As per the data collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average American family today spends approximately half of their food budget eating outside the home. This could be the result of our fast-paced lives or the scrumptious burgers and pizzas that are so hard to resist. But while eating out once in a while may present as a refreshing experience for our taste buds, consumption of fast food on a regular basis can lead to several health issues.
A report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics also claimed that almost one-third of all American kids aged between two and 19 consume fast food items on a daily basis. As a result of this fast-food culture, the percentage of obese kids in the US has more than tripled in the past four decades. Approximately one in five school-aged children, between the ages of six and 19 are suffering from obesity.
In case your kid is a burger, pizza, fries or soda lover, then we suggest you help your child to make healthier choices soon before he or she develops a serious medical condition or an eating disorder. The several ways that junk food can hurt your child are mentioned below.
#1. It Damages Arteries
For a long period of time, experts believed that excessive long-term consumption of fast food clogged arteries but it has now been established that the damage is almost instant. As per a study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, the damage to the arteries occurs after every junk meal that you consume.
#2. It Can Cause Depression
Consumption of food items that are rich in antioxidants like fruits and vegetables sparks positive mood and drive brain function. However, lack of consumption of antioxidants can lead to depression and other behavioral problems.
#3. It Can Cause Learning Problems
Yes, you heard it right. The burgers and pizzas your kid consumes not only harm your kid’s health but also makes them suffer in school. As per a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published earlier in the decade, people who consumed fast food regularly for five days displayed poor cognitive skills. A nutrient-deficit diet can ignite certain chemical reactions and result in hippocampus part of the brain which is responsible for memory and special recognition.
#4. It Can Diminish The Ability To Control Appetite
Fried and processed foods that are replete with trans fats can make it difficult for the brain to understand what have you eaten and when you need more food. This, in turn, leads to overeating. Omega 6 and Omega 3 are essential fatty acids that are displaced by trans fats when you consume junk food.
#5. It Can Make Them Impatient
Consumption of sugary food items like cupcakes and doughnuts temporarily spikes your blood pressure, making your feeling satisfied and happy. However, as soon as the level returns to normal, you start to feel irritable and impatient.
Besides these, there are several other health problems like dementia and many more. Now that you know the harmful effects of junk food consumption, check out some tips that will help you get your kid to eat healthy food and pick up healthy eating habits.
#1. Keep Healthy Options Handy
Kids have a habit of munching and they devour every delicious bite that they can get their hands on easily. If your child loves to gorge on something after every few moments, then perhaps you should serve your kids some healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables or whole-grain crackers with cheese. Another thing you can do is making such delights accessible to your children so you do not have to feed them every time their stomach growls. For instance, you can place fruits on the lower shelf of your refrigerator or the cabinet. Also, you can keep a bowl of fruit out on the table since your kids are more likely to have what is visible to them.
#2. Never Bargain
What many parents do is they use fast food as a bargaining tool or as a reward whenever they want their kids to do something for them. Using unhealthy food as a bride in order to get them to eat a healthier meal only makes the former a lot more appealing to them than the latter, and this results in over consumption whenever your kids get the chance to have fast food. Therefore, instead of fast food or meal rewards, offer them something healthier that they enjoy like taking them to the park.
#3. Never Force Feed
Forcing children to clean their plate before they get up from the dining table is a common practice among parents. It has been observed that children who are pressured to finish every single bite of their meal developed eating disorders later in their life, despite having maintained normal weight as a child. The study also found that more than half of the all the parents involved forced their children to finish their meal, with approximately one-third of the total study sample encouraging the child to even after the child had explained that they were full. Hence, if you are one such parent, we suggest that you reconsider behaving this way in future.
#4. Never Deny Food Items to Your Kids
Denying kids fast food may seem like the best option to keep them healthy at the moment but you will be surprised to learn what researchers at the University of Minnesota found. In a study, they found that children who were denied certain food items by their parents were more likely to be obese or overweight than other kids. The research also came to a conclusion that such behavior was endorsed by parents regardless of the current weight status of their child. Denying kids fast food makes it all the more intriguing to them, and they are lured even more to it.
#5. Be An Example For Your Kids
Actions speak louder than words and believe it or not, all kids are pretty good at picking up from the habits of their parents. If they see you consuming junk food in abundance like every time you go out, then they will pick up on your habit and head to a McDonald’s, Burger King or Pizza Hut to satiate their palate whenever stepping out of the house. Therefore, always try to model healthy eating habits and avoid eating junk food too much, at least in front of your kids.
#6. Never Have Junk Food At Home
Believe it or not, kids are pretty good at following routines. So, when you teach them particular behavior in their early years, they tend to follow it for a significant part of their life. One of the best and easiest ways to keep your children from over consumption of junk food and its effects on their health as well as train them to make healthier choices in life is by keeping it out of your house. If your children are trained not to have fast food at home, then it will make sure that your kids have such food in moderation. This way they will learn that junk or fast food is something that you only have occasionally.
#7. Carry Snacks Whenever Stepping Out
A common reason for us to consume junk food is lack of other options and easy availability of junk food joints. For that reason, we suggest you carry healthy meals or snacks whenever you step out of the house with your children. Cut fruits, yogurt, cheese sticks and other are some good options. These are not only healthier but will also cost you less than anything on the menu of a fast food restaurant.
#8. Establish Expectations
Well, perhaps your kids don’t listen to you but they are not going to make healthier choices of their own, without any guidance from you. You would be surprised to see how effective establishing a simple dialogue with your kid about their eating habits can be. Whether you want them to choose healthy food over fries and soda or consume junk food in moderation, you need to establish your expectations beforehand.
What I believe is that it is up to the parent and not the child. I do not mean it is up to the parents to
influence their children to eat in an unexpected way, I trust it is up to the parent to first themselves eat
in the healthy way and then try to influence their child. How can you anticipate that your children will
deal with their anger well when they get older if the people they learn from, their parents, are constantly
furious. The same holds true for food and eating habits. How can you expect that your children will be
healthy and make the right food choices if you yourself are setting the right example for them and
exercising? On the off chance that you need to affect your children's lives then you initially need to take
care of yourself. In the event that you do that and make adhering to a good diet and exercise a piece of
your family’s lives, at that point will your children live healthy too.
Do you want to know the best part? Eating well and exercising as a family unites you! I figure we would
all need that! Your kids are watching you to make nutritional choices, so chances are that if you are going
to the unhealthy options, they are as well. Try stocking your refrigerator with pre-cut veggies, compact
yogurt tubes, string cheese and an assortment of fruits and let your kids help themselves! Making good
food more often shows your child has an ability to sustain his or her body without giving up the periodic
junk food liberality. Furthermore, ensure your child does not get to a great degree hungry. At the point
when your child is extremely hungry, food cravings reach their peak and they are more likely to grab junk
food or other unhealthy treats. To stay away from consumption of junk food, it is a decent trap to sustain
your child at regular intervals to make sure he does not get extremely hungry. Aside from this, pack a
healthy lunchbox. In the event that you give your child pocket money to buy lunch or snacks from the
school canteen, he or she will probably pick unhealthy, fat-laden junk foods as they are kept on the front
display. So instead of giving cash, pack your child a healthy and nutritious lunchbox. For snacks, you can
give your child an organic product like fruits or a blend of nuts.
At the end, it is crucial to know that prepare healthy meals with whole grains, they are useful for
individuals' health. Whole grains incorporate brown rice and wheat bread.