Just like millions of other parents, you too must be extremely concerned and worried about the health and nutrition of your children. Children love to eat fast food and aerated soft drinks. In most households, both parents have to go out for work and most people don’t have time for cooking meals at home. As a result, home delivered burgers, fries, Chinese take-outs and pizzas are what the children are getting addicted to.
Children do not understand the impact of food in their lives but as parents, it is your responsibility to make them eat healthy food. Forcing your kids to give up on colas and fast food may not be helpful. Discuss the dire consequences with them in detail and make them understand your concerns. Cooking at home is another good way of preventing kids from eating outside foods. In the following, the effects of fast foods and cold drinks have been discussed in details.
The negative impact of cold drinks on kids
Packaged aerated drinks may quench the thirst of your children after a hot day in the field but they do no good to their health. Every 12 ounces of soft drinks provide 150 calories. Children who drink 300 ml of cold drinks every day are likely to gain weight within a month. Soft drink makers use processed sugar and do not think about the health of their buyers while using cheap production methods. The caffeine, sugar and exciting taste of soft drinks make adolescents and kids addicted to the soft drinks.
If they do not get the caffeine they are habituated to it might lead towards different health problems like lack of attention, headache, drowsiness and nausea. That’s why parents of kids who are addicted to soft drinks are asked to be more tactical. The habit has to be curbed slowly so that the children do not face the harmful side effects of their addiction.
Excessive sugar intake in the form of soft drinks is also bad for a kid’s dental health. Processed sugar can damage the enamel of your child’s teeth beyond repair. The treatments can be very costly. Tell your kids that they will lose their beautiful smile if they do not stop drinking soft drinks regularly and explain the reasons. High sugar intake can also make your child hyperactive, which will prevent them from focusing in a particular subject.
The negative impact of fast foods on kids
Fast foods are very popular among kids and teenagers and they are probably the reason behind increasing problem of child obesity. Obese children cannot perform well in sports and they feel fatigued very easily. They become shy as often their classmates tease them about their weight problems. Such problems make them loners and decrease their confidence levels. The high amount of processed sugar that children consume through fast foods makes them hyperactive and distracts their brain from studies.
They are unable to focus on their school curriculum and projects. Every year more children are being diagnosed with chronic diseases like blood sugar or diabetes and high pressure that were previously considered to be adult diseases. The obese children are also falling prey to heart diseases. Their lagging performance makes these children feel depressed and feel like a failure.
Summary
Help your children understand the negative consequences of drinking colas and binging on fast foods every day. Tell them that they are allowed to have both soft drinks and fast foods but with care and in moderation. If they understand what is good for them, they will be able to make informed choices for themselves and stay away from fattening colas and foods.