The Boston Globe - 31.08.2019

(Joyce) #1

AUGUST 31, 2019 5


By Candice Choi
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Red, yellow,
green. It’s a system for convey-
ing the healthfulness of foods,
and at the center of a debate
about how to approach weight
loss for children.
This month, the company
formerly known as Weight
Watchers provoked a backlash
when it introduced a food
tracking app for children as
young as 8. The app uses a well-
known traffic-light system to
classify foods, giving children a
weekly limit of 42 ‘‘reds,’’ which
include steak, peanut butter,
and chips.
Obesity is a growing public
health issue that nobody is sure
how to fix, and around one in
five children in the United
States is considered obese, up
from one in seven in 2000.
Childhood obesity often leads
to adult obesity, and to higher
risk for conditions including
heart disease, cancer, and dia-
betes.
Getting kids to eat well and
exercise is crucial, but figuring
out how to do that effectively is
extremely difficult — and sensi-
tive. For some, the app was a re-
minder of bad childhood expe-
riences around weight and
shame, in public and at home.
‘‘I don’t think we appreciate
the bias and stigma that fami-
lies struggling with weight
face,’’ said Dr. Stephanie Walsh,
medical director of Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta. That can
make it even more stressful for
parents worried about their
children’s health, she said.
There is no easy answer for
achieving a healthy weight, re-
gardless of age. But when it
comes to addressing the topic
with children, pediatricians
and dietitians say there are best
practices to consider.


TALKINGITOUT
Parents may feel a conversa-
tion is not necessary, particular-
ly with younger children, and
that they can alter behavior by
making lifestyle changes. But
experts say a talk can be con-
structive, especially if the
changes are going to be notice-
able.
The key is to approach the
subject with kindness and car-
ing, and avoid blaming any of
the child’s behaviors. Children
should also understand that
any changes would be intended
to make them feel better, and
not about how they look.
As uncomfortable as ad-

dressing the issue may seem,
failure to do so may make a
child feel worse if they’re being
teased at school or feeling bad
about themselves.
‘‘In some ways, just to get it
out there may be sort of a re-
lief,’’ said Tommy Tomlinson, an
author who recounted his life-
long struggle with weight in
‘‘The Elephant in the Room.’’

MAKINGCHANGES
Any adjustments to meals
and activities should involve
the entire family, so children
don’t feel singled out. This is
tied to the belief that the most
powerful way to help a child

change their behavior is by set-
ting an example.
Framing changes in a posi-
tive light is also key, Walsh said,
whether that’s suggesting new
recipes to try together or asking
about activities they might be
interested in.
‘‘Keep things upbeat,’’ she
said.
Then there is the matter of
giving guidance on foods. Par-
ents might not like the idea of
directing children to a dieting
company’s app, especially since
it gives older children the op-
tion to ‘‘upgrade’’ to a coaching
service that costs $69 a month.
The company that now calls

itself WW says the app is based
on Stanford Children’s Health’s
Weight Control Program, but
views vary on the traffic-light
system.
Dr. Sarah Hampl, a pediatri-
cian specializing in weight
management at Children’s Mer-
cy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.,
said it can be an easy way to un-

derstand a complicated topic.
Experts say the system can help
adults eat better as well.
But Kaitlin Reid, a regis-
tered dietitian at UCLA, said it’s
a way of classifying foods as
good and bad, which should be
avoided. Seeing any foods as
bad might result in feeling
guilty whenever eating them.

WHATTOAVOID
When Tomlinson was 11 or
12, he was taken to a doctor
who gave him diet pills. Few
health professionals would do
that today, and there’s broad
agreement on other mistakes to
avoid.
Using the word ‘‘diet,’’ for ex-
ample, could imply there’s
something wrong with the
child, and that the changes are
short-term.
Trying to scare children by
warning them about potential
medical problems isn’t helpful
either. And if parents are mak-
ing broader lifestyle changes,
they shouldn’t feel the need to
intervene or scold every time a
child reaches for a sweet.
‘‘Guilt and blame are not
good motivators for change,’’
said Stephen Pont, associate
professor of pediatrics at the
University of Texas Dell Medi-
cal School. By the same token,
experts say parents should
avoid making negative com-
ments about their own bodies.
Regardless of whether par-
ents see noticeable changes
right away, Pont said, there are
long-term benefits of instilling
healthier habits in children.

The Associated Press Health
and Science Department re-
ceives support from the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute’s De-
partment of Science Education.
The AP is solely responsible for
all content.

As with adults, no easy way to address weight with children


ELLEN O’NAN/THE PADUCAH SUN VIA AP

It is far easier to avoid
gaining weight than to lose
it, so getting kids to eat
well and exercise is
crucial. But how to do that
effectively is difficult —
and requires sensitivity.

By Jura Koncius
THE WASHINGTON POST
Ingrid Fetell Lee, designer
and author of ‘‘Joyful: The Sur-
prising Power of Ordinary
Things to Create Extraordinary
Happiness,’’ joined Jura Kon-
cius last week for the Washing-
ton Post’s Home Front online
chat. Here is an edited excerpt.


Q.I am planning to sell my
house in the spring. Besides de-
cluttering and putting flowers
in vases, what do you suggest?
What colors should I paint the
walls? What colors should be in
the guest bedrooms?
A.One thing I’ve heard is that
new buyers typically gravitate
toward white walls. There
might be some exceptions — if
you have a historic home, for
instance — but if you’re paint-
ing, try to start with a clean
white canvas and add color
through furnishings and art, so
a buyer can feel the joy you’ve
put in but also imagine a place
with their taste. Also consider
some houseplants and pay at-
tention to lighting, because
that’s something subtle that
people may not notice, but it
will make a big difference in
how they feel about the place.


Q.My husband and I are in our
early 30s, and we live in a large
one-bedroom co-op with a din-
ing room that seats six. I can
count on my hands the number
of times we’ve formally sat for
dinner in it. We’re expecting a
baby next year and intend to
transform the home office into
a nursery. My husband has
been pushing to make the din-
ing room into a more functional
space because the room is virtu-
ally unused. Any ideas?
A.I’m a big believer in making
your space work for you, rather
than adhering to any specific
rules. If you’re not using a space
as intended, the space stag-
nates, and that’s definitely not
joyful. I just have one question:
Where do you plan to eat with
baby? Do you have an eat-in
kitchen or a counter-style set-
up? I ask because I know so
many people whose lifestyles


really changed when they had a
baby, so making sure that
you’ve anticipated these chang-
es before you rearrange a space
feels worth considering.
If you’re ready to take the
plunge, consider how you want
to live as a family. Do you need

more workspace so you can
have more flexibility in your ca-
reer? Do you want to host other
families and therefore have a
really amazing playroom that
other people’s kids can use, one
that will grow with baby? Do
you want a more flexible family

space that accommodates relax-
ing, reading, games and a bit of
play? One concern is that re-
search has shown we have a
tendency to create multiple sed-
entary spaces in a home: TV
rooms, living rooms, etc. If
there’s a way to make it more
active, it might be more joyful
— and create more interesting
possibilities — for you and your
family.

Q.Do you think arranging your
home using the principles of
feng shui is likely to make you
happier?
A.I was really skeptical about
feng shui at first, but it is a sys-
tem with thousands of years of
history, so I figured there must
be something to it. As I dug into
it, I found that many of the ba-
sic principles of feng shui make
a lot of sense. One key idea is
that you shouldn’t have doors
that stick, because it means the
chi can’t flow properly. Well, if
you have doors that stick, that
means you can’t flow properly,
either! Little frustrations add
up and influence your mood,
which influences your interac-
tions with others. The main
idea that resonates with me
from feng shui is that every-
thing is connected, and seem-
ingly simple changes in your
home can have big effects be-
cause you’re interacting with
them all the time.

Q.I live in a very small, two-sto-
ry rowhouse. If I don’t want ev-
erything to be the same color,
how do I choose colors that will
flow well in spaces that are in
the sight line from pretty much
everywhere on each floor (un-

less a door is closed)?
A.Work on choosing a family of
colors that feel good together,
and then test in the space with
your light. I love to start with a
piece of artwork — something
multicoloredthatbringsmejoy
and has the feeling I want for
the space. Abstracts are good
for this kind of thing: think
Matisse, Helen Frankenthaler,
Sonia Delaunay, etc. You can
hold paint chips right up to a
painting in a gallery or in a
book and choose a set that
works together. Next, I usually
get a few strips of similar hues
and hang them in the space I’m
painting and look at them a few
times a day. Once I have a sense
of the best ones, I get sample

pots and paint a big swatch on
the wall. Try to paint on a cou-
ple of walls so you can see how
the light hits it and how the col-
ors harmonize.

Q.We’re redoing our eat-in
kitchen and keeping the foot-
print. We’ve already upgraded
the appliances and now want to
replace cabinets and counter-
tops. We’re looking at Shaker-
style cabinets. What is classic
vs. trending in style and color
for cabinets?
A.I’m not a kitchen trends ex-
pert, but I have noticed more
people choosing color cabinets
instead of plain white or gray —
maybe navy or green. These col-
ors add a little something but
are classic enough that they
won’t look dated. I’ve also been
seeing more decorative back-
splashes, such as with pat-
terned Moroccan tiles. Have
fun with it.

Tips for


designing


a ‘joyful’


home


PHOTOGRAPHEE.EU/STOCK.ADOBE.COM

White walls, subtle
lighting, and well-
placed houseplants
add to a home’s appeal.

EUGENE GOLOGURSKY/GETTY IMAGES FOR EAST HAMPTON LIBRARY

‘Ifyou’renotusingaspaceasintended,


thespacestagnates,andthat’sdefinitely


notjoyful.’


INGRID FETELL LEE,designer and author of ‘‘Joyful: The
Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary
Happiness’

ARLINGTON
CAPITOL THEATRE
204 Massachussetts Ave. 781-648-
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LUCE(R)5:15, 7:40, 9:
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TEL AVIV ON FIRE(NR)1:00, 4:15, 7:00,
9:
THE LION KING(PG)12:00, 2:30, 5:00,
7:30, 10:
TOY STORY 4(G)12:15, 2:
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BOSTON
SIMONS IMAX THEATRE
New England Aquarium, Central Wharf
617-973-
58 DIG
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TURTLE ODYSSEY(NR)10:00, 1:00, 5:
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56
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MIDSOMMAR: DIRECTOR'S CUT(NR)9:
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THEFAREWELL(PG)11:45, 2:15, 4:30, 7:
DEEP BLUE SEA(R)G11:

LEXINGTON
LEXINGTON VENUE
1794 Massachussetts Ave. 781-861-
56IAD DOL DSS
http://lexingtonvenue.com/
THEPEANUT BUTTER FALCON(PG-13)
7:00, 9:
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT(PG-13)4:
THE FAREWELL(PG)1:45, 6:45, 8:
TOY STORY 4(G)1:30, 4:

SOMERVILLE
SOMERVILLE THEATRE
55 Davis Square 617-625-
56IDIG AD
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BLINDED BY THE LIGHT(PG-13)1:15, 3:45,
6:
MIDSOMMAR: DIRECTOR'S CUT(NR)9:
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD(R)
1:10, 4:30, 8:
READY OR NOT(R)1:20, 3:30, 5:40, 7:45,
9:
THE FAREWELL(PG)1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:40,
9:
WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE(PG-13)
1:40, 4:40, 7:

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