Takeaway culture means parents are losing control of children's diets. Two teenagers confess their bad habits to Anne Dempsey, who looks at ways to counter them.
Obesity is becoming a problem among Irish children and teenagers, who take too little exercise and eat too many takeaways. The takeaway culture is the food equivalent of Christmas pestering. In both cases, manufacturers are reaching into our homes and lessening our influence over what our children consume. So what do young people typically eat?
Two teenagers, Dean Scully and Ruth Byrne, kept a food diary for a week then submitted them for inspection, with some disquieting - findings. Margot Brennan of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, who analysed the diaries, says: "Dean and Ruth are within the healthy weight range for their size, though Dean is just hanging in there. It's good he has lost weight through exercise and is aware his diet could be improved.
"What strikes me about both diaries is the lack of fruit and vegetables, the concentration on fizzy drinks and the poor - or no - breakfast. Fizzy drinks are just sugar, horrendous for teeth; their link with obesity is high, they give empty calories and displace healthier drinks, such as milk, fruit juice or yogurt. It can be just as convenient to buy a carton of juice with a straw as a fizzy drink, though Ruth may have to plan to bring a healthy drink with her if away for the day. Her bones are still developing; a milk or yogurt drink would give her calcium, which would help prevent osteoporosis later on."
We need four servings of fruit and vegetables a day, says Brennan, "because most of the protective factors against cancer and heart disease are in the A, C and E vitamins contained in fruit and vegetables". Also, she says, vitamin C helps us absorb iron for the red blood cells that carry oxygen round the body. "Ruth doesn't like red meat, a source of iron, so an iron-fortified bowl of morning cereal, plus orange juice to help her absorb it, would be beneficial.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Having a high-fibre bread or cereal first thing in the morning raises blood-sugar levels and begins a sustained energy release. If you don't eat or have just a refined cereal like cornflakes, your blood-sugar levels remain low, so by mid-morning you need the instant hit given by a high-fat, high-sugar food. But this may not satisfy, and you continue to crave such foods throughout the day, which is why people continue to snack. Such bad patterns are habit-forming.
"Dean's diet is particularly high in saturated fats; in other words, animal fats which are mostly linked to heart disease. Too many takeaways can pile on the pounds and raise cholesterol levels in the blood. A takeout once or twice a week is fine, and there are healthy options here also. Go for a thin pie-crust pizza. A Chinese with boiled rice or noodles, or beef with black bean sauce or a chow mein, has less fat, say, than a satay or chicken balls fried in batter.
"Healthy options at the local service station would be a cereal or muesli bar, especially one low in sugar, or a brown-bread sandwich or roll. Many filled rolls are loaded with mayonnaise.When Dean is in the staff canteen, opting for something like baked beans on toast gives a slow release of sugar. If having a cooked breakfast, grilling and poaching rather than frying reduces the fat.
"Both eat a fair amount of crisps. Popcorn is a better option. We now know that potatoes are exposed to very high temperatures when becoming crisps, with possible cancer links. The Food Safety Authority has still to come up with a safe level of heat. We are not saying crisps are dangerous - the jury is still out. We suggest limiting crisp intake.
"These diets are pretty typical. Studies show that half of young people now have their daily food intake outside the home, which can take a lot of control from parents. Many of the food conferences I attend these days discuss the fact that parents still need to ensure that their young children eat healthily, while teens and young adults should be taking more responsibility for eating well.
"We are what we eat. Young people are very concerned with their appearance. A healthy diet will help to give glowing skin, healthy hair and a vitality from within."
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Ten to try...
Poach a couple of eggs and serve them with wholemeal toast.
Add extra vegetables if you're having a can of soup.
Mix baked beans with a little chilli powder, heat through and serve rolled up in tortilla pancakes.
Microwave a potato, fill it with low-fat cheese, chives or sliced grilled bacon and serve it with salad. Boil pasta, heat a can of tomatoes, simmer with herbs and garlic and serve with low-fat cheese.
Toast pitta pockets, then fill them with lettuce, sliced peppers and sardines or tuna.
Heat a little oil in a wok or frying pan, add a little chopped ham, chicken, beef or fish with vegetables, throw in some chunks of cooked potato and heat through.
Brown chicken breasts in a little oil, add vegetables, garlic and seasoning, and cook. Cook pasta or noodles separately, drain and serve.
Heat pizza slices in the oven or microwave, then serve with salad.
Make a Spanish omelette with your own choice of vegetables and serve with a salad and some crusty bread.
Dean says...
"The week was different because my mother was away on holidays. Normally I would have more cooked dinners. I love my mother's Sunday dinner, and I live for her roast potatoes. She tries to get me to eat fruit and vegetables, but I don't like them, though I will eat apples and drink lots of water. Generally speaking I can only eat when I'm hungry, and some mornings I'm not hungry.
"The Discovery Channel tells you what you should be eating, and I know I don't do it. All my friends are the same, though they eat more vegetables than I do. I have lost two stone recently from taking more exercise. If a doctor said I was eating badly I would be kind of worried, but, at the same time, I'm not particularly bothered."
Ruth says...
"That's fairly typical of the way I eat in the holidays. I don't have a particularly large appetite. I eat chicken and lamb but don't like steak. I eat some vegetables but not parsnip, cabbage or salady stuff. When there is fruit in the house I would eat it.
"I was surprised I ate so much chocolate and so many snacks between meals. It would be better if I ate just my three main meals."