Q: Our pediatrician says my 8-year-old son is overweight, but he isn't any heavier than other kids in his class. Is this just a way to get us to use more medical care? - Amanda P., Scottsdale, Arizona
A: You didn't mention your son's height or weight, but the average 8-year-old boy is around 51 inches tall (normal is from 47 to 55). A healthy weight would be around 55 to 63 pounds, depending on height and body type. If your son weighs more than that, he's probably overweight or obese.
It's not surprising, however, that you might not realize he could be overweight. Parents are notoriously bad at assessing their child's weight. A recent study in the British Journal of General Practice included 2,976 children and their parents; in that group, only four parents acknowledged that their child was very overweight. The real number of overweight kids was 369.
That happens for a couple of reasons: First, almost 16 percent of boys 2-19 are overweight; additionally, 17 percent are obese. So you may think your son looks about average and equate that with acceptable and healthy. Getting used to seeing kids lugging around extra weight, teetering on the brink of high LDL cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and premature heart disease will do that.
Second, if you're overweight, or just feel guilty about your son's weight, it might be hard to admit that you have a family health problem and that you need to do something. But you can! For an adult or child, losing just 5 percent of your body weight can significantly decrease health risks.
Our suggestion: If you re-examine the numbers and find that your son is overweight, thank your doc for saying so. Then, start a daily family walking program, and eliminate added sugars and syrups, any grain that isn't 100 percent whole, and all trans and most saturated fats from your plates. Let us know how you do - we're here to help.
Q: There's a new USDA certification program for labeling GMO-free foods. Does that mean U.S. consumers will finally get mandatory GMO labeling, like most other civilized countries? - Antonio V., Albuquerque, New Mexico
A: No. However, this is a step in the right direction. The United States Department of Agriculture's program to identify non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods is voluntary, and companies have to pay for the research verification and labeling. But it'll be a big hit. The USDA label will say "USDA Process Verified" and will complement the GMO-free label developed by the nonprofit group The Non-GMO Project. That project is very successful, and the USDA non-GMO verification program will only fuel consumers' ever-growing desire to know which products are GMO-free. Last year alone, sales of non-GMO products soared past $10 billion, and the market continues to grow.
This worries the giants of the GMO food industry, and rightly so. That's why they spent more than $100 million last year to defeat consumer initiatives requiring GMO food labeling. They are currently backing a federal law called The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, which would pre-empt current state laws on GMO labeling and make it virtually impossible for the Food and Drug Administration to mandate GMO labeling in the future. Critics say it's radical and call it the DARK Act, or Deny Americans the Right to Know act.
But it looks like that strategy is backfiring. When consumers started noticing big GMO companies trying to block responsible food labeling, they started asking, "What are they trying to hide?" Answer: For starters, the herbicide glyphosate, called "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organization; it's extensively used on GMO crops. This bill would allow GMO companies to sell you food treated with glyphosate without telling you.
As we've said many times, we are not against GMO foods, we just support truth in labeling. So write your legislators and tell them to vote against the DARK act. Demand to know what's in your food.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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