The 6 most harmful foods for children

Today childhood obesity has doubled from the 1990s to today in Europe. Great Britain is the one with the highest rates of child overweight , Spain follows closely in second place. Between 6 and 12 years, 16% of children are overweight when 20 years ago they were barely 5%.

There is a widespread myth that you have to eat everything for children to grow up healthy and strong. However it is not always so. There are foods that the less children (and anyone) eat is better because they do not contribute to the human body with any benefits and will only harm our health in the long term.

There are families that either due to ignorance or due to eating habits that have been inherited, think that the more chubby, “strong” or chubby a child is, the healthier it will grow. Nothing is further from the truth, even if you don’t want to see childhood obesity, it is very dangerous due to all the health damages that are associated with it. In addition, the eating style that is learned as a child is difficult to eradicate and more difficult to lose weight in the future.

Next, we leave you with a series of foods that are not recommended for the child’s diet, only very occasionally and as something special.

1. ENERGY DRINKS AND SUGARY SODAS

It is more than obvious that energy drinks should never be consumed by children, drinks such as Redbull, Monster or Burn have very large doses of caffeine and other stimulant substances that will only make children excessively nervous. The solution is not to give them caffeine-free drinks (as some parents might think) since caffeine-free sodas are also not recommended due to their high concentration of sugar . For example, Coca-Cola without caffeine has as much sugar as normal, they are empty calories that fill the little one but do not provide useful nutrients to our body.

Why not give her fresh juices cooled on ice instead? If you make them at home much better but if not you can also buy them in the supermarket “without added sugar”. Anyway, the best option (cheaper and healthier) to quench your thirst will always be water.

2. FAST FOOD

Fast food is a double-sided coin. When we talk about fast food that children should not eat, we mean the food that is currently served in restaurants of this type. In these establishments the food is tasty and cheap, it is a good way to get out of the way one day but it should never be taken as a habit. It is not so much because of the calories that the child eats (who after all are children and need to grow and spend energy) but because of the quality of the products, in most cases we are talking about food with too many preservatives and trans fats .

Today these restaurants have provided healthier options and menus for the little ones , but to be honest, who is going to force your young child to have a salad instead of a hamburger? Or an apple for dessert instead of ice cream? And how do you explain it to him without damaging his self-esteem ?

On the other hand, fast food is not always bad. If your child likes hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries, you can always make them homemade at home but with good quality ingredients.

3. BAGGED POPCORN

The popcorn that comes in microwaveable bags is very convenient because in just a few minutes we already have the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon at the movies. However, like other convenience foods, they contain too many preservatives, trans fat, sodium, sugar, and other flavor enhancers. In addition, long ago the American health associations warned that the lining of the bags contained perfluorooctanoic acid , carcinogenic to people.

Looking for an alternative? Opt for a healthier option and make them yourself in a pan with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil or butter, then you can season them with salt, sugar and even different flavored syrups. The taste is very good and you will be sure that the ingredients are of quality, that is, it is not to eat every day because of its high caloric intake.

4. INDUSTRIAL PASTRIES

This type of food follows the same logic as in the previous case. They are foods that are harmful to people’s health if they are consumed frequently. They are very helpful because it is a quick breakfast or snack but think about all the negative consequences they have for the child: trans fats, preservatives, high caloric intake with hardly any nutrients …

Why not make them at home? Not everyone has a hand for this and it takes time, but the result is worth it. You can also cook and freeze what you have left over for another day. It is another way to protect the health of your children.

5. NUTS

The nuts are very complete and healthy food in every way . A handful of any type of nuts are good for cardiovascular health apart from providing high-quality fats to our brain. However, before the age of 3 they are prohibited because the risk of choking is high . According to the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics, from the age of 5 they can be taken but under parental supervision and in small amounts, encouraging you to chew them well before swallowing.

6. EXCESS SUGAR

In this section, what we want to emphasize is that it is necessary to avoid that the child consumes too much sugar , not that he does not consume sugar, not even refined. For example, it is the case of sweets. Sweets and candies are empty calories that do not provide any kind of benefit to children, however we cannot banish them from the children’s diet, it is something that is always exciting to take and is inherent in this stage of life. It is not dangerous for your child to eat sweets , he can even take them every day but in very small amounts . In the case of gummies and sweets, the important thing is the amount you take.

Another example is colacao, it is not very healthy but it is not dangerous if it is used responsibly, for example, if your child takes colacao, do not allow him to add sugar (because he already has it).