Enhancing the nutrition of America's youth

Today, we know more about what foods children should eat for optimal growth and development, as well as future health, than ever before. Yet, many of our nation's youth are not meeting their nutritional needs and are following a sedentary lifestyle. Overweight among American children has increased dramatically during the past decade. Also, children's low calcium intake can compromise their bone health and increase their future risk of osteoporosis. Health professionals, parents, educators and others responsible for children can play a key role in enhancing the nutrition of America's youth. However, they first need to be aware of the important issues regarding children's nutrition and how best to positively impact children's nutrition. A recent briefing by experts in child nutrition and a roundtable discussion was held in Washington, DC, to address these topics. This review summarizes the information presented. Focusing on dietary restrictions, such as a low fat diet, was identified as an obstacle to positively impacting children's nutrition. To improve children's dietary intake and their ability to learn in school, efforts are being made to increase the availability of and participation in the School Breakfast Program. Parents and other child care providers can serve as role models and positively influence what foods children like and will actually eat. Children are not little adults and, as such, dietary guidelines based on adult data should not be extrapolated to children. Support for the development of separate dietary guidelines for children is growing. These guidelines should be based on sound scientific evidence of efficacy and safety. Enhancing the nutrition of America's youth is emerging as a priority, both locally (i.e., community school feeding programs) and nationally (i.e., dietary guidelines).