Children’s Dietary Recommendations
When Urban Myths, Opinions, Parental Perceptions & Evidence Collide
Program Overview
Urban myths about food ingredients abound -- and raise concern among parents about their children's health. Fluoride, sugar, artificial colors and nonnutritive sweeteners are food ingredients that have been carefully examined for their effects on children's health, growth and development. Yet, parents' perceptions of their safety and effectiveness are often at odds with recommendations regarding their use.
In this program, Dr. Ronald Kleinman of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School explore prevalent misconceptions about these food ingredients, the scientific evidence for recommendations about their use with children, and communication strategies to guide discussions with parents.
This program is approved for 1.0 CPE credit hour by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
Learning Objectives
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Identify the most common misconceptions among parents regarding the safety and effectiveness of nutrients and food ingredients such as fluoride, sugar, artificial colors and nonnutritive sweeteners in children’s diets.
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Discuss the nutritional impact of common parental dietary misconceptions on children’s health, growth and development.
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Interpret and communicate the evidence supporting current recommendations to parents and other groups.
Speaker(s)
Ronald E. Kleinman, MD
Ronald E. Kleinman, MD, is Physician in Chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of the Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Charles Wilder Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Kleinman's major areas of research interest include gastrointestinal immunology, nutrition support of infants and children, and nutrition and public health policy. Dr. Kleinman's professional affiliations include the American Gastroenterological Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), and American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research.
