Childhood in Crisis

Interestingly, fiber may help calcium absorption. Orafti Active Food Ingredients (www.orafti.com), Malvern, Pa., makes an enriched blend of the fiber inulin (Raftilose Synergy 1) which has been clinically proven to improve bone health. When consumed along with calcium, inulin helps boost the body's absorption of calcium by as much as 20 percent, which in turn leads to an increase in bone mineral density.

In a study at the Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas, supplementation for one year with 8 g per day of the enriched inulin led to a 15-percent increase in calcium retention and accretion. These findings suggest adding enriched inulin to calcium-fortified foods could help enhance bone health.

Fiber is essential in children’s diets and may come from vegetables, fruits and whole grains. The general rule of thumb for calculating fiber for children is “their age plus 5 to 10 g of fiber per day. So, a 4-year-old requires 9 to 14 g per day; adults over 20 years need 25 to 35 g per day.

Fiber-rich diets may play an important role in reducing and preventing obesity. Jennifer Lovejoy, research professor and chair of the nutrition and exercise science department at Bastyr University (www.bastyr.edu), Seattle, demonstrated conclusively in 2001 that the amount of fiber in the diet is the greatest single predictor of obesity. Individuals who consumed the highest levels of dietary fiber were significantly less obese than those who consumed the least. Non-refined grains and fiber-rich foods supposedly satiate the body more and encourage a healthier metabolic system than diets laden with fats, sugars and refined grains.

Food processors also can help fight the obesity epidemic by making more tasty foods containing adequate amounts of dietary fiber. Introducing more fiber in children's diets helps improve diet quality, as higher-fiber diets are generally more nutrient-dense.

Best of all, fiber is not a difficult ingredient for food processors to incorporate into product. HiMaize, from National Starch Food Innovation (www.foodinnovation.com), Bridgewater, N.J., is one of many resistant starches the company produces to improve the nutrition profile of processed foods. Instead of being digested and absorbed in the small intestine, HiMaize passes through to the large intestine and acts as an effective prebiotic. Rhonda Witwer, Ph.D., business development manager-nutrition, says HiMaize can be used to replace as much as 50 percent of the flour in a baked item without a noticeable difference.

FiberWise, a fiber-rich pasta product developed by Foulds Pasta Co., Libertyville, Ill., is another case where thinking of kids benefits the processor. “Whole wheat pasta can be markedly astringent to the sensitive palates of young children. But fiber is too critical for their well-being, as it is for the whole family,” says Chris Bradley, Foulds’ president. “FiberWise was formulated to taste mild and nutty, and a single 2-oz. serving contains 12 g of fiber – almost all a child’s daily recommended intake,” Bradley adds.

Horizon Organic Dairy, Boulder, Colo., has effectively incorporated NutriFlora from GTC Nutrition (www.gtcnutrition.com), Golden, Colo. in its lunchbox organic smoothies. The short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides act as prebiotics, help increase calcium and magnesium absorption and add digestive and immune health benefits.

Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, has prototypes in the works of breakfast cereals made with resistant starch and fiber-enhanced hamburger buns. Other products aimed at improving child dietary health include low-calorie juice, zero-trans fat cinnamon scones and fruit smoothies made with CoroWise plant sterols. Cargill is banking that such ingredients can be used to successfully, and profitably, create more healthful versions of foods and beverages typically found in school lunchrooms across America.

McDonald's has stepped up to the (healthier) plate by adding Apple and Walnut Salad to its menu and offering Apple Dippers as an alternative to fries in its kids’ Happy Meals.

Fun with Fruit

As a first step to manage the obesity epidemic, the USDA released the 2005 Dietary Guidelines to motivate and educate consumers to make positive diet and lifestyle choices. According to USDA, many children do not obtain adequate amounts of calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, D and E – an open invitation to food processors to meet that need.

Food companies are responding with several technologies that revolve around fruit, but it’s hard to beat fresh — something McDonald’s Inc. (www.mcdonalds.com) understands well. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based restaurant chain offers Apple Dippers as an alternative to french fries in its kids’ Happy Meals. These, and the newer apple and walnut salads, have been so successful they’ve made the company the world’s leading purchaser of apples — more than 55 million pounds of them annually.

“Restaurants can help be a part of the solution, to have consistent messages and menu choices that meet consumer demand and dietary guidelines. But food does not become ‘nutrition’ until it is eaten. That’s where the aspects of fun and taste come in,” says Cathy Kapica, Ph.D., R.D., director of global nutrition for McDonald’s.