Are Vending Machines Part of the Problem?

Vending machines have become a common feature in most high schools across the nation. Their contents mostly consist of soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Snack machines include a variety of processed, packaged foods.

Sports drinks are intended to rehydrate athletes or anyone who exercises intensely. Unfortunately, these drinks are high in both sugar and calorie content, but low in nutritional value, and many of the students who purchase these drinks are not engaging in strenuous physical activity. For them, the drinks are empty calories that can contribute heavily to weight gain. Soda and energy drinks typically contain both empty calories and large amounts of sugar.

Snack foods found in vending machines are overwhelmingly unhealthy--Poptarts, chips, candy bars, pie, etc. These items are usually high in saturated fat (and sometimes trans fat) as well as calories and sugar. They are also usually low in healthy content such as fiber and protein.

Most schools contain vending machines because the additional income is significant. By making deals with specific companies, such as Coke or Pepsi, schools can charge both one-time and annual fees. They can also make a commission from any products that they sell from vending machines in the school.

As part of its ongoing campaign against childhood obesity, the Obama administration has begun taking steps to improve the quality of vending machine food and drinks in schools. The plan includes eliminating unhealthy items such as cookies and salty foods, and replacing them with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

While these practices may take some time to implement, experiments have shown that it's definitely possible to get kids to adopt healthier habits. In 2004, a high school assistant principal in Minneapolis replaced 75% of the drink machines in his school with only water, and only allowed water in classrooms. In two years, profits from the machines went from $4,500 to $11,000, proving that water is a lucrative alternative to soda and other unhealthy drinks.

Final Newsletter

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Subway

While the Subway chain has a great reputation for being a healthy fast food option, it's important to remember that while Subway restaurants do have nutritionally balanced meals, they also have meals that aren't as good. By choosing the right bread, meat, meal size, sides, and toppings, anyone can find a healthy meal at Subway.

As tempting as it may be to purchase a footlong because it's a better value in terms of size, keep in mind that only about half (a 6-inch) should be eaten in one setting. The sandwich itself may be healthy, but double the amount means double the calories and double the fat content. Remember that wheat bread is the best option since it contains more whole grains. When selecting meat, the lowest-calorie options are turkey and ham, or a combination of the two. Make sure you're at least choosing a sandwich from the 6 grams of fat or less section of the menu, since their other sandwiches can contain a significantly higher amount of calories and saturated fat.

Toppings should include as many veggies as you like, and condiments should be fat free or low fat. Try mustard, which has about 5 calories as opposed to the 110 calories in both mayonnaise and ranch dressing. Healthy sides are varied and plentiful at Subway and include apples and Dannon yogurt, which contain 35 and 80 calories, respectively. Baked Lay's chips have 130-140 calories and are the healthiest 'junk food' item, and the yogurt parfait also makes a great side or snack at 160 calories. Try to balance your side with your main course--if you chose a sandwich higher in calories, go with a low-calorie side.

I love Subway because they offer enough alternatives to truly earn their reputation. They heavily promote their subs that have less than 6 grams of fat--an accomplishment in the fast food business. Subway sandwiches are a great source of Vitamin C, calcium, and iron, and they also provide a bit of Vitamin A.

Regarding the kids menu, it could be more extensive, but Subway has included some of the best sandwiches--turkey, ham, roast beef, and veggie. They're about 4 inches long and can include the same range of toppings as regular subs. With these age-appropriate options, any family should be able to enjoy a nutritional meal at Subway.

Check out Subway's website for more options. For this post, I used their Nutrition Data Tables (PDF).

Let's Move!

One of the most important current movements toward producing a healthier generation is First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative. The program's five main goals are:

"1. Creating a healthy start for children
 2. Empowering parents and caregivers
 3. Providing healthy food in schools
 4. Improving access to healthy, affordable foods
 5. Increasing physical activity"

The initiative is unique for many reasons:

• It aims to solve the obesity problem in one generation. This is ambitious because to 'cure' obesity, many cultural norms must be overturned and replaced. Fast food can't be seen as a common or frequent indulgence, people have to tear themselves away from their computers and televisions in order to exercise, and nutrition labels have to be scrutinized for more than just calorie count.

• It targets not only parents, but parents-to-be. There is a special section on the website dedicated to mothers. It talks about why breastfeeding is a better option than formula, what mothers should eat while breastfeeding, and even what behaviors should be avoided while pregnant in order to lower the child's chances of becoming obese.

• It advocates not only physical activity, but outdoor physical activity. Rather than turning to technological solutions to America's exercise phobia, like Wii Fit, "Let's Move!" encourages families and schools to get kids moving outside in local parks, forests, or other outdoor areas. There are links on the program's website to resources that parents and teachers can use to find outdoor events, forests, parks, and playgrounds in their area.

• Parents are urged to lead by example. The program stresses equal responsibility for parents and community members when it comes to health and fitness. Families are encouraged to eat, exercise, and plan meals and outings together.

While one generation may be an overly optimistic goal, the "Let's Move!" program does approach the problem from a practical viewpoint and tries to incorporate realistic smaller goals as much as possible. Michelle Obama is serious about the program and its goals, and I think that her program will help the issue immensely. By identifying herself as an advocate of a healthier next generation, she is already helping by catapulting the issue into the public sphere, generating both interest and awareness when previously, the issue was ignored by many.

There are many, many more pages on the official website, and I would encourage anyone who is interested in health and fitness, especially parents, to check out the resources provided there.

Obesity and Depression

About a year ago, a research team in the Netherlands analyzed 15 studies that examined the potential link between obesity/overweight and depression. The studies included nearly 59,000 participants and when the researchers reviewed the results, they found that there is a "reciprocal link between depression and obesity."  Obese people are 55% more likely to develop depression than people of normal weight, and people with depression are 58% more likely to become obese.

Depression can lead to obesity through binge eating and consumption of 'comfort' foods. Binge eating, or compulsive overeating, is seen as a type of addiction that can prompt a person to eat often enormous amounts of food to cope with a range of emotions, including stress, anger, loneliness, and depression. Comfort foods are typically any type of food that makes the eater feel a positive emotional response. They're the most likely foods that people will turn to when binge eating. Unfortunately, one of the most common types is fast food. Ice cream, chocolate, and potato chips are among the top foods identified by people as comfort foods, as well.

Obesity can trigger depression by causing a person to have a poor self image. Because society puts so much emphasis on physical perfection, people who are overweight or obese can feel inadequate and saddened when they feel as though they don't measure up to the standards of their peers. Children can feel this way at the age of five, and a poll conducted by KidsHealth (a popular children's health website) of over 1,000 children ages 9-13 showed that over half of them felt stressed about weight, even if their weight was normal.

This type of vicious cycle is difficult to break. To help your children, focus on nutrition and physical activity. Make sure that your kids are eating healthy foods and being active in their daily lives, and talk to them about the decisions that you make in these areas. It's important for anyone, kids included, to know the reasoning behind choices that affect them. If your child is having difficulty with weight, depression, or self-image, see a doctor about what you can do to improve the situation.

Faster Isn't Always Better

Many Americans prefer to eat fast food at least a few times a week because, as its name suggests, it's a quick meal that's ready in minutes when minutes are all a person has to spare. It's also easy to obtain via drive-thru, and it's relatively cheap. But when children grow up thinking that it's acceptable to eat fast food on a regular basis, they don't stop to think about its negative aspects.

The nutritional quality of fast food meals is extremely poor. I'll review the nutritional information of McDonald's Happy Meals, since McDonald's is one of the most popular fast food chains in the world and specifically markets to children. All information comes from the McDonald's Happy Meals Nutrition List (link opens a pdf document).

Happy Meals covered in the McDonald's nutrition list come with one of three main course options--a hamburger, a cheeseburger, or a 4-piece chicken nuggets. They also include the option of two different sides--a small fry or apple dippers with low-fat caramel dip.


The average Happy Meal (including the main course, a side, and a drink) contains:

• 527.5 calories
• 18.2 grams of fat, including:
• 0.5 grams of trans fat
• 5.4 grams of saturated fat

I'll also provide the average nutrition information of Happy Meals containing each main course and each side. Most of the drinks don't seem to greatly affect the number of calories or grams of fat in a Happy Meal, so I won't include information about the changes in calorie/fat content in meals that include different drinks.

However, I noticed that chocolate milk significantly raises the meal's calorie count--by 60-70 calories.


4-Piece Chicken Nuggets

Happy Meals with chicken nuggets contain less than the average amount of calories, about the same amount of overall fat, no trans fat, and less saturated fat.

With a side and a drink:

• 467.5 calories
• 18.9 grams of fat, including:
• 0 grams of trans fat
• 3.75 grams of saturated fat

With a small fry and a drink:

• 532.5 calories
• 24.3 grams of fat, including:
• 0 grams of trans fat
• 4.3 grams of saturated fat

With apple dippers and a drink:

• 402.5 calories
• 13.5 grams of fat, including:
• 0 grams of trans fat
• 3.3 grams of saturated fat

Hamburger

Happy Meals with a hamburger contain about the same as the average amount of calories, less overall fat, more trans fat, and about the same amount of saturated fat.

With a side and a drink:

• 532.5 calories
• 16 grams of fat, including:
• 0.5 grams of trans fat
• 5 grams of saturated fat

With a small fry and a drink:

• 602.5 calories
• 21.5 grams of fat
• 0.5 grams of trans fat
• 5.8 grams of saturated fat

With apple dippers and a drink:

• 462.5 calories
• 10.5 grams of fat
• 0.5 grams of trans fat
• 4.3 grams of saturated fat

Cheeseburger

Happy Meals with a cheeseburger contain more than the average amount of calories, more overall fat, more trans fat, and more saturated fat.

With a side and a drink:

• 582.5 calories
• 19.8 grams of fat, including:
• 1 gram of trans fat
• 7.5 grams of saturated fat

With a small fry and a drink:

• 652.5 calories
• 23.3 grams of fat
• 1 gram of trans fat
• 8 grams of saturated fat

With apple dippers and a drink:

• 512.5 calories
• 14.3 grams of fat
• 1 gram of trans fat
• 7 grams of saturated fat

The Facts

Happy Meals with a small fry instead of apple dippers have about 140 more calories, 9 more grams of overall fat, the same amount of trans fat, and 1 more gram of saturated fat.

Happy Meals with a cheeseburger have the most amount of calories, overall fat content, trans fat and saturated fat content.

Happy Meals with chicken nuggets have the least amount of calories, trans fat and saturated fat content.

Happy Meals with a hamburger have the least amount of overall fat content.

Chocolate milk adds an extra 60-70 calories to a meal, even versus white milk.


The Best and the Worst

Least calories -- Chicken nuggets with apple dippers and apple juice. 380 calories.
Most calories -- Cheeseburger with a small fry and chocolate milk. 700 calories.

Least fat -- Hamburger with apple dippers and apple juice or Sprite. 9g of fat.
Most fat -- Cheeseburger with a small fry and chocolate milk. 27g of fat.

Least trans fat -- Chicken nuggets with a side and drink. 0g of trans fat.
Most trans fat -- Cheeseburger with a side and drink. 1gof trans fat.

Least sat. fat -- Chicken nuggets with apples and apple juice or Sprite. 2.5g of sat. fat.
Most sat. fat -- Cheeseburger with a small fry and white or chocolate milk. 9g of sat. fat.

Snack Alternatives

If your children have snacking problems, you may be desperate to solve the issue, but helpless as to how it can be solved. It isn't an easy endeavor, and your kids aren't going to like it, but they'll be healthier in the long run and may even thank you for having the courage to take the situation out of their hands.

There are many small rules that you can implement in your home to cut down on snacking and make the snacks that are allowed better for your children.

One such rule that you can have a direct impact on is: Don't allow snacking in front of the television. When children sit in front of a TV and watch a movie or show while they eat, their attention is largely focused on the screen and not on how much they're eating. If a child starts in on a bag of potato chips and continues eating throughout an entire movie, the calorie count is enormous, along with fat and sodium. A regular bag of Cool Ranch Doritos has about 9 servings in a bag. At 150 calories, 8 g of fat, and 180 mg of sodium per serving, your child is consuming 1,350 calories, 72 g of fat, and 1,620 mg of sodium per bag. To avoid this, supply your children with these alternatives:


Low- to no-fat popcorn

Popcorn is a great snack, and as long as too much butter isn't put on it, it can also be a healthy one.

Reduced-fat cheese on whole wheat, low-fat crackers

Cheese with less fat has more protein, and the lower the fat content in crackers, the less trans fat there will be (saturated and trans fats are bad; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good--in small to moderate doses).

Mini candy bars

When kids are deprived of something entirely for long periods of time, they tend to overindulge when they finally have the opportunity. By allowing your kids to have a little bit of chocolate on a regular basis, they will be less likely to do this. Limit these to one per day at the most.

Fruit and low-fat yogurt dip

Fruit is delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. Cutting up a single apple provides a much larger snack than you'd think by looking at it. Fun dips can be prepared, including a simple one containing only low-fat yogurt, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

Cereal

Cereals low in sugar and high in protein are wonderful snacks when portioned correctly. One great-tasting example (my personal favorite) is Kashi's GoLean Crisp cereal, which has 9 g of protein, 8 g of fiber, and 18 g of whole grains per serving and is naturally sweetened with cranberries and blueberries. By pairing the cereal with skim milk, you can significantly cut down on fat. If your children don't like skim milk, try organic skim, which (in my experience) has the same texture and taste as regular whole milk. It costs more, but stays fresh for over a month.

There are many, many snack alternatives not listed here. Do a little searching around the Internet for creative, fun recipes that you and your kids can make together. Try for as much protein and fiber as possible, and limit saturated and trans fats, calories, and sugar.