Author says what our kids eat is crazy

Poor nutrition is to blame for many more problems than we think, says the nutritionist. She blasts the food industry and encourages parents to make better, more informed decisions.

By JANET K. KEELER

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2000

It pains her to admit this, but Carol Simontacchi says that school lunches are usually healthier than homemade.

"That's nothing to brag about, but at least they (the schools) are trying to get some vegetables into kids," says Simontacchi, a clinical nutritionist and author of The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children (Tarcher/Putnam, 2000, $24.95). Most lunches brought from home, she says, are high in fat, sugar and sodium (white bread, packaged snack foods, sodas) and low in vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables).

"Our food is, quite literally, driving us crazy," Simontacchi writes. She is steadfast in her crusade to improve our mental health, which she says has deteriorated because the food industry is processing nutrients out of food while dumping in harmful additives. Depression rates have soared since World War II, especially among men, and she says that coincides with the increased consumption of convenience foods.

High-sugar diets, ubiquitous among children, contribute to hyperactivity, depression, fatigue and an inability to concentrate. The average American, Simontacchi says, consumes more than 200 pounds of sugar and artificial sweeteners per year, or more than 20 teaspoons a day.

Because of these findings, she advocates organic products even though there is still discussion about their nutritional benefits compared with non-organic food. To many parents, her ideas will sound ridiculous: She suggests feeding children braised celery, dill casserole and bean muffins, for instance (the recipes are in the book). If we follow her advice, McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King likely will go bankrupt, and our kids just might run away from home.

Bagging a winner Lunch boxes pack memories, and they pack value as collectibles, but how well do they pack food? We test five to find out. Lunch 101 No matter how nutritious a school lunch is, the real test is whether it gets eaten. A+ school treats for special occasions The school year is nearing, which means it could soon be your turn to bring snacks to your child's classroom for a party, a holiday or just because. Author says what our kids eat is crazy Poor nutrition is to blame for many more problems than we think, says the nutritionist. She blasts the food industry and encourages parents to make better, more informed decisions.

She's a zealot, for sure. And yet, there is plenty about her book and her stand that makes sense.

The Crazy Makers was a five-year project for Simontacchi and is based on findings from her clinical nutrition practice, her experiences with her four daughters, who range in age from 10 to 16, and other scientific research. The book is heavily footnoted and often technical.

Here are two examples of minerals Simontacchi says are lacking in children's diets:

Magnesium is important in producing cellular energy, plus it works alongside calcium to help the muscles work properly. Magnesium causes muscles to relax; calcium tightens them. Most children get far more calcium, through milk and other dairy products, than they do magnesium, which is found in raw nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains and dark-green leafy vegetables. Low levels of magnesium, Simontacchi writes, are linked to excitability, anxiety, attention deficit, depression and fatigue.

Potassium works with sodium to bring nutrients to cells and pull out waste. The body needs about 2.5 times more potassium than sodium, but often the ratio is reversed because of the abundance of sodium in the American diet. Sodium overload can cause tiredness, weakness and anger, she writes. Good sources of potassium include bananas, oranges, apricots, pears, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, squash and beans.

Nutrition, biology, brain function, cellular division, additives, vitamins, minerals ... this is crazy. And you thought you were just packing lunch.

If there is one thing parents can take away from The Crazy Makers, it is that fruits and vegetables help children's bodies function properly and efficiently. Get them into your kids any way you can, Simontacchi says. Even so, she is an advocate of daily multiple vitamins for children and adults because "I haven't met anyone yet who can get the RDA (recommended daily allowance) from the food we get these days."

In an interview from her Vancouver, Wash., home last week, where she was busy packing up the family to move to Sanibel, Simontacchi made it clear that it is parents, not kids, who must make changes. Kids should see adults eating healthful foods, not wolfing down fast-food meals in the driver's seat.

Parents must get tough, she says, and refuse to buy sodas, sugary cereals, snack foods and fast food. At the very least, she says, restrict junk food to a once-a-week treat.

"Parents have to take a strong position with their children because the (food) culture is so pervasive. Kids are not going to willingly make these choices."

Make changes one step at a time, she says. First cut back on soda pop, then tackle cookies and candy, next chips. Begin to introduce more fruits and vegetables. Consider making homemade treats to control sugar, fat and additives. See to it that your children eat fruit or vegetables at every meal.

"You just have to say "I love you and because of that we are not going to buy that food anymore,' " she says. "I'm hoping that parents will at least start looking at boxes and make better decisions for their kids."

The worst of the bad

According Carol Simontacchi's The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children, here are 10 foods that the Center for Science in the Public Interest says no one should eat and why:

1. Quaker 100% Natural Oats & Honey Granola (one-half cup is coated with three teaspoons of sugar and more fat than a McDonald's hamburger).

2. Gwaltney Great Dogs Chicken Franks (loaded with fat).

3. Entenmann's Rich Frosted Donut (as much fat as nine strips of bacon).

4. Nissen Cup Noodles with Shrimp (more than 1,070 milligrams of sodium, plus loaded with more fat than a one-ounce bag of potato chips).

5. Frito-Lay Wow! Potato Chips (fried in Olean, the artificial fat that has sent people to the emergency room with severe cramps or diarrhea).

6. Oscar Mayer Lunchables ("It would be hard to invent a worse food than these combos," said the center).

7. Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream (more than twice the fat of most regular ice cream -- 45 grams of fat in one cup of Butter Pecan).

8. Campbell's red-and-white label soups ("brimming with salt").

9. Rice-A-Roni Chicken & Vegetables (one cup has 1,470 milligrams of sodium. Vegetables? We found nine peas in a two-cup box).

10. Contadina Alfredo Sauce (one-third stick of butter on each cup of pasta).

Source: The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children, by Carol Simontacchi (2000, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam).

Johnny's got a brand new bag

Stumped for something new and more healthful to put in your child's lunch? Keep in mind, kids can't try new things if they aren't offered them. Keep cold foods chilled with ice packs in insulated lunch bags, or use an insulated container, such as a Thermos, to maintain temperatures of hot foods. Here are some ideas from clinical nutritionist Carol Simontacchi:

• Deviled eggs.
• Hearty chili in an insulated container, such as a Thermos, with baked tortillas chips.
• Carrots, celery, cucumbers sticks and a favorite dressing for dipping. Consider broccoli florets or radishes.
• Organic potato chips (without MSG).
• Unsalted nuts.
• Homemade quiche
• Salad in a plastic container with dressing stored separately.
• Salmon salad instead of tuna on multigrain bread.
• A bean and cheese burrito on whole wheat tortilla. (Warm at home and wrap in foil.)
• Grilled and sliced chicken.

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