Fitness program kicks off with aim to tackle childhood obesity ...

A three-part health and fitness program launched Wednesday by Gov. Rick Snyder and other state officials aims to tackle childhood obesity in Michigan starting in infancy.

The Pure Michigan FIT Program, mentioned in Snyder?s State of the State address, will incorporate nutritional signage at grocery stores, efforts to improve access to healthy foods for low-income families and nutrition education for doctors and other health professionals.

The kickoff was in Wyoming, near Grand Rapids, and events are planned in metro Detroit starting in July.

The goal is to tackle childhood obesity by instilling good habits at an early age, said Keith Creagh, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

?The most common vegetable for a 3-year-old shouldn?t be a french fry,? Creagh said.

According to Nestl?, a state partner in the project, about 10% of American children ages 2-5 are obese. In its 2008 Feeding Infants and Toddlers Survey, Nestl? ? owner of Gerber brand baby foods ? found that what children ate by age 2 creates a pattern that carries into adulthood.

It also found preschoolers ate too much fat and sodium, and some children went full days without vegetables.

Such eating habits aren?t allowed in Pam Aiken?s house. The 40-year-old southwest Detroit grandmother said her two 1-year-old grandchildren ? Juan Godinez and Benjamin Aiken ? regularly eat fruit.

?We don?t give them ?cookie? cookies,? Aiken said of processed foods. ?If they want cookies, we give them graham crackers. If you start the foundation right with your kids, then it?s easy to pass it onto your grandkids.?

Creagh said the first project, better grocery labeling, includes having nutritionists on-site at stores to answer questions and stickers that easily point out which foods may be a better choice for a young child.

He said the labeling will help parents find the most beneficial versions of macaroni and cheese or cereal, for example, which are often staples for picky younger eaters.

Some Spartan stores have already started labeling foods as low in sodium or gluten-free, said MDARD spokeswoman Jennifer Holton. Other state partners include the Michigan Grocers Association, the Michigan Farmers Market Association and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

The labels would be welcome, said Cheryl Simon of the Detroit Food Policy Council, an organization started in 2009 that wants all Detroiters to have access to healthy foods. ?Anything that helps people understand in plain words what they are getting in processed food is a good thing,? Simon said.

Creagh said one way to improve access to healthy foods would be to emulate the double-up food bucks program of the Fair Food Network, in which parents can get two-for-one deals at farmers markets using their SNAP cards. The program started June 1.

The third step is to increase the amount of education budding doctors and nurses get on age-appropriate nutrition goals for young children. Many medical schools and health professional programs offer only a small amount of nutrition training and little that is age-specific.

Simon agrees doctors could use more information on nutrition, but said increasing access to healthy food in Detroit must involve Detroiters.

?One thing about Detroit, people are very engaged in food system issues here. This has to involve people who are most affected, at the table, at the planning stages,? she said.

Article source: http://www.freep.com/article/20120614/NEWS05/206140562

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