Anna Lutz

When I was a child, there was one thing we did every July 4th weekend in Raleigh.  We would put on our blue jeans, even though it was over a 100 degrees outside and the air was so humid it felt like a sauna, and we’d go blackberry picking.  My dad was the energy and excitement behind this annual outing.  I think this was something he did with his family, growing up in Western North Carolina. My father, my siblings and I would venture out in our jeans with metal mixing bowls, and look for blackberry bushes in the rural land outside of Raleigh. …

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Dear Camp Counselor,

As you know, I picked up my daughter from overnight camp over the weekend.  When I arrived at camp, I was greeted by a huge smile and long hug. I think she grew an inch while she was away. She looks forward to the 2 weeks she spends at overnight camp more than any other time of the year.  She loves the rock climbing, swimming and kayaking. She loves the camp traditions, friendships and the feeling of freedom she has when she’s at camp.  Most of all, though, she loves the teenage and young adult counselors. She looks up to you and watches your every move. That’s why I’m writing you this letter.  You may be surprised that one of the first things she told me about camp was that you were on a diet. She explained that you were getting ready to “look good in your bathing suit” for an upcoming post-camp tropical trip.  She said you were counting your steps and talking about what you were not eating.  Did you know she was listening?  Did you know she looks up to you and wants more than anything to be a camp counselor one day?  She wants to be just like you.   …

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I love talking with parents about snacks.  We all approach food in different ways, shaped by our own upbringing, relationship with food, and the nutrition information we’ve gathered. Elizabeth’s post last week about on-the-go summer snack ideas got me thinking: What are the most helpful tips to keep in mind when approaching snacks with children? People have certain images that they think of when they hear the word “snack.” I find, many people think of “snacks” as particular foods, such as crackers and chips.  Others, when they hear the word “snack,” they think of “snacking,” a verb that seems to mean mindlessly eating between meals.  We have a fast-paced culture that often doesn’t support the idea of taking the time to stop and re-fuel and, for many, snacks can be an afterthought.

 

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Last week, we celebrated my daughter’s birthday at preschool. She will turn 3 in July.  Her preschool teachers wanted the children that have summer birthdays to have the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays with their school friends before summer break.  I brought in cupcakes, cheese cubes, and blueberries for their morning snack time at school. That evening, there were 4 chocolate mini cupcakes leftover from the celebration.  I had a work dinner and our fabulous babysitter, Kate, was at our house helping us, while my husband and oldest child were at a Durham Bulls baseball game.  While we were getting a quick supper on the table before I left, Isaac, my 8 year old, saw the cupcakes and asked if he could have one.  …

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I remember when my first child was very young, I would often find myself getting frustrated when I was planning dinners or shopping at the grocery store.  I would sometimes freeze up and not know what to plan or buy.  After feeling this frustration time and time again, I realized that I was paralyzed by several food rules – guidelines that were important to me and/or my husband, but I somehow was taking them to an extreme.

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Hi!  Anna, here. A new study came out just this week about the negative impacts of parents encouraging teenagers to diet to lose weight (1).  The study followed 556 adolescents into adulthood and showed that when parents encourage their teenager to diet the adolescent is at an increased risk for “overweight and obesity,” dieting, binge eating, engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors, and lower body satisfaction 15 years later as a parent.   The study showed when parents urge their teenager to diet it even has an effect on the adolescents’ own children.  This is not all new information, but it corroborates what other studies have shown about diets and children.  In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement explaining that pediatricians should not focus on weight when talking with youth.  The evidence is mounting that the focus on weight with children is causing harm.

You may have read my post a couple of weeks ago Stay Away From Our Children Weight Watchers about the harm diets can cause children (and anyone). I’ve been thinking this week that we are often telling parents what NOT to do…

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Children should not be put on diets.  Children should not be told there is something wrong with their bodies.  The harm that is being done to our children’s psychological and emotional health because of untested interventions to the “obesity epidemic” needs to stop.

This month, Weight Watchers announced that they will be providing free memberships this summer to 13-17 years olds, accompanied by a parent/guardian, as part of a marketing plan to grow their revenue to $2 billion by 2020.  As a Registered Dietitian that specializes in eating disorders and a mother of three children, I have very strong negative feelings about this announcement.  You may find this confusing. …

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My friends know I have fairly strong feelings about how I feed my children.  Because I work with people with eating disorders, I strive to create a food environment at my house that’s free of moralistic messages about food or overt pressure to eat or not eat.  I know that eating

disorders are not caused by how parents feed their children.  Genetics and temperament play a huge role.  However, we do know that environment in and out of the home is a factor.  Also, as a nutrition professional, I have read the research about family feeding and it’s clear to me what “works.”…

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