Dr. Peter Nieman, a pediatrician at the Pediatric Weight Clinic in Calgary, has dinner at home with his family. Dining out can be difficult because of high sodium contents, says Dr. Nieman.
One thing is clear: Most of us are eating too much salt. And that includes our kids. Nearly all toddlers and children in Canada consume about double the recommended amout of sodium every day, writes Carly Weeks in Monday's Globe and Mail.
"One of the fundamental problems, according to a leading childhood obesity expert, is that the food industry has 'programmed' parents and children to accept that high-sodium items such as hot dogs and pizza are 'kid-friendly,' without considering the health consequences," said Peter Nieman, a pediatrician at the Pediatric Weight Clinic in Calgary.
He is now online to take your questions on how to reduce sodium in the whole family's diet, as well as more general questions on childhood nutrition and obesity.
Dr. Peter Nieman has been practicing as a pediatrician in Alberta since 1987. Dr. Nieman is currently on active staff at the Alberta Children's Hospital and the Rockyview General Hospital and also works in a community-based consultant pediatric clinic. He is a faculty member at the University of Calgary as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics.
He is the co-founder of the Pediatric Weight Clinic, one of the first weight management clinics for children in Western Canada. He is a member of the Obesity Society, and serves on the Canadian Pediatric Society's Healthy Active Living Committee.
With a keen interest in patient and media education, he is the host of his web site www.healthykids.ca, an educational site for parents and families.