase an adequate supply of food. The Food Bank of Alaska estimates that as many as one in seven Alaskans deals with food insecurity.
She also has seen a concerning increase in people, especially children, increasingly rely on unhealthy snack foods at gas stations. “They are essentially their food store.”
Farley acknowledges “these are tough battles for parents,” but that’s where snacks prepared at home would be a better option. Such as carrots with hummus or salsa rather than chips. Or the better nutrition from whole-grain bread rather than white bread.
“For parents who are struggling with time issues, it helps to do things in batches,” she says, such as cutting up fruit or vegetables. And that’s when getting kids to help can be a plus, making them feel part of the decisions, she adds.
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