By Arushi Sinha

Like other parents‚ Carol Knisley of Fort Worth‚ Texas‚ is concerned that her two teenagers eat healthy meals every day. Knisley knows that this is important for both Brittney‚ 15‚ and Jeanette‚ 17.

“Their current diet will affect their health later in life‚” Knisley says. So she tries to get them to eat more salads and vegetables‚ which she says‚ is difficult because her daughters are away from her a lot.

Parents face this challenge daily in encouraging their children to eat nutritious‚ balanced diets. David Satcher‚ MD‚ former U.S. Surgeon General‚ recently pointed out that over the last two decades‚ overweight and obesity nearly doubled among children and adolescents. This means that parents are now more than ever the front line of defense against obesity. Not only does obesity increase risks of major disease such as diabetes‚ heart diseases‚ and even depression‚ it also increases the risk of
several kinds of cancer.

Obesity has been potentially linked to a rather long list of cancers‚ including breast‚ cervical‚ endometrial‚ colon‚ kidney‚ esophageal‚ stomach‚ gallbladder‚ prostate‚ pancreatic‚ and ovarian. In short‚ obesity has the potential to affect just about every major organ of the body. Although the link between obesity and cancer is not yet clear‚ researchers nonetheless encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Along with regular physical exercise‚ a nutritious diet can form the cornerstone of the fight against obesity and other serious diseases.

For instance‚ a recent study has found that adolescent girls who consume just two servings of fruits or vegetables per day might cut their risk of ovarian cancer by almost half (46%). Based on a study of more than 80‚000 nurses‚ Kathleen Fairfield‚ MD‚ and her colleagues at Harvard Medical School have demonstrated a link between healthy eating during adolescent years and a reduced risk of ovarian cancer in women. This research demonstrates that the time to take action by eating a healthy‚ low-fat‚ balanced diet may be much earlier than people think.

Jennifer Nelson‚ a registered dietician and the director of clinical dietetics‚ Mayo Clinic‚ Rochester‚ Minnesota‚ agrees. “What children and adolescents eat programs their body and primes the pump for later changes in health‚” she says. “That’s why it is good to learn proper eating habits as early in life as possible.”

Nelson says that healthy eating habits are as much about behavior and good habits as they are about the food itself. “Parents‚” she says‚ “should emphasize a plant-based diet in their homes with a minimum of the recommended number of servings of fruits‚ vegetables‚ and grains.”
“This is a big challenge for everyone in America‚” Nelson concedes‚ “not just kids.”

Debbie Addy‚ MD‚ a pediatrician in Austin‚ Texas‚ says that childhood eating patterns are important. “Children should know what a nutritious‚ balanced diet looks like so that they have a good foundation‚ ” she says. “It can help them make better choices if they know the facts about healthy eating.”

The added benefit‚ says Dr. Addy‚ is that when children eat better‚ it promotes a good lifestyle for the whole family. Balancing a nutritious diet with physical activity‚ Nelson adds‚ is critical to a healthy lifestyle.