Phases of Life

How can we delay aging?

March 20, 2022 by Esther Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

1875 – 1997, that is the lifetime of the oldest woman in recent times, Jeanne Calment from France. She lived 44,724 days or more than 122 years. At 100 she was still cycling. According to her statement, she didn’t do anything special to get that old. So it’s the genes after all?

Aging research says that genes only account for about 1/5 whether someone reaches a high age. Of course there are long-lived families. On the other hand, some families simply tend to accumulate certain illnesses. Mankind has always struggled with the travails of aging and the ailments of old age.

Meanwhile the anti-aging wave, the cult of eternal youth, has almost become a substitute religion. The business with anti-wrinkle creams, dietary supplements and special sports equipment to combat aging is booming. Most people want a long, fresh life and a healthy, fit body. Doctors and genetic researchers claim to open the gates to longevity. Just it is almost forgotten that it is in everyone’s hands, at least to a large extent, how one ages and how one spends his final years.

Not everyone is content about aging. But it is a losing battle to resist it. Aging is an inevitable part of our lives. It actually begins at conception and occurs at the cellular level. Our body cells are constantly dividing. And mistakes happen all the time. The free radicals that are produced during metabolic processes in our own body and as a result of environmental influences also damage our cells. Thankfully, our creator also included a repair system. But this also works worse and worse, as the cells have to divide more often. Mistakes in the genes accumulate. The aging process continues. We know the consequences: Poor memory, slower digestion, poorer enzyme system, balance disorders, stiff joints, insecurity in walking and much more.

Fighting a losing battle?

Is the battle already lost before we start? Ultimately yes, and considering all the misery around us it may be a great blessing that we do not have to live forever. But how we age and how we face that process is, to a large extent, in our own hands. Even if things don’t go the way we would like and illnesses are part of our lifes. Ultimately we all die, since we can hardly cope with the approximately 70,000 DNA damages per day that our repair system has to eliminate. Our enzyme system against free radicals isn’t always victorious either, and our stem cells can’t repair everything either.

Can we then live better and longer with help from the laboratory? Is it the supplements? spermidine? The glass of red wine? Or dinner canceling? There are always new success stories. But be careful: the resveratrol from red wine also protects cancer cells, and certain dietary supplements also nourish unwanted blackheads. So is it all useless?

Anti-Aging Agents

The advertising of many miracle cures promises us almost eternal youth. Many are too lazy, or believe they don’t have time to do something for their health, and want to do it the quick way. Anti-aging agents are not intended to heal illnesses, but to alleviate the symptoms of old age, to help the sensory organs get going again and to make wrinkles disappear. Associations for Consumer Information in various countries have examined such preparations and not given them good marks. No studies were found for any of the products that confirmed the life-prolonging active ingredients. The more euphoric the advertising is, the more skeptical one should be.

Many substances that have been tested in laboratories cannot simply be transferred to humans. Side effects cannot be ruled out for many preparations. Too much vitamins or minerals, for example, can be harmful. The collagen in many anti-wrinkle products can trigger allergies. Many supplements are marketed over the internet along with promising testimonials. But according to consumer associations, you can neither achieve physical fitness nor reduced susceptibility to illnesses nor organic improvements with such preparations. So another lost battle?

Island of Centenarians

On Okinawa, 50% of the people live to be a hundred years old. Of these, 90% are women. Actually some genes have been found that are favorable to reach a higher age. But some amazing lifestyle habits were found as well. For example, these women eat mostly fruit and vegetables. They still do their garden for themselves, and centenaries still sit behind a cash register in the supermarket or wipe the floors. These are extremely healthy occupations. They also say: “We only eat so much that we could eat some more to be full.” “Hara Hachi Bu” is what they call their habit that we know as dinner canceling, sometimes forgoing dinner. The women also lead an exemplary social life. They pay close attention to each other. If the blinds at the neighbor’s are still down at nine o’clock, they check on how she’s doing. This is followed by a chat with her and the offer for help if needed. The brain is also constantly trained. They participate in everything and with everyone.

Love

An Australian study shows that people who maintain close friendships live longer and age more comfortably. Loving is not just about having sex, even though it is beneficial for slower aging. Loving is simply being there for the other, caring for them. That distracts a lot from your own ailments, makes you happier and more satisfied.

Running Around

Running around does not mean jogging, but simply making movement, targeted movement and not just house and garden work, even though this is beneficial. Jogging in old age could damage joints. But daily exercise, walks and light gymnastics help our immune system to cope with inflammation. And it is exactly those inflammations that many age related ailments, such as rheumatism and the like, can be traced back to. We can literally outrun them. Exercise lowers the concentration of inflammatory substances in the blood.

Learn

Lifelong learning has become a buzzword of our time. Our youth grow up with it. In the old days you had a job for your life. Today you are constantly challenged to learn something new. This should also continue beyond retirement. Anyone who remains mentally and spiritually fit ages very differently than someone who is no longer interested in anything. I admire every old person who – often with the help of their grandchildren – knows their way around computers and is touching base with the grandchildren overseas via chat or Skype. Crossword puzzles and Sudoko, reading good books, putting together jigsaw puzzles also help to stay mentally fit. It is not the TV pictures that stimulate our mind, but the knowledge we have actively acquired ourselves. When I deal with a problem myself, it stimulates my mind.

Those who remain physically and mentally fit deal with aging in a completely different way. We can accept it and embrace the change. Advancements in research and medicine are certainly sensational. Anti-aging treatments are though still a speculative field. How we grow old is still in our own hands.

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What Caffeine is doing to You and Your Child?

March 13, 2022 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Caffeine is a drug that is heavily used in various forms all over the world. An article by Jennifer Temple from the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University at Buffalo, shows the results of studies on the effects of caffeine in children.((Temple JL. Caffeine use in children: what we know, what we have left to learn, and why we should worry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2009;33(6):793-806. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.01.001))

What Caffeine is doing to You and Your Child?

Let’s see what Dr. Jennifer and other scientists say about caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a substance that acts on our brain, legally permitted, easy to obtain, and socially acceptable to consume. Previously, it was relatively restricted to adults, but caffeinated beverages nowadays are being regularly consumed by children. In addition, some drinks that contain caffeine are marketed specifically for children starting with the tender age of 4 years.

Caffeine is classified as a stimulant drug typically used for its ability to activate the central nervous system. Although generally recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, excessive caffeine use can result in serious health risks, and in rare cases can lead to death.

The use of caffeine in children has not been sufficiently studied so far. Children and teenagers are the fastest growing population of caffeine users, with an increase of 70% in the last 30 years. Along with this goes the development of new caffeine-containing drinks, called energy drinks, which contain levels of caffeine ranging from 50mg, equivalent to a can of soda to 500mg, the equivalent of five cups of coffee, and often very high levels of sugar.

Energy drink sales have grown by over 50% since 2005, and they are unfortunately the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry. Energy drinks are marketed specifically to young adults and children, with ads showing high-risk activities, extreme sports like rock climbing or paragliding, using catchy slogans, which is a commercial wickedness to do so.

Caffeine is found in coffee, black tea, chocolate, mate tea, green tea and guarana. It is naturally produced in the grains and leaves of the plants used to make these products. Caffeine is also used as an additive in other products such as soft drinks, energy drinks and pain relievers. Caffeine levels can vary greatly in these products, depending on the concentration and preparation, as in the case of tea and coffee, or the amount added as in the case of soft drinks and energy drinks.

Even though caffeine consumption is banalized by many, there are according to Dr. Jennifer two things that should be considered about caffeine consumption by children and teens. First, there is a wide range of caffeine use among teenagers, with some consuming considerably more than average, which makes them also vulnerable of developing other types of high-risk behavior.

Second, due to the paucity of research on caffeine use in adolescents, we do not know the “safe” level of caffeine use in this population. Consumption of caffeinated beverages in general and consumption of soft drinks in particular is of concern because of their potentially negative health effects, as well as their established relationship with sleep disturbance, obesity and tooth decay. In addition to traditional caffeine-containing products like coffee, tea and soda, people can now get their caffeine fix from a variety of nontraditional sources. It appears that caffeinated consumables are being marketed to younger populations.

In addition to its well-known effects on sleep disturbances and restlessness, caffeine exerts some more behavioral effects. Its use produces tolerance and dependence, that is, tolerance means the need to use larger doses to obtain the same stimulating effect, and dependence is addiction.

Acute caffeine use has dose-dependent effects on mood, attention span and physiology. For example, moderate doses of caffeine ranging from 200 to 300mg often produce the perception of heightened feelings of well-being, improved concentration and increased arousal and energy, but high doses above 400 mg lead to feelings of anxiety, nausea, agitation, headache, fatigue and nervousness. Worse though, acute administration of a moderate dose of caffeine of 200 to 300 mg, already decreases heart rate and increases blood pressure. In children and adolescents, caffeine consumption may be driven by peer pressure or a desire for increased sports performance.

Irregularly high levels of caffeine consumption, like above 400 to 450 mg per day increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. High levels of caffeine use are also associated with calcium excretion and bone loss, which may contribute to osteoporosis.

Dr. Jennifer continues to point out, that although data differ between studies, most agree that high levels of caffeine consumption in women trying to become pregnant may be associated with lower rates of conception, and higher rates of miscarriage. As with other peer-reviewed articles, the consensus is that some high levels of caffeine consumption can have adverse effects on fertility, and the recommendation is that women trying to get pregnant should limit caffeine to less than 300 milligrams per day, and it’s even better not to use it at all.

In children, the main vehicle for caffeine is soft drinks, which also contain a lot of sugar. This facilitates the development of caffeine dependence, and perhaps also contributes to an increased preference for foods and beverages containing added sugar. Sugar activates reward pathways similar to drugs like cocaine, amphetamine and nicotine.

Childhood and adolescence are periods of rapid growth and the final stage of brain development. In order to maximize growth and development, adequate sleep and nutrition are essential. Caffeine use disrupts sleep patterns, and excessive soda consumption is associated with a poor diet, excess weight, and tooth decay. If caffeine increases preferences for sweet foods and beverages, it can contribute to excess energy intake, and increase the risk of overweight and obesity in adulthood. Children and teens can be particularly vulnerable to caffeine, as their brains are still undergoing significant development, in specific areas of the brain involved in executive function, impulsivity control and planning.

Consumption of energy drinks can lead to several negative consequences, especially in children and adolescents, because of their high caffeine content, explains Dr. Jennifer. First, she says, children and adolescents may be more susceptible to caffeine intoxication, which results in a number of physiological and psychological effects, and can in some cases lead to death.

Second, in addition to the harmful effects of energy drinks, they are often combined with alcohol as a way to increase the symptoms of euphoria. This can lead to increased alcohol intake and consequently an increase in harmful alcohol-related symptoms.

Third, excessive consumption of energy drinks has been associated with involvement in various high-risk behaviors, including smoking, drinking, illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior and fighting.

I want to end by leaving a text by a last century writer, who already gave us this advice over 100 years ago:

Tea and coffee do not nourish the system. The relief obtained from them is sudden, before the stomach has time to digest them. This shows that what the users of these stimulants call strength is only received by exciting the nerves of the stomach, which convey the irritation to the brain, and this in turn is aroused to impart increased action to the heart and short-lived energy to the entire system. All this is false strength that we are the worse for having. They do not give a particle of natural strength.((Ellen White. Temperance, p. 75. Pacific Press))

So the best attitude to caffeine is to avoid its use in whatever forms it is present in beverages and foods. It preserves your health, and your brain as well. Cutting caffeine out of your life is worth it!

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What is Stressing Out Kids?

February 27, 2022 by Martin Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

When people think about who gets stressed out, their last thought is kids. From an adult’s perspective, kids have nothing to stress about. They don’t pay bills, they don’t have to work, and all they do is hang around all day playing, chatting with friends and eating. So what is stressing them out?

Theoretically, all they have to do is go to school and come back home. While this sounds like a dream to most people, there are several factors in a kid’s life that can stress them out quite a bit, and it’s important to address these factors early on so that they don’t develop any problems later in life.

One of the longest running and worst causes of stress for kids is bullying. Adults don’t face this problem nearly as much, because if someone is harassing you in the real world, you can simply leave the situation or file a complaint.

If the harassment is physical, an adult would be arrested for assault. However, kids can’t just leave school or call the police if they’re getting bullied. Some might say that they can just talk to a teacher, but that seldom fixes the problem.

Kids feel as if they’re trapped there at school with their bully, and with no way out of a harmful situation, they can get extremely stressed out every day of the week.

Another cause of stress in kids might be their home life. Unlike teenagers and young adults, kids can’t just drive away from home if it’s not a good place to live. They’re powerless in terms of moving away, and completely at their parent’s mercy.

If a child’s household is full of fighting or has abusive family members in it, the kid might get stressed out about even going home. They could have a fine life at school, but every day they have to go home at some point.

Abusive parents or siblings can absolutely ruin a child’s home life, stressing them out beyond your knowledge. In a similar situation to having a bully at school, kids can’t do anything to prevent or help their situation at home, due to the fact that they can’t escape in any way.

Being unable to leave your situation can cause more stress than anything. Recognizing stress in kids can be either easy or difficult, depending on the kid. In younger children, it will be fairly clear when they’re stressed out, because they’ll usually start to cry.

Young children cry whenever they’re stressed, upset, or feel as if anything is wrong. This type of sign is the easiest to recognize, and you certainly shouldn’t overlook it as them being a “whiny kid.”

There’s almost always a reason for a child to cry – you just have to be able to look for it. If you don’t, they’ll start to develop some long-running issues. Of course, there are many kids who have outgrown their standard crying days.

Older kids have a very different way of showing that they’re stressed out, and this is the point at which it can become more difficult, so you really need to be looking out for these kinds of signs.

One sign that a kid is stressed out is that they start to close off from other people. They might start to become incredibly quiet – not just around you, but also around other kids their age.

While some kids are naturally introverted and shy, this is a totally different situation. When kids start to close off, they won’t even be open with their own parents or with their closest friends.

Another way older kids start to show stress is by acting out. Kids with a bad home life and similar problems might start to act out at school, at home, and elsewhere for the sake of getting positive attention from their friends – something that they desperately need.

Another common sign involves kids becoming reluctant to do certain things. For example, if a child is reluctant to go to school, there might be deeper meaning to it than them just not wanting to go because it’s boring.

They might be getting bullied at their school, and they’re avoiding going because they’re scared of what awaits them. Similarly, they might be reluctant to come home from school if they’re afraid of their home lives.

Another common source of stress for children is if their parents are going through a divorce. Parents are very much acting as a point of reference for children. If one of the parents is suddenly leaving from home, this is quite a significant disruption of the secure environment that the child may have felt at home. These kind of changes can be pretty difficult to digest for a child and causing them a significant amount of stress, so don’t be surprised if your child will close off or get unruly when you are going through a divorce.

There are tons of different solutions when it comes to helping kids deal with stress. The first one is addressing the problem at its source. If it’s the home life that the child is stressed about, then try to improve it by going to family counseling, where the child can clearly communicate their feelings about their home life to a counselor or to their parents directly.

You can also directly address the source of bullying by getting onto the parents of the bully, in an attempt to get the parents to reprimand them appropriately. The bully’s parents might be totally unaware of what’s going on, so informing them might help the situation. Try to understand the circumstances of their family as well. Their child may be aggressive as an outlet of other problems he is facing. Maybe you can help resolve another dilemma in the process.

Another solution for improving a child’s stress is to remove them from a stressful situation. This applies best to the bullying situation. If you’ve already tried talking to the school’s administration, to the bully’s family, and to the teachers, then it might be time to switch your child over to another school or choose a homeschooling option.

This is best done early on, so that the child doesn’t have to endure years and years of bullying. This also allows them to get a fresh start at a new location.

If you feel that you have done whatever needed to adequately limit the bullying, without being able to stop it completely, one of the best options that you can take is to just talk to your child and help them better understand the scope of time that they’re in.

While they might be stressed out about school and all of that right now, they need to know that things do get better. It can be helpful to explain to them how small of a portion of their life this will be.

Show them a timeline of a person’s life from age 0 to 100 and how small the school years are in that line of existence. It’s important to get their thoughts on their own situation as well, because it makes them feel respected, as if they have a bit of power in their tough situation.

We have seen that children can face significant stressors in their lives. If they are kept unresolved, it can develop into more serious problems in adulthood. Find a way to adequately resolve their issues, and your child will thank you for having done the right thing to protect them.

Do you need a guide to help you understand how to cope with Stress in an all inclusive approach? Learn how to combat stress, mentally, physically, emotionally and strategically in your life.

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The Fountain of Youth for the Brain

November 21, 2021 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

On October 15, 2009 my first granddaughter was born. I went to visit them to meet the baby and see the whole family. I watched over and over again how the baby in the crib was always moving its little hands, arms and legs. The baby did not need to learn that physical exercise is important for health, but responds he spontaneously with physical movement to its God-given life.

A child who barely moves is probably emotionally or physically sick. Normally, babies and children are always in movement. Of course, some are exaggerated and impulsive, but the normal thing is to move your body. All human physiology is made up of movements, in cells in genes, in circulation. Movement is life. It is not possible to talk about health without regular systematic physical exercise, not only on weekends, sometimes with those competitive sports that generate adrenaline and cortisol. This is the first and main reason why I go for a walk; it’s not because of physical health, but because of mental and spiritual health, because I understand that exercising my brain will work better, and that’s what I want, to discern spiritual things and the purpose of life more clearly.

A 19th century author wrote the following statement:

Right physical habits promote mental superiority. ((Ellen White. Mind, Character and Personality Volume 2, p. 443))

And she also wrote this:

There is an intimate relation between the mind and the body, and in order to reach a high standard of moral and intellectual attainment the laws that control our physical being must be heeded. To secure a strong, well-balanced character, both the mental and the physical powers must be exercised and developed.((Ellen White. Our Father Cares, p.326))

People often say that if you intend to start an exercise program, you should first see a doctor, usually a cardiologist, to see if you are cleared for this activity. This is prudent. However, a medical colleague once commented to me about what he had read in a scientific journal, which went something like this: “If a person decides not to exercise, then he will have to see a doctor.”

A doctor reading an ECG - Photo by Los Muertos Crew from Pexels

In the Journal of Applied Physiology of November 18, 2008, the article entitled: “Exercise, the Brain’s Fountain of Youth”, suggests that daily physical exercise keeps the brain young, and the recommendation is not to take too long to start to practice them. The earlier you start in your life, the better for your whole body and your brain. The researchers found that if a person takes a long time to start an exercise program, they run the risk of not having as many benefits, because as they age, the process of the brain creating new cells, which we call neuroplasticity, slows down, and as a consequence, memory and learning impairment occurs sooner.

But can age-related mental decline be reversed with exercise? Scientists trained mice to run on exercise wheels at 70% of their aerobic capacity every day over a five-week period. The mice started running at the age of 8 months, which is the beginning of the ripe age for a rat of that breed, or at the age of 12 months, which is the middle of the old age of the rats. Those who exercised every day had two and a half times more production of new brain cells called neurons than those who didn’t exercise. And these new neurons, the new nerve cells, integrated with the existing brain network. The researchers also concluded that treadmill exercise not only increases the quantity but also strengthens the quality of the new neurons. Rats that started exercising in mature age had better results compared to those that started at old age.

In another study, conducted by Feraz Rahman and colleagues, from the University of North Carolina, carried out with 12 healthy people aged between 60 and 80 years, they observed that regular exercise is associated with an increase in the total number of blood vessels in the brain, with an increase in blood flow in the main cerebral arteries. This would benefit areas that control functions such as consciousness, memory, emotional response and language. Assessing MRI images, experts found that those who for ten years or more had exercised about three hours a week in aerobic activity had the highest number of small vessels – 150 versus 100 for sedentary ones, and that they had the greatest blood flow in the brain.

A study presented at the 10th National Conference on Child Psychological Health in Gainesville, FL, in April 2006 and published in a journal of Pediatrics, evaluated 208 overweight and sedentary children aged 7-11 years. Those who started to exercise after class, had lower scores on a scale about anger, in addition to improved physical conditioning. The authors emphasize that physical exercise can improve mood and cognitive function, allowing children to have more self-control. So, you can see once again how important exercise is for your brain. So get going!

In general, people say: “Oh okay. Now that I’ve learned it is important, I’ll start on Monday.” No! get started today; start little by little. You are very sedentary and when you start you will feel pain: “Oh, I went for a walk yesterday and now I am in pain; it’s better to stop.” No, pain is a sign that your body is in need of training your muscles, it is in need of physical activity. Don’t get heavy in the beginning, until you can develop that aerobic, muscular exercise capacity, remembering: Physical exercise is very important for our brain, for cerebral circulation, for reasoning. It helps to learn to deal with emotions, because it’s activating brain areas that have to do with mood, with cognition. This is going to be important for your mental health.

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Benefits of Exercise for Seniors

November 7, 2021 by Ricardo Vargas - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Life expectancy in the US is generally on the rise. While in 1900 the average life expectancy was 47.3 years, it increased to 68.2 years in 1950 and to 78.9 years in 2019. Advances are mainly due to improvements in sanitary measures and the healthcare system. However, increases in longevity are not always accompanied by a better quality of life.

In addition to longevity, we need to consider the maintenance of the state of functional independence (ability to carry out activities of daily living). In old age, the elderly go through many physiological changes that contribute to the worsening of their quality of life. Exercise has a fundamental role in maintaining functional independence.

With advancing age, there is a decrease in lean body mass and its replacement by adipose tissue, thus the caloric expenditure in old age tends to decrease, which favors the increase of obesity and all the problems arising from it. The self-indulgence shown by the elderly is a problem, as it accelerates the appearance of these effects. It is important to overcome sluggishness, start a practice of physical activity and receive the countless benefits that can be achieved in spite of the age.

Among the benefits are increased energy expenditure and cardiorespiratory conditioning, a preventive factor for the onset of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, mental diseases and cancer.

A senior working in the garden - Photo by Centre for Ageing Better from Pexels

Exercise is important to digestion, and to a healthy condition of body and mind. You need physical exercise.
Ellen G. White. Counsels on Diet and Foods p. 103

One of the effects of the arrival of old age is the decrease in the production of gastric and pancreatic juices. Digestion slows down, food stays in the stomach longer. It increases the risk of gastritis and reflux, a common complaint among the elderly. Many complain of a large production of gas in the stomach or intestine. As the transit time of the digestive tract is slowing down, more fermentation takes place. A walk right after a meal can alleviate all of these symptoms.

Exercise improves muscle tone in the whole body. Our gastrointestinal tract is made up of involuntary smooth muscle. When we include a daily exercise routine, intestinal transit normalizes in most cases, and we achieve good results that promote better quality of life for the elderly.

The practice of exercise also helps to avoid physiological, morphological and functional changes that occur during the natural aging process, which negatively interfere with the individual’s functional capacity. The most important are the reduction in lean mass and the accumulation of adipose tissue, which increases the risk of early mortality, in addition to the loss of muscle strength, reduction in aerobic capacity and flexibility.

Decreased lean body mass reduces overall muscle uptake of glucose and free fatty acids, causing insulin resistance and leading to type 2 diabetes if not reversed. The increase in free fatty acids in the bloodstream contributes to the onset of dyslipidemia and a greater risk for the formation of arterial plaques.

Diabetes test - Photo by PhotoMIX Company from Pexels

From the age of 40 onwards, it is estimated that the accumulation of fat is 1kg per decade, in addition to the loss of 12% to 14% of strength, and about 5% of muscle mass, with a more evident decline after 65 years of age, particularly in the lower limbs.

Many elderly people have presented the loss of functional independence as their main problem. In the US, 2 in 5 persons over 65 years of age have reported some kind of disability. This problem needs to be corrected as soon as it is identified so as not to lead to a loss of functional independence in the future.

Another concern is that, with the reduction in lean body mass (sarcopenia), there is a decrease in bone mineral content. Using the combination of physical activities, ingestion of good sources of calcium, sunlight to stimulate the production of vitamin D, vitamin D supplements and sleep at adequate times, this symptom is alleviated. Physical activity impacts the bones causing growth stimulation, in addition to stimulating the production of growth hormone.

An active lifestyle can prevent or delay functional disability, improving neuromotor status, strength, flexibility, balance and cardiorespiratory capacity.

Exercise helps to have a long life, but with quality. Get moving today!

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Developing Your Children’s Taste

June 11, 2021 by Elen Duarte - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Did you know that your child’s eating habits are largely determined by you? An adequate and balanced diet is not only linked to the child’s growth and development. It is also directly related to disease prevention and health promotion factors in adulthood.

In this context, behavioral nutrition plays a fundamental role in guiding food choices in the first year of life. A correct introduction of solid foods, associated with the availability and accessibility of healthy foods, in a pleasant eating environment, enables the child to start building their food preferences consistently.

At this moment, the environment that surrounds the child is the family and the role of the parents is fundamental, as they are largely the child’s only reference of learning. Parents can promote nutritious food choices to their children by selecting healthy foods, thinking about nutritional quality and not just taste. It is up to parents to introduce food to their children, make it accessible and teach about the benefits of health-conscious food choices, while respecting the child’s innate hunger and satiety control.((Ramos M. Desenvolvimento do comportamento alimentar infantil. Jornal de Pediatria 0021-7557/00/76-Supl.3/S229))

Family meals represent an important event, where a positive atmosphere is created. A study by Wardle,((Wardle J. Eating behaviour and obesity. Obes Rev. 2007 Mar;8 Suppl 1:73-5 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2007.00322.x)) addressing the relationship between food characteristics and eating behavior, found that food preferences change as a result of personal experiences and learning involved in mealtimes. A positive environment during a meal can induce the child’s preference for foods, while a negative experience can result in a dislike of certain food choices.

Making correct food choices seems simple, however it is a complex, dynamic and multifaceted process, directed by psychosocial, cultural and economic influences.

Parents who discuss nutritional issues as a family, or, more specifically, the nutritional value of foods, provide their children with greater knowledge about nutrition, enabling children to make better food choices throughout their lives. We should mention that children learn about the importance of foods from their own experiences and also, for example, by observing their parents.

A project carried out by Harvard University, conducted 15 years of research on family meals and has made significant discoveries.((Lynn Barendsen. The Family Dinner Project))

Children who dine regularly in the family circle, tend to consume more nutrients from fruits and vegetables, have lower rates of obesity, and eat fewer calories than those who were eating out. Also noted were academic and emotional benefits, lower rates of drug use and depression, more resilience, broader vocabulary, greater reading ability, and overall better grades in school.((The Benefits of Home Cooking for Your Family. Huffpost, 27.05.2017))

Sitting together as a family for a meal allows us to develop valuable skills such as: listening to other people, sharing ideas, laughing, telling stories, choosing healthy foods and even passing on traditions from one generation to another.((Rossi A, Moreira EAM, Rauen MS. Determinantes do comportamento alimentar: uma revisão com enfoque na família. Rev Nutr. 2008 Dec;21(6):739-48. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-52732008000600012))

Studies conducted by Branen & Fletcher((Branen L, Fletcher J. Comparison of college students’ current eating habits and recollections of their childhood food practices. J Nutr Educ. 1999; 31(6):304-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3182(99)70483-8)), found that young adults, when selecting a food item, recall the nutritional choices that were formed by their parents. This is an intriguing realization of how parents can influence their children’s eating habits in the long run.

Here are some tips to make family meal times more enjoyable:

1. Set up a healthy table. If you prefer, get everybody involved in the preparation of the table. Dividing tasks and involving children in preparation makes mealtimes easier, remember that children learn by watching, but also by doing.((Refeições em família: Como as crianças se beneficiam do contato com os pais à mesa. BBC News, Novembro 12, 2018))

2. Eliminate distractions. Turn off the television, store away cell phones and tablets, so that attention is on each other. A study carried out with 91 children and 91 parents showed that children whose families eat their meals while watching television had a lower fruit and vegetable intake and a higher consumption of pizzas, snacks and soft drinks, compared to those who did not. Furthermore, research has shown that watching television during meals is associated with a higher risk for nutritional deficiencies. Another factor linked to the practice of eating in front of the television is associated with commercial food advertisements, which induce the child to eat totally unhealthy foods. About 91% of the most frequently advertised food products tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt.

Parents should also monitor the exposure time their children spend with electronic equipment, taking into account the sedentary lifestyle associated with obesity and the possible development of chronic diseases.((Rossi A, Moreira EAM, Rauen MS. Determinantes do comportamento alimentar: uma revisão com enfoque na família. Rev Nutr. 2008 Dec;21(6):739-48. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-52732008000600012))

3. Celebrate the Food. Sometimes we get so used to our abundance lifestyle that we forget that there are many people in this world who die of hunger and thirst. Praying before the meals it is also a way to express thankfulness and ask for a blessing over the food.

A family thanking for the food - Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

4. Have a good chat. Avoid issues that bring discomfort to the other. This is not the best time to resolve those issues. If the conversation is something light, it will encourage your children to express their views and learn to respect other people’s opinions.((Refeições em família: Como as crianças se beneficiam do contato com os pais à mesa. BBC News, Novembro 12, 2018))

The family environment should provide interactions and strengthen bonds between other family members, be safe, warm and provide adequate and healthy food. Parents have a fundamental role in their children acquiring preferences and eating habits, which can encourage healthy eating patterns for their children. Furthermore, eating together can protect the health of the whole family and add a lot of value to our lives. Get started now! Taking care of your child’s health will bring rewarding results for their lifetime!

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