I remember my high school lunch options – burgers, pizza, corndogs, chicken nuggets, and the occasional salad. Not the most nutritional meals. My peers craved sugary drinks, even strange ones like Dr. Pepper. According to the CDC, fewer than 1 in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits or vegetables. Simultaneously, we consume too much sodium, fat, and sugar. Unhealthy eating habits are not moral failures, but social failures. And it starts early in life.
The importance of breastfeeding: A concerning statistic is that 3 in 4 infants are not breastfed for 6 months. Breast milk is uniquely suited for meeting a baby’s nutritional needs, reducing the risk of Type 1 diabetes and obesity. It provides immune support against respiratory, ear, and gastrointestinal infections and asthma. Some women are aware of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. However, post-partum is also a critical time during which breastfeeding can lower the mother’s risk of those metabolic conditions. Therefore as a society, we must support breastfeeding in hospitals and our communities.
Cognition of nutrition: These days school lunches are getting healthier as school staff are receiving more training to promote good nutrition. This supports children’s cognition and attention levels at school as well as their growth and development beyond. Hidden hunger, a less conspicuous form of malnutrition, emerges when children experience deficiencies in essential micronutrients and vitamins. This deficiency in micronutrients leads to delayed physical growth, compromised immune systems, and impaired brain development. The US as well as many countries around the world grapple with a triple burden of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and the growing prevalence of being overweight.
Of course, nutrition is far more than just the occasional salad. Stay tuned in future blogs as we at California Nutrition delve further into the science and research!