What is Junk Food?
Junk food includes foods that are high in unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar but lack essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These foods are often tasty but low in the nutrition that growing children need to stay healthy and active.
Why Junk Food is Hard to Resist!
Junk foods are specifically designed to be appealing, using a mix of fats, sugar, and salt that can make them addictive. This combination can affect the brain's reward system, making kids crave more of these foods. Over time, this can lead to unhealthy eating habits and affect a child’s health, mood, and energy levels.
Types of Junk Food
There are many types of junk foods that kids may encounter, including:
Sugary snacks: candy, cookies, cakes
Salty snacks: crisps, fries/chips
Fast food: burgers, fried chicken, pizza
Sugary drinks: soda, flavored drinks, some fruit juices
Encouraging children to enjoy these foods less than once a week can help maintain a balanced diet and support their overall health.
Children should have no more than 5 - 6 teaspoons of sugar per day. For example, a 500ml can of cola can have as much as 12 teaspoons of sugar! – this is more than the recommended daily limit even for adults.
Effect of excess junk foods on your kids’ health
Weight Gain: Junk foods are high in fat and sugar, leading to unhealthy weight gain.
Hyperactivity & ADHD: Dyes in packaged foods, often aimed at kids, can trigger hyperactivity and ADHD symptoms.
High Salt Intake: Too much salty food can raise blood pressure, increase osteoporosis risk by weakening bones, and develop a preference for salty foods.
Caffeine: Soft drinks contain caffeine, which can disrupt kids' sleep.
Tooth Decay: Sugary snacks cause plaque buildup, leading to cavities as the acid from plaque wears down enamel.
Allergies: Consuming junk food more than three times a week may raise the risk of asthma and eczema, while fruits offer protection.
What to do?
The Balancing Act: Pick foods your kids enjoy eating so they don't end up craving junk food. Our stomach and brain need to be satisfied with food consumed at meals and in-between. Exercise portion control when eating junk food.
Navigating the Party Platter Predicament:
Make fresh fruit juice with your kids' favorite fruits as an alternative to fizzy drinks. Be smooth with how you market your fresh fruit juice to kids. They’ll be enticed by ‘Princess Sofia juice’ rather than just ‘healthy juice’
Hide the good stuff by coating fruits in dark chocolate. For instance, Just melt chocolate (use dark chocolate to keep the sugar levels down), dunk in a peeled banana, and then roll in chopped nuts/seeds.
In a world of tempting treats and mouthwatering munchies, we often find ourselves at a crossroads: the tantalizing realm of junk food. Learn how to foster a love for whole foods, veggies, fruits, and balanced meals in kids, that will set the stage for a healthy future.
Let your Antara Nutritionist know if you are having any difficulties or challenges in managing your diet. Book a session with an Antara Nutritionist through the Antara App or by clicking here.