Talking FACS
Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky
Guest: Dr. Courtney Luecking, Extension Specialist for Nutrition and Health
Episode 36, Season 2
0:02 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.
0:21 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome back to Talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
Today, I'm pleased to have joining me, Dr. Courtney Luecking, Assistant Extension Professor for Dietetics and Human Nutrition. Welcome, Courtney.
0:36 Dr. Luecking: Thank you. It's great to be here.
0:38 Dr. Hunter: Today's topic is one that I so need to hear. So, I'm excited to have you here and to have your expertise, but it is healthier eating on the go. And as our regular listeners know, I have two kiddos that are completely different ages. Our oldest is 15 and involved in high school sports. Our youngest is 8 and she has dance and soccer and girl scouts. And we just have a lot going on and we're going in a lot of different directions.
And one of the things we do try to promote at home is certainly healthy eating as much as we possibly can, but it can be very difficult when we're all running around trying to make certain that everybody is where they are supposed to be.
So, I'm thrilled that you're here today to share tips, tricks, ideas to make healthy eating on the go more possible.
1:34 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, excited to be here. As you mentioned, Jennifer, a lot of us lead busy lifestyles and we are constantly on the go. And especially if you have little ones, hunger could strike at any time and no one wants a hungry parent or a hungry child.
1:50 Dr. Hunter: I remember when ours were really little; 2 or 3, we could just watch it on their face. We would just be out and I would just get this panic of, “The hunger meltdown is coming.”
2:00 Dr. Luecking: Yes. Yes. And so, oftentimes that leads us to running into the nearest convenience store or maybe even a fast food restaurant so that we can quickly get rid of that hunger and put our children or ourselves in a better mood.
2:13 Dr. Hunter: Yeah. You want to try and prevent the meltdown. And as you just mentioned, fast food or convenience store food is something that people really kind of tend to go to.
Can you share a little bit with us about how often people really kind of reach out to fast food?
2:29 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, fast food can be a big part of the American diet. About one out of every three people in the United States consumes fast food on any given day. This includes children as young as 2 and adults age 60 and older. So, really most everyone in the United States.
But it's interesting to note that the rates of fast food consumption increase with age until they peak in that 20 to 39 years of age bracket and then they begin to decrease. And so what this means is that adolescents tend to consume more fast food than, say, preschool-age children. And adults aged 60 and older tend to consume less than those younger adults in their 20s and 30s.
3:11 Dr. Hunter: Which all makes sense because that's when people are the busiest.
3:15 Dr. Luecking: Exactly. So, those young adults are tending to gain independence. Maybe they're living on their own for the first time and don't quite have the skills or knowledge about how to put together a meal. They might be at the peak of their caregiving responsibilities for their own children or maybe other adult family members that they have.
And this could be in addition to their normal working responsibilities. So, it can be hard to try to get food when you're feeling really, really pressed for time.
3:43 Dr. Hunter: You know, and I think that that's it. And part of probably the appeal of fast food is that word at the very beginning; is that it is fast. And I will say neither of my children like to eat out at all, but they certainly don't like to eat fast food. But most folks out there, that kind of tends to be their go-to.
So, share a little bit with us about just kind of that general appeal for fast food.
4:06 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, time was a big piece that we've talked about already. And a lot of Americans are working longer hours. They might be spending more time in their commute to get to and from places. As you mentioned, getting kids from activity to activity.
A lot more women are employed outside the home. So, it takes away from some of that time they traditionally had to prepare meals. And a lot of households are led by a single parent.
So, each of these factors takes that time and opportunity away from preparing those meals the same way that our parents or grandparents did. And with these busier lifestyles, then it's understandable why we want to reach for that more convenient food.
And in addition to the convenience factor, when families are pressed for dollars about how much they can spend on food, fast food can be a relatively cheap energy source.
So, when you put all these together; time, financial resources and availability, fast food is almost everywhere that we turn. It seems like an obvious choice.
5:07 Dr. Hunter: And I think one of the things as parents, and there's no doubt that we make those choices because of everything that you just cited, but oftentimes, I know I'll have the mommy guilt of concerns about the diet quality of what is it that I'm really kind of giving my kiddos or even putting in my own body too. Because as parents, we have to eat on the go while they're on the go. Share with us a little bit about diet quality.
5:32 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, I think you bring up a great point. While it may seem relatively cheap or low cost on the frontend, fast food is associated with a higher caloric intake. So, meaning we're taking in more energy than we might need. And it's also associated or linked with a lower diet quality.
And when we talk about diet quality, that is referring to the overall pattern of the foods that we eat and drink. A lot of times we can focus on a specific type of food, maybe sugar sweetened beverages like soda or a specific type of food. But that diet quality is looking at the overall pattern.
A high diet quality includes a lot of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, dairy foods, lean sources of protein like chicken and heart healthy sources of fat that come from nuts, seeds or oils like olive or canola oil.
6:25 Dr. Hunter: Understanding that there are diet concerns with eating a lot of fast food, as well as everything that we just talked about of the reasons on why people do it.
Do you have tips or suggestions on how individuals can cut back on how often they're eating fast food?
6:43 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, like you said, first and foremost, we want to try to cut back on how often we eat fast food. The reality is we're all going to need to go through a drive through or hit up the convenience store. So, we're not telling you to stop cold turkey here.
But think about how often you find yourself in a drive through; maybe it's five days a week. Try to cut down to four and work your way down from there.
In addition, when I'm telling you to cut back from going through a drive through, you may say, “Well, what do I do instead?” And I want to give a shout out and a plug for our local extension offices because they offer a variety of classes and programs that can help all of us learn and practice skills to plan ahead of time to purchase and cook healthy meals on a budget.
7:24 Dr. Hunter: What are some of those ideas to help folks do that? I know that, because as I mentioned earlier, my kids really do not want to eat out. So, they are very okay if I pack them a turkey sandwich or if I throw some carrot sticks in.
And as you mentioned earlier about increasing fruits and vegetables, those seem to be the things that are fairly easy to pack and take on the go and still are fairly reasonably low cost.
7:58 Dr. Luecking: Exactly. And so this takes a little bit of planning ahead of time, but bringing your own side items. So, maybe you're going to have to run through the drive through. But oftentimes, if you think about, “What are the places that you're typically passing and what are the kinds of foods that are being offered? It's probably burgers and fries or pizza, maybe some sort of fried chicken.
Packing fruit or vegetables as a side item in place of, say, French Fries, can help you offer healthier choices and to swap it out.
8:28 Dr. Hunter: And now, I also feel like that I should mention this right now, because I don't want anyone to think that my kids are eating this perfect diet because they're not. And our listeners have heard me talk before about they love their sugar.
So, even though that I can get them to eat carrot sticks, but we certainly do. So, I didn't want to leave anybody with the illusion that we're making 100 percent healthy food choices.
But we have found that sometimes with eating on the go, I can help them make healthier choices, just because they in general do not like to eat out. But sometimes for mom, I would really just like for them to because I don't always have time to put into it.
9:07 Dr. Luecking: To pack ahead of time. Right. So, if you can't pack any vegetables, a one thing that I like to do with my daughter, I will throw a bag of frozen vegetables in the microwave and then they're in our fridge and ready to go when we leave in the morning.
So, kind of like we pack a lunch, we pack snacks to come along to help us navigate after the school pickup and through the evening activities.
9:28 Dr. Hunter: Right. Even the car rides sometimes, that they just can't make it from point A to point B.
9:34 Dr. Luecking: Exactly. So, nuts are another great option and wholegrain crackers. But if and when you find yourself in that drive through setting, first and foremost, you want to be informed. Thinking about have you ever looked up the nutrition facts, information on their website or some restaurants even or chains even have information on their napkins; kind of some very basic information.
But you can be pretty surprised in looking at maybe how much energy is in that favorite hamburger or how much salt is coming with those French fries that you tend to order.
And so, taking a look at that menu board or asking for nutrition information can help you find lower sodium or perhaps lower fat options that’s similar to your family's favorite foods.
10:19 Dr. Hunter: Do you have suggestions on how to talk to our children of when we are eating out, to help them understand about making healthier choices or options?
10:29 Dr. Luecking: Yes. So, one way is to really try to keep things consistent for children. Thinking about, “What kind of meal would you serve at home? What makes up a healthy meal?” And that would be what we talked about earlier with a high diet quality. You want to lean protein source. You want to think about having fruits or vegetables and if possible, wholegrain and maybe dairy.
And so, when you look at children's menus, they've come a long way.
10:55 Dr. Hunter: They certainly have.
10:56 Dr. Luecking: Yes. Yes. They still have some ways to go. But at the end of the day, we can help our kids navigate the menu by offering choices. So, for example, sometimes places offer apples or maybe a yogurt on the side.
So, instead of offering your child the French fries or the tater tots or the apples, narrow it to those healthier choices. And so, that you're helping them really still have a choice and a say in what they have to eat, but showing them what those healthier options are.
11:27 Dr. Hunter: I think that's one thing that I had to transition my mindset as a parent. And even as you just mentioned, that kids meals have come a long way. There is a huge difference between when our oldest was little of what was offered in a children's menu as compared to what is offered today when our little girl is getting children's meals.
So, I had to really kind of educate myself as a parent to say, “We would like a milk” as opposed to just taking the soft drink that comes with it, of realizing that, “No, these other options are out here.”
And I think sometimes the people taking your order are just accustomed to the default option or maybe what most people might get.
So, as a parent, I would I would have to remind myself and even to say, “We would like the white milk” because often it would show up as chocolate. And we tried for a really long time for our kids not to know that chocolate milk even existed in this world. So, I would just specify it, “We would like the white milk.”
12:27 Dr. Luecking: Yes. You bring up such an important point and I'm so glad you did; is that these default choices, the automatic choices, are not always the healthiest choice.
And so we, for ourselves and for any children that we have in our lives, need to kind of take a second to look at the menu or what is offered and then not hesitate to ask for what we want for ourselves or for our children.
12:52 Dr. Hunter: And I do hate that occasionally at some places, the healthier option might -- the substitution might be a little bit more. But then there's lots of places that the healthier choice or the substitution is the exact same price so that it doesn't cost any additional.
13:06 Dr. Luecking: Yes. And that's the best case scenario, because then we don't feel like we're penalized in some ways for wanting to make that healthier choice.
And one final thing with the kids, especially when you have kids, but even for ourselves, the portion size matters. And so, really trying to stick to that children size or the smallest size. Typically, that is enough for what our bodies would need, perhaps still even more than what we would need in a single meal.
And so, thinking about keeping those portion sizes small for food and for drinks can help make a big difference as well.
13:41 Dr. Hunter: Wonderful. All great information, Courtney. Thank you so much for joining us today and giving us tips, tricks, reminders about eating healthy on the go.
13:50 Dr. Luecking: Thank you.
13:52 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement.
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