Shapedown

As a kid growing up in an Italian-American family in North Jersey, I quickly learned that food was love. It comforted us when we were sad. It filled the void when we were bored, and it was the focal point of every holiday.

I remember fondly sleeping over my grandmother's house the night before big family gatherings so I could help her make ravioli, using a clean glass to cut circles from long sheets of dough. The next day we filled homemade cannoli shells with sweetened ricotta before the company arrived. Food and its preparation were how we bonded.

As I grew older, both of my parents worked and there weren't as many home-cooked meals around the table. We went to restaurants more often. We ate more processed and fatty foods. We didn't always stop to think about what we were putting in our bodies.

It never dawned on me back then that what we ate -- and the huge portions we consumed at each sitting -- were learned behavior.

With the prevalence of obesity in our society, however, we are forced to take a hard look at those patterns and see if we are passing on certain traditions better left in the past.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway runs a weight-management program for children and adolescents that focuses on nutrition, exercise and the behavioral aspects of eating.

Lauren Bernstein, a dietician and certified diabetes instructor, and Paula Rovinsky, a registered nurse, offer the twice yearly program called Shapedown that essentially teaches families how to eat better and get more exercise. It is a nine-week program that discusses the basics of healthy meals and snacks, the importance of reading labels and determining proper portion size.

Why is this important?

"When it comes to managing kids' weight, it's got to be a family thing," the women write in a recent article that appeared in the Home News Tribune. "Studies have shown a family-centered approach to weight management is the most effective way to long-term success in managing weight and developing a healthy lifestyle. So unless the family environment changes, weight loss isn't going to happen."

It must happen. One out of three children in the United States is considered overweight or obese. If you look at their parents, you will probably notice they are a bit beefy themselves. We can't always blame it on recessive genes, either. Chunky adoptive parents often raise chunky adoptive kids. They may have different skin colors but their protruding bellies look the same.

"We live in a society of giant portions and empty calories," the women write. "We start by telling parents they are the gatekeepers and have to be vigilant in their roles. After all, they are the ones who are buying the food, stocking the shelves and making the meal decisions. Adults, not kids, decide whether the refrigerator holds fruit and vegetables or cheesecake and ice cream."

My family began to change its ways after my father had his first heart attack on my seventeenth birthday. My mother prepared only low-calorie meals that, frankly, didn't have the same appeal as her lasagna. Slowly we resumed many of our old eating habits but with an understanding that there would be serious ramifications to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Parents with babies and toddlers have a wonderful opportunity to examine their own eating habits and begin to make healthier choices before their children are old enough to start mimicking parental behavior. If you stand in front of the refrigerator eating ice cream out of the container after receiving some bad news, surely your little girl will do the same once she is tall enough to reach the handle.

The next Shapedown session begins on Sept. 19 at a cost of $250 per family. For more information program, call the hospital at (732) 499-6109.