The Food That Ruins Kids' Diets

Boston.com Correspondent

JANUARY 20, 2015 10:31 AM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, a senior editor for Harvard Health Publications, and an official spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. A professional writer for more than 20 years, she writes about health and parenting for Boston.com, Boston Children's Hospital, and Huffington Post.

COMMENT

Want to know the food that most kids eat--and that is really unhealthy?

Pizza.

According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, it's the second-highest contributor of calories to diets overall (behind "grain desserts," things like cookies and cake)--and is full of saturated fat and sodium. When kids eat it, not only does it add a ton of calories to their daily intake, it really worsens the quality of their diet.

And kids eat it a lot. On any given day, 22 percent of kids ages 6 to 19 eat pizza.

Now, to be a bit more specific, the real problem is fast food pizza. The pizza they serve at the school cafeteria doesn't have the same effect on kids' diets, nor does pizza you prepare at home (the authors didn't break it down a whole lot more, so I don't know about homemade versus frozen pizza). It's the pizza you pick up or get delivered, or those slices you grab when you are out and about, that rack up the calories and ruin the diet.

This is mostly a problem for adolescents, who are most likely to be out and about and buying their own food. And this is worrisome, because although childhood obesity rates are falling in young children, they remain high in older children: in 2011-2012, 18 percent of school-age children and 20 percent of adolescents were obese (remember, this number doesn't include those who are overweight but haven't reached the level of obesity--if we include those, the numbers are higher).

Now, this doesn't mean that pizza is absolutely evil and that we should never eat it again. But it does mean that we should be a bit more thoughtful about our pizza intake. And it means that those of us with kids who sometimes buy fast food on their own need to have some conversations with them about pizza.

The researchers found that the biggest bump in calories came when kids ate pizza for a snack--the stopping-at-the-pizza-place-for-a-slice kind of thing. Pizza is not a good snack. It's a meal, not a snack. Parents, please talk to your kids (especially teens) about this--and about healthier snack choices (may I suggest fruits and vegetables?--likely futile, but worth trying).

While you're at it, talk to them about having pizza for lunch when they are out and about. Many high schools let students go off campus and buy lunch--and pizza tends to be a popular choice, as it's inexpensive, filling and quick to eat. Brainstorm with them about other possible lunch choices that might be healthier. You might even--gasp!--pack them lunch.

And as for having fast-food pizza as a family meal...we should all be limiting it. Friday is Pizza Night in our house; it's hard to imagine Friday night without it, actually. But we can do things like limit the number of pieces we eat (no more than two), buy healthier ones (skip the extra cheese, or the fatty meats like sausage and pepperoni, pick veggie pizzas instead), and order salad as well instead of just filling up on the pizza.

We can also make healthier pizza at home. With the pre-made crusts that you can buy, it's actually pretty quick and easy to make. Try it out (my favorite to make is a white pizza with broccoli).

And while you are at it, try eating less fast food and processed food in general. It will make for a healthier diet generally--which is a really important investment in your child's future.

Photo credit: ? 2007 Jasmine, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio

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