Problems that Need to be Addressed Immediately
Lack of nutritious food results in problems like obesity, poor bone health, tooth decay, and heart disease.
Obesity
High fat, high sugar, high-salt snacks are a favorite among kids and teens. If not discouraged, they could be a major part of the diet. Today, the ready-to-eat snacks and fast foods tend to be higher in calories and lower in vitamins and minerals. High-calorie snacks are often 'empty calorie' snacks, meaning they provide plenty of calories yet offer minimal vitamins and minerals. These foods are not filling and do not satisfy hunger. Due to the taste factor, one tends to eat large portions of them eventually leading to increased weight.
Most of the calories kids eat each day come from added sugars – usually double of what health experts recommend. Studies show children who eat high-sugar diets, eat fewer vegetables and fruits; and drink less milk. They tend to eat higher portions of sweet foods and say no to healthy ones.
Some food surveys have shown that one-half of children eat less than one serving of fruit a day and one-third do not eat even one serving of vegetables a day that is not fried.
Children if not correctly guided get habituated to fast foods, sodas, fruit drinks, and sweets. In the long run, these prove to be deadly as they offer minimal nutrition yet are significant sources of calories. On the contrary, water, 100 percent fruit or vegetable juices, low-fat and non-fat milk plus other beverages equivalent to the nutrition of milk such as soy-based beverages, can help enhance the quality of a child’s diet.
Poor Bone Health
Fast foods and sweetened beverages are replacing milk in many children’s diets thereby, putting them at risk for poor nutrition. Consuming too little calcium can mean children will not develop peak bone mass at a crucial time in their lives. As much as half of adult bone mass is built during the adolescent years, which is there to last for a lifetime. Too little calcium, as well as poor nutrition, increases a child’s risk for poor growth and osteoporosis early in life. Three to four servings of milk or curds are recommended for children each day.
Tooth Decay
In addition to concerns about obesity and bone health, soft drinks and highly- sugared beverages increase the risk of dental problems like cavities and enamel erosion. The high acidic levels of both regular and diet soft drinks have a damaging impact on tooth enamel.
Heart Disease
Bakery foods, biscuits, pies, puffs, fast foods, fried foods are all laden with harmful fats - Trans fats. These have been linked to an increased risk for heart disease. The words 'partially hydrogenated' and 'shortenings' on a food label indicate the presence of trans fats. Trans fats are not at all recommended in a healthful diet.
Packaged foods, ready-to-eat foods, chips, instant noodles may have extremely high levels of salt in them. Limiting the total salt intake to no more than 5 grams (2000mg sodium) a day to reduce the risk of high blood pressure is advisable.
