Posted:
13.11.2024 11:17:37
Pediatric nutritionist reminded about harm caused by fast food and juices
All children, unfortunately, love fast food. Teenagers flock to junk food places constantly. Dr. Ulyana Sheleg, Head of the rehabilitation department in the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Children's Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, reminded how harmful fast food and juices can be.
"Childhood is the source of all problems: when parents want to celebrate something, like a birthday, they take their kids to a fast food restaurant, or order home delivery from a place like that. That’s how the first emotional connection is formed: a fun party, food with a vivid, rich taste (thanks to lots of salt and sugar), pretty packaging. Many families do that regularly, so children get used to that type of food. A child grows up and becomes a teenager surrounded by fast food advertisements. They are colourful and pretty; characters in animated movies or teen TV shows eat hamburgers and fries washing it down with a soda. That’s how harmful food behaviour develops," the expert said.
She emphasised that, while worried about their excess weight, parents of obese children may still earnestly believe in myths found all around us, like the myth about fruit juices being very healthy. So instead of water, they give their children 1-1.5 litres of juice per day. But we have to remember: juices, even those that declare ‘sugar free’ on their packaging (which is just a marketing ploy, really) contain fruit sugar concentrates: calories that are invisible, but still felt by the body. A litre of fruit juice, for instance, contains about 400 kcal which is a quarter of the total recommended daily energy intake for a child of 7 or 8.
“The best drink for children is fresh clean water. You can have a glass of juice once a week if you really crave it. Let me add that many think yoghurts are super-healthy, so they buy their kids yoghurts with kiwi, cherry, or other flavours. Those contain 1.5 to 3 teaspoons of sugar in each package. Best get your kids used to natural yoghurts and curds,” Ms. Sheleg advised.
