CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dear Cindy,
In your last article you wrote to answer a woman named "Michelle" concerning her children's drinking juices and soft drinks. This question- and-answer article did not mention anything about children having "diet" soft drinks.
My sister's grandchild, who is just 2 1/2, does not drink milk (he was on a special formula as a baby, and never would drink regular milk) nor any other type of drink. He may drink a little water. What he does drink is Diet Dr Pepper. I know he takes it to bed with him, and also drinks it sometimes during the day.
What do you think of this situation, and what is, other than water, something that a parent should allow her young child to drink? Thank you. - Concerned Great Aunt
Dear Concerned,
You are right to be concerned about this toddler. I sense you know the answer to this question but would like to hear it from a professional source. Boston University School of Medicine is just one of those sources that have studied the risk of diet drinks and children.
The study suggests that adults who drink more than one diet soda a day will carry the same risk for heart disease and metabolic syndrome as those who drink regular soda. Metabolic syndrome describes a variety of symptoms that increase heart disease risk including high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels not to mention obesity.
Giving or allowing a young child to drink diet soda has far more ramifications and serious consequences. The most obvious is that there is no nutrition whatsoever. Children need vitamins and minerals to develop normally, and they are not getting them.
Most diet drinks, including Dr Pepper, have caffeine, which is a diuretic that can cause dehydration, leg cramps, headaches and can disturb concentration. Also, caffeine is a stimulant, which can be addictive and have possible negative behavioral effects.
This toddler needs milk and should be offered it as well as water, and small amounts of 100 percent fruit juice. Without these beverages, a child is not being supplied with necessary vitamins and minerals. These calorie-free drinks interfere with the absorption of Vitamin A and magnesium, which are essential for healthy teeth, skin, bones and mucous membranes.
Growth and development are certainly at risk if the child's source of hydration is a little water and diet beverages. The mineral found in magnesium helps regulate and maintain proper calcium levels in the bloodstream. It aids in the formation and function of healthy bones, teeth, muscles and nerves, and plays a role in providing energy.
However, a toddler being hydrated with diet drinks is more than just a physical development issue - it is a dental issue as well. It is an acidic beverage, which will erode tooth enamel especially because the child is going to bed with it.
A pediatrician can give you more thorough information and offer assistance in improving the diet and nutritional needs of your sister's grandchild. Thank you for your letter and your concern.
Workouts and flu season
The e-mails and calls have arrived. Concerned people stop and ask, "How do I protect myself from picking up something in fitness centers?" Exercisers are hypersensitive about bugs others leave behind after their workout.
The gym setting is no different from any other public space. All are breeding grounds for germs. Given the amount of sweat and presence of moist heat pools, shower stalls, steam rooms and saunas, it is understandable that some view health clubs as hotbeds for bugs and actually stop working out during flu season.
However, remember that regular physical activity goes a long way to protect you by ramping up your immune system. In fact, these germs will be no match for a strong body, provided we carry out specific preventive measures when we work out.
A study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that sweat wasn't the real culprit but rather it's the moisture from the sweat that helps germs grow. That means there is only a small possibility that germs can be passed along via sweat.
Typically the germs have a short life span. The problem is when germs are left to grow for extended periods of time and are not sanitized on a regular basis.
All members at workout centers should ask that the environment they train in be as germ free as possible. But it is a job that cannot be done by the gym staff alone. It requires mutual cooperation.
Expect your fitness center to:
Provide well-ventilated workout areas to prevent continual recycling of stale air.
Regularly clean the entire facility with a disinfectant solution.
Offer clean towels and to require members to wipe off their equipment when finished.
Provide spray disinfectants and/or wipes to members for pre and post equipment cleanups.
Adhere to hot tub, whirlpool and swimming pool inspections to maintain proper levels of germ-fighting chlorine and bromine.
Clean and disinfect locker rooms, bathrooms, saunas and steam rooms.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dear Cindy,
In your last article you wrote to answer a woman named "Michelle" concerning her children's drinking juices and soft drinks. This question- and-answer article did not mention anything about children having "diet" soft drinks.
My sister's grandchild, who is just 2 1/2, does not drink milk (he was on a special formula as a baby, and never would drink regular milk) nor any other type of drink. He may drink a little water. What he does drink is Diet Dr Pepper. I know he takes it to bed with him, and also drinks it sometimes during the day.
What do you think of this situation, and what is, other than water, something that a parent should allow her young child to drink? Thank you. - Concerned Great Aunt
Dear Concerned,
You are right to be concerned about this toddler. I sense you know the answer to this question but would like to hear it from a professional source. Boston University School of Medicine is just one of those sources that have studied the risk of diet drinks and children.
The study suggests that adults who drink more than one diet soda a day will carry the same risk for heart disease and metabolic syndrome as those who drink regular soda. Metabolic syndrome describes a variety of symptoms that increase heart disease risk including high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels not to mention obesity.
Giving or allowing a young child to drink diet soda has far more ramifications and serious consequences. The most obvious is that there is no nutrition whatsoever. Children need vitamins and minerals to develop normally, and they are not getting them.
Most diet drinks, including Dr Pepper, have caffeine, which is a diuretic that can cause dehydration, leg cramps, headaches and can disturb concentration. Also, caffeine is a stimulant, which can be addictive and have possible negative behavioral effects.
This toddler needs milk and should be offered it as well as water, and small amounts of 100 percent fruit juice. Without these beverages, a child is not being supplied with necessary vitamins and minerals. These calorie-free drinks interfere with the absorption of Vitamin A and magnesium, which are essential for healthy teeth, skin, bones and mucous membranes.
Growth and development are certainly at risk if the child's source of hydration is a little water and diet beverages. The mineral found in magnesium helps regulate and maintain proper calcium levels in the bloodstream. It aids in the formation and function of healthy bones, teeth, muscles and nerves, and plays a role in providing energy.
However, a toddler being hydrated with diet drinks is more than just a physical development issue - it is a dental issue as well. It is an acidic beverage, which will erode tooth enamel especially because the child is going to bed with it.
A pediatrician can give you more thorough information and offer assistance in improving the diet and nutritional needs of your sister's grandchild. Thank you for your letter and your concern.
Workouts and flu season
The e-mails and calls have arrived. Concerned people stop and ask, "How do I protect myself from picking up something in fitness centers?" Exercisers are hypersensitive about bugs others leave behind after their workout.
The gym setting is no different from any other public space. All are breeding grounds for germs. Given the amount of sweat and presence of moist heat pools, shower stalls, steam rooms and saunas, it is understandable that some view health clubs as hotbeds for bugs and actually stop working out during flu season.
However, remember that regular physical activity goes a long way to protect you by ramping up your immune system. In fact, these germs will be no match for a strong body, provided we carry out specific preventive measures when we work out.
A study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that sweat wasn't the real culprit but rather it's the moisture from the sweat that helps germs grow. That means there is only a small possibility that germs can be passed along via sweat.
Typically the germs have a short life span. The problem is when germs are left to grow for extended periods of time and are not sanitized on a regular basis.
All members at workout centers should ask that the environment they train in be as germ free as possible. But it is a job that cannot be done by the gym staff alone. It requires mutual cooperation.
Expect your fitness center to:
Provide well-ventilated workout areas to prevent continual recycling of stale air.
Regularly clean the entire facility with a disinfectant solution.
Offer clean towels and to require members to wipe off their equipment when finished.
Provide spray disinfectants and/or wipes to members for pre and post equipment cleanups.
Adhere to hot tub, whirlpool and swimming pool inspections to maintain proper levels of germ-fighting chlorine and bromine.
Clean and disinfect locker rooms, bathrooms, saunas and steam rooms.
Discourage anyone (staff or members) from coming to the gym when sick.
Clean areas of most concern more often - such as equipment grips, desks, door handles, water fountains, restrooms.
Most workout facilities are aware of what it takes to maintain a sanitary gym environment and are diligent about it. But even impeccable cleaning regimens can miss determined germs. This is where the members must take some responsibility in this effort.
Fitness centers should expect you to:
Always bring two different looking towels (so you can keep them separate) from home: one to wipe the sweat from your body and one to clean your equipment once you're finished.
Cover any scrapes or abrasions with a Band-Aid before going to the gym.
Never touch your face - nose, eyes, mouth - until you have washed your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds. Wash your hands before you enter the gym also.
Use disinfectant supplied by the gym to spray your equipment. If it is not supplied, ask that it is or bring your own.
Never go barefoot. Wear shower slippers or flip-flops on pool decks, showers, saunas, steam rooms and at your locker. Bacteria can live on all floor surfaces, not just shower tile.
Bring a clean towel from home to sit on if you use the steam room or sauna. Flu season may not be the optimum time to use these two rooms.
Stay away from the gym if you are not feeling well. If you have cold symptoms (from the chin up) take a week off and (from the chin down) take two weeks off.
Wash your gym bag often. It can carry germs as well as it can clothes.
Take sweaty towels and clothing out of the bag and wash after each workout.
Carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer just in case.
Cover your mouth if you should sneeze or cough.
Shower immediately when you get home. Your hands aren't the only parts of your body to make contact with germs in the gym.
Germs are in every setting, including your home, so it is impossible to eliminate all risk during flu season.
The benefits from regular exercise will be your greatest ally in this season's germ warfare. You may end up with a cold or a virus or even a bacterial infection, but those who are fit are usually less affected and recover faster.
Cindy Boggs, fitness presenter, author and Activate America director, has been an ACE-certified coordinator/instructor since 1989. Send your questions about fitness, training or health to YMCA of Kanawha Valley, 100 YMCA Drive, Charleston, WV 25311, or e-mail cindys...@aol.com. Look for Cindy's award winning fitness advice book, CindySays ... "You Can Find Health in Your Hectic World" on her Web site www.cindysays.com or contact the YMCA at 340-3527.
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