Effect of junk food on children

Parenting is surely one of the most challenging and absorbing tasks especially for young parents with small kids. It has been seen that children love junk food and parents most of the time are carefree and children as a result form a habit to feed on junk food.

Apart from the carefree nature of the parents there are other aspects in the environment which attracts children to junk food. The huge billboards with attractive visuals, exposure of children to social media, and the presence of a fast-food joint in the neighbourhood, friends, and parents eating habits are some of the reasons which also makes children get hooked to junk food.

This foodstuff usually is high on sugar, unhealthy fats, additives, flavouring agents and toppings, etc that are extremely hazardous to the health. As a parent, the prime focus should be to distract children from these junk foods and switch to home-made healthy food.

The list of health complications can be far-reaching. Though not confined to the following yet these are the major ones:-

  • Due to the presence of excess sugar, the food appears delicious. But these can lead to severe obesity with more fatigue and less outdoor activities. Due to this, there will be more accumulation of fat, reduced metabolism, and even retarded growth in extreme cases.
  • The unhealthy fats and no fibre makes the digestive enzymes inactive which in turn leads to constipation and other digestive problems as the kids grow up.
  • Fast food usually does not provide any nutrition which thus does not contribute to the development of young minds and makes a child inactive. This over some time makes them less active, less concentrative on any work, and even depressive. IQ and the EQ levels are also less of children who are extremely addicted to fast food.
  • These additional levels of sugar are also found in the aerated beverages which is another big reason for being overweight and this can also lead to heart diseases when these kids grow up.
  • Dental ailments, toothache, and dental decay as fast food usually contains dense sugar is another threat these junk foods pose.
  • This food at times can even cause cancer due to the presence of unhealthy food additives if consumed for a prolonged time.
  • In some cases, they can cause allergy and rashes as well.

2011 study by Jehangir Hospital, Pune, and UCLICH, London shows that 30 percent of the urban children are obese or overweight. In 2017 another study by the Indian journal of public health revealed 33% of the children studying in the affluent schools of Rajkot are obese.

It is always prudent to consult the best paediatrician in Gurgaon or the best child specialist available in the vicinity and take their opinion in developing the health and the healthy food habits of a child.

These (best paediatricians), not only motivate the child to adopt healthy alternatives but also educates the parent in the right way of parenting. The (best child specialists near me) also offer suggestions on what food to be given and how much physical activity or study is required for the well-being of the child. It is always suggested for parents to be the best chef to their children so that they close-knit and follow parents’ instructions to the core.

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