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Healthy Lunch is Key in Fighting Childhood Weight Problems

A new national 2006 Healthy Lunchbox Survey commissioned to explore relationships between parental roles in lunch preparation and their childhood weight problems.

The survey found that children of parents who prepare their lunches or who are aware of what their children eat for lunch are about 25% less likely to be overweight than children of parents who do not prepare or who are not aware of children's lunch eating habits. The level of awareness between parents of overweight and non-overweight children provides hope that the solution to childhood obesity lies in educating parents to take a more proactive role in establishing nutritional guidelines for their children.

Results of the survey also found that more than 50% of those parents surveyed would be willing to make the switch from mayonnaise to mustard when they learned that making that switch alone would enable their kids to lose about 4 pounds a year - even if they did nothing else.

"If we can empower parents to make small but significant changes in their children's lunches we can help turn the tide on the childhood obesity epidemic," explained Dr. Rallie McAllister. "I like French's mustard because it's a healthy alternative with zero fat, zero carbohydrates, and great flavor."

  The 2006 Healthy Lunchbox Survey identified the following key findings:

  * Parents prepare lunch for their children an average of 3.6 times per
    week, with a decreasing frequency as children approach ages 10 - 12.
  * Parents of overweight children prepare 15 percent fewer lunches than
    parents of non-overweight children leaving the important caloric intake
    decisions to children or schools.
  * Over half of all parents surveyed were willing to make a small change in
    their children's diet to reduce fat such as switching from mayonnaise to
    French's mustard.
  * Seventy percent of parents use condiments in children's lunch
    preparation
  * More than 36 percent of parents use mayonnaise in their children's
    lunches-more than all other condiments combined.
  * Parents of overweight children are less aware of what their children eat
    for lunch than parents of their non-overweight counterparts.
  * Forty percent of parents of overweight children verses 35 percent of
    parents of non-overweight children use mayonnaise in children's lunches.

"Childhood weight gain is never a child's fault," explains Dr. McAllister, mother of three. "When it comes to helping children stay healthy, our job as parents is to make it easier for our children to succeed. Failure is not an option."

The survey queried 1,000 mothers from across the country representing various ethnicities and socio-economic targets. The findings of the survey emphasize the important role parents play in introducing nutritious food and in monitoring and controlling calories, fat and cholesterol in a child's diet. Parents can make small, gradual, and almost imperceptible changes without causing a major disruption in the daily routine of children.

Rallie McAllister M.D., the author of Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim, operates a family practice specializing in nutrition, wellness, and weight loss. Dr. McAllister is also known to millions across the country for her weekly nationally syndicated column called "Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister."