Addiction to junk food among kids is unavoidable and normal nowadays. If you allow your kids to buy breakfast outside, they will definitely end up buying junk food. It is time, as a parent, to rethink the food our kids are consuming. Unless you won’t step forward, their lifestyle will remain unchanged. Developing a good food habit in your children demands your attention. Before preparing the listing of their menu, it’s important to understand which food is healthy and which food is junk. Take a look at some of the junk food items that could affect your kid’s health:
1. Sugary cereal:
In most of the houses, sugary cereals rule the breakfast schedule. The name cereal need not necessarily mean ‘healthy’. For example, if you offer your kid marshmallows cereal believing your kid is getting sufficient nutrient from it, you are mistaken. These so called cereals contain chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oil, and artificial colors that can cause significant health issues. It is better to give not-so-tasty but healthy wheat cereals instead of giving them delicious poison.
2. Lunch meat and hot dogs:
These foods are very popular among children. Even the adults enjoy hot dogs and other processed meat dishes.The bad news is that this deliciously tasty meal is the enemy to good health. Studies have confirmed that these meats carry nitrates and nitrites, artificial colors and fillers that can cause cancer and several heart diseases. Eating them can also increase the risk of developing Leukemia. Also, the saturated fat and sodium are enough to make you over sized. But you can find an alternative. Why not cook the vegetarian version of these hot dogs? They are equally delicious and mouthwatering.
3. Chicken nuggets:
High in calories and low in nutrition, here comes the children’s all-time favorite chicken nuggets. No doubt, when you combine perfectly grilled chicken meat and high fat tomato chilly sauce, the end result will be always tasty, unfortunately with inclusion of immense amount of fat and hydrogenated oil which makes the food unhealthy. Give your children homemade delicacies instead of loading them with fat and calories.
4. French fries:
Considered the most popular snack worldwide, French fries are the biggest source of fat and calories that goes in our body. They are deep fried in hydrogenated oil that contains trans-fat. Convince your children to eat carrots and seasonal fruits rather eating french fries at their school cafeteria. You can prepare French fries at home by using less oil. They don’t taste bad after all.
5. Juice and flavored drinks:
Gone are the days when we made homemade juice. Now, it has been replaced by flavored drinks that are easily available in the market. Even parents motivate their kids to drink market based drinks by bringing them home. If you think that these drinks are healthy, think again. These drinks are the second known reason for tooth decay in children after chocolates. Hence, it is better to prepare juice with seasonal fruits at home. Lemonade could be a better option. They are rich in vitamins and calcium. Avoid excessive intake of such flavored drinks.
6. Potato chips:
If they say smoking sales should be banned, I say ban packed potato chips as well. These chips are high in sodium and saturated fat that are responsible for the formation of acrylamide. They contain high cholesterol, fat, calories and other harmful substances which is not even printed on the package. Instead of buying potato chips from the market, bake fresh vegetables with minimal usage of oil in your microwave. It could be used as a substitute to the high calorie potato chips.
7. Pizza:
Pizza is fast becoming popular as the best party snack item. Many people order pizzas if they don’t feel like cooking. Well, you can eat pizza occasionally but not every day. Its nutritional value is low and it further decreases with the pepperoni toppings and sausage as they offer carcinogenic nitrates and nitrites to your food. It is recommended to better cook pizza in your microwave than ordering one. You can add vegetables that could compensate for calories and fat.
8. Burger:
After pizza, the only snack that comes to mind is burger. It doesn’t matter if they are two different food items, but they have the same nutritional symmetry. These are rich in saturated fat oil and calories. Instead of using meat in burger, try making low fat veggie burger.
9. Doughnuts:
A kid birthday party is incomplete without doughnuts. But eating them frequently could bear serious health issues. Doughnuts are sugary. Consequently, they contain high amounts of trans-fatty acid. Some believe, like sugary cereal, doughnuts are the second best suitable breakfast option for kids. Needless to repeat, it is unhealthy to make doughnuts at breakfast. Cook some quality nutritional food as breakfast is the first meal of the day. There should be no compromise on that.