Negative Effects of Fast Food on Children and Ways to Avoid

We are already in the Jet Age which many people call, the Junk-Food age. This era has apparently driven most of the children away from the very old green leafy vegetable concept of eating. Instead they now relish the fast food or food that can be prepared faster, tastes better and gives not an aorta of nutrition.

When one utters the word fast food, ‘junk food’ is the word that pops up in our minds. Fast food has become synonymous to hamburgers, pizzas, french fries, hot dogs, rolls, etc. Fast foods have high calories, fats, saturated fat, sugar and salt content. Many restaurant chains and fast food joints have established business selling fast food eatables. Parents have less time to cook fresh food at home for their kids due to busy schedule of work. Fast food helps them save the precious time and their inexpensiveness becomes an added attraction.

Harmful effects of the fast food on children

• Most of the ill effects of fast food on the children are irreversible. The excess sugar in the food leads to diabetes while the saturated fat content throws you in the remorseless clutches of obesity. There are several other ailments which attack the human body only due to the fast food that today’s kids cannot live without.

• Innocent kids are more prone to the advertisement gimmicks of the fast food chains and get tempted to try out their products. Their easy to eat and lip-smacking tastes, allure them away from healthy vegetables and home made nutritious food. As the foods contain starch, they do not make the child feel full, thus, leads to overeating. Ultimately which is again the root cause of obesity and diabetes in kids.

How to avoid your kids having fast food ?

• Kids like fast food due to it’s spicy taste. So, parents should increase the amount of fresh and tasty home cooked food for their kids and restrict going out to have fast food.

• To avoid children from losing their immune system due to the fast food, it’s imperative for them to have nutritious food too. Mothers play a pivotal role here in diverting their interest to healthy and wholesome diet by trying out new concoctions in the privacy of their kitchens for their little ones.
• Once in a week, put some tasty and spicy home cooked food in your child’s school lunch box. This will make them happy and prone to have home cooked food.

• Try roasting the everyday food instead of frying it. Using non stick pans to make testy healthy foods like pancakes is a sensible idea.

• Cooking in a microwave for good health again isn’t a bad deal. Make sure they eat healthy food all the six days so that on the seventh day you could treat them with something spicy for a change.

• When you go out with your kids to have fast food once in a while, you can restrict them to ask for less cheese topping on their pizza and have more of low-fat toppings like onions, mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables of their choice. They can order chicken sandwiches made of whole wheat breads or biscuits. Burgers can be single meat patty with extra lettuce leaves, tomatoes and onions.

• Inculcate sound eating habits from day one. This way the children won’t trouble you being picky eaters.