Welcome to a new category of my blog simply called ‘Healthy Tips.” Many times, when I write articles for various publications, I need to find sources for the story. Recently, I wrote an article for Yahoo Shine (click here) about keeping kids healthy. I was looking for experts and parents to chime in and give their favorite ‘tips’ to help kids (and their families) lead a healthy lifestyle.

The feedback for the story was amazing. The sources had some fantastic points of view that could not be ignored, and I thought their opinions should be viewed on the Your Health Journal web site.

So, enjoy my new series, with some ‘great’ insight from some ‘great’ people giving exceptional and educational points of view.

When it comes to unhealthy kids’ foods the old adage “everything is good on moderation is almost impossible to apply. This is because these foods contain glucose, a neuroactive agent that can become addictive. The quicker sugar enters the blood as glucose, the fastest it gets to the brain. It’s release into the blood is the slowest if it is coming from vegetables, followed by fruits, and then grains and starches. The more calories a child eats too many calories (especially glucose), the more likely the chance of inducing inflammation in the region of the brain that controls satiety, leading to constant hunger in the child. Excess sugar consumption will increase insulin levels that drive down blood sugar so an athlete is not mentally focused during competition. Athletes need more carbohydrate, but they also need more protein and fat than a sedentary person. Just like a child, their best source of carbohydrates will be vegetables and fruits.

Sugar also is a hidden source of many processed foods since is often used as preservatives to prevent bacterial growth. Other sources are bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes all of which enter the blood more rapidly as glucose than does table sugar. Special emphasis has be on the prevention of excess omega-6 fatty acids and refined carbohydrates that can alter gene expression to increase the likelihood of obesity.

A growing child will need more protein and more omega-3 fatty acids as the brain is the most rapidly growing organ in the first two years after birth. Make sure children are eating adequate low-fat protein (about the size of the palm of their hand) at every meal with lots of cut up fruits and vegetables as carbohydrate. Avoid omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oil and use olive oil as an appropriate fat source.

– Dr. Barry Sears