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Nutrition guidelines target obese kids
Renata D'Aliesio and Michelle Magnan, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, June 03, 2008An emergency room doctor turned MLA is calling childhood obesity "an emergency" as the Alberta government unveils today nutritional guidelines for schools, day-care centres and recreational centres.
Alberta is the first province to introduce food guidelines specifically targeting children and their caregivers not just at schools, but at a variety of facilities.
Edmonton MLA Raj Sherman, who was an emergency physician at Royal Alexandra Hospital before becoming a parliamentary assistant to the Health Minister this spring, said Monday the purpose of the new blueprint is to raise awareness that parents, teachers and caregivers have a significant role to play in ensuring youngsters are eating well.
"Our kids are less active than ever before," he said at the legislature. "It's an emergency. We've got to get kids eating less bad food and moving more."
When Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert released his action plan for medical reform in April, the possibilities of banning trans fats in Alberta restaurants and eliminating junk food in schools were cited as goals for completion within nine months.
Liepert said Monday he hasn't had time yet to address the trans fats issue. He declined to discuss details of the province's nutritional guidelines, which will be released at an Edmonton elementary school at 11:30 a.m. today.
In January, the Calgary Health Region introduced restrictions on how much trans fats restaurants can use in cooking oils and spreads, becoming the first jurisdiction to do so in Canada.
Sarah Remmer, a Calgary-based dietitian and owner of Nutrio Consulting, hopes these guidelines inspire big changes at local schools.
"Kids spend so much time at schools and day cares, so it's such a priority to make sure they have proper nutrition," she said.
Beyond providing kids with the energy they need to get through the day, proper nutrition can guard against a range of chronic diseases including Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Remmer expects the new guidelines will promote food offerings that comply with Canada's Food Guide and hopes to see changes in cafeterias and canteens as a result, such as offering kids more fruits and veggies and switching to whole-grain bread instead of white bread.
She also hopes the new resource tackles the issue of vending machines in schools.
"I think taking pop machines out is No. 1 for sure, and taking those snacks like chips and chocolate bars away," she said. "Kids need energy for their brain and for their muscles, and the energy that's coming from potato chips and candy isn't the kind of energy you want. There's no nutrition there."
Remmer believes these new guidelines are important because -- if implemented and promoted -- they will help kids form healthy, long-lasting food habits.
"Starting at a really early age is so important," she said.
"It just sort of sets the stage for the rest of their lives for how they're going to eat."
Alberta's Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth will be available online at healthyalberta.com following today's announcement.
rdaliesio@theherald.canwest.com
mmagnan@theherald.canwest.com
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CalgaryHerald.com
Go to calgaryherald.com for a report on the guidelines being released today
