Dr. Sears Discusses the Biggest Health Risk Facing Your Child Today
Source: Dr. Sears Discusses the Biggest Health Risk Facing Your Child Today
It's time to shape young taste. That's what Dr. Bill Sears is doing as he delves into his latest endeavor. The pediatrician, author of more than 30 books, and founder of the attachment parenting movement is moving out of the bookstore and onto grocery store shelves with the introduction of the new Dr. Sears Family Essentials line of all-natural snacks, beverages, supplements, and baby care products.
In an effort to teach children to make healthier food choices, while helping to fight childhood obesity, doctors Bill and Jim Sears, the latter of whom can be found on The Doctors each day, have created a line of snack foods microinfused with omega-3 DHA and effective doses of protein and fiber to give tots a healthy start in life. I sat down with the doctor to learn about the line, and discuss some of the most pressing issues facing parents today.
LilSugar: What are the biggest health risks facing babies and kids today?
Dr. Bill Sears: The biggest health risk is NDD (Nutritional Deficit Disorder), and the reason is that the brain, above all other organs, for better or worse, is most affected by what you eat. The brain grows the fastest in the first two years. You put those two together and in the first two years, children need to eat the best. Really in the first five years, because 90 percent of brain growth occurs in the first five years.
LS: You have a whole line of omega-3 fatty-acid products. Why is it so important to include the nutrient in a child's diet?
Dr. Sears: Simple - they are growth foods. They are the best growth food for the brain, the heart, the body, the eyes, and they're the number-one deficiency. (They are) the most thoroughly scientifically researched nutrient, with over 22,000 medical journal articles about them. I'm a show-me-the-science guy, and I'm not putting anything in those packages that is not backed up by good science.
LS: How important is it to feed kids organic foods? Does it really make a difference?
Dr. Sears: Go organic. It's very important (and a) good investment. A child's body does not get rid of pesticides like the adult body does. Their kidneys are immature, what we call their "garbage disposal system" is immature. Secondly, a child, especially a baby, has more fat tissue than an adult, proportional to their amount of weight, and fat is where toxins are stored. Growing cells - multiplying cells - are more affected by pesticides than we as adults who are finished growing.
Want to see more of the legendary doctor's thoughts on parenting - including the Tiger Mom philosophy? Tune in tomorrow for more of our conversation.
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Dr. Sears Says Parents Must Make Better Food Choices, Tiger Mom Doesn't Work
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