Today, about one-third of American children are obese or overweight. This is one of the topmost concerned topics among the parents in the United States. Snacking can be fun for kids. But do you know that there are many processed foods on the market that are rendered unhealthy kids food due to various reasons? It has been found out that American’s junk food habits start in their toddler ages.
Parents have varied opinions when it comes to the best and the worst food for their kids. We know there are some very obvious healthy food choices like cereals, fruits etc. and some very obvious unhealthy ones too like cheeseburger and fries for every meal. But there could be a wrong notion among the parents for a few delicious foods providing nutritional value to the kids as they might have a heap of hidden fats and calories. There are some foods and beverages that shouldn’t be given to the kids more than once in a long while. Let us bring to you some of such foods which stand as the worst foods for kids, few of them might surprise you too.
15 Worst Foods for Your Kids:
1. Apple juice: That’s right, kids love to drink apple juice and parents think it is healthier than orange or grape juices but they are wrong. Apple juice gives the kids a sugar rush and then they crash. Even the 100% apple juice has 160 calories a cup and that is all fructose. Kids miss out on the fiber in such a case and also miss the nutrients when they remove the peel.
2. Fruit Snack bar: Your kids love to have the fruit-based snacks that are readily available on the market? And you are happy as well thinking these are healthy options for your kids? We want to let you know that these jam-filled cereal bars just, for instance, are loaded with the most appealing food color which is worrisome as these are banned from the cosmetic product as they cause thyroid tumours.
3. Honey: Until your kid is 2 years of age, avoid giving them homey. Honey contains toxic bacteria that causes fatal disease in kids called botulism (R). This bacterium does not hurt the adults but kids haven’t built up the immune system enough to fight it off. Any type of honey can have these bacteria (raw, processed and bottled, doesn’t really matter). Kids must avoid having it especially this comes in the list of foods toddlers should not eat.
4. French Fries: Most parents already have realized that it is unhealthy to feed French fries to the kids for every meal which only leads to weight gain and unhealthy habit. Yes, French fries are super unhealthy as they have a high content of sodium and very high content of fats which does no good when fed to kids. The same goes for all this type of fried food items which have high calories and zero nutrients. Instead, encourage kids to have potato wedges and baked chips.
5. Pop Tarts: The frosted strawberry flavor in Pop-Tarts is the most harmful one. The pop tarts contain ingredients such as corn syrup, sugar, dextrose and these sugary products cause childhood diabetes and sugar addiction in many kids. More to this, it might as well cause liver problems. TBHQ (R) a petroleum-based product which is present in such kids snacks and is harmful to kids as they cause damages in human DNA and cellular dysfunction. It is also known to cause cancer. These are absolutely unhealthy foods for kids.
6. Mac and Cheese boxed: The highly processed food which has literally no nutrients in them and also is loaded with sodium and preservatives. This excess sodium and preservative is harmful to the kids and also make them crave for more salty and artificial food. Although it is alright to cook the pasta and completely make the food item from scratch, these readymade boxes do more harm than any other food in kids. It is rendered as the worst snack for the kids.
7. M&Ms: Love to distribute M&Ms to kids asking for their choice of color? You must absolutely stop feeding them this. These chocolates are colored using coloring agent which causes tumors in the brain and bladder and slows down the nerve cell development.
8. Soda Pops: Soda leads to obesity and also Type-2 Diabetes and aggressiveness in children. A vast majority of American kids drink up these aerated drinks which are very harmful to their health. 60 grams of sugar is present in a 20-ounce bottle of soda and kids drink four times the limit in a day. These aerated beverages do not provide any nutrients but only unwanted calories causing harm in kids more than any benefit by drinking it.
9. Granola Bars: As a parent, if you are used to buying for kids, I am sure you think that this could be a great source of protein and fiber for the kids. What if we break your notion saying this is unhealthy for kids to eat? These Granola bars contain so much of sugar all at once making it tasty but lacking the basic nutrients that you expect it to provide. Instead, try to make a homemade simple energy bar for the kids with the natural ingredients like almonds, raisins and coconuts with whole grain cereal, honey (for kids over 2 years of age) and dried fruits and nuts.
10. Pizza: Kids fancy pizza almost every meal given a choice, but only worth it when baked at home. The home-made pizza is a great option with a lot of vegetables added and baked, however, the ones from a pizza parlor delivered at homes only have the calorie content minus the nutrients that kids need to develop and grow. Do not put get them to pizza eating habits.
11. Canned Tuna: Fish is known for its excellent content of protein and other vitamins. But the fishes with high mercury content like swordfish, canned tuna, king mackerel etc should not be shared with kids as this harm more than adding any nutritional value to the kid’s diet. The high in mercury fishes harm the nervous system of young kids. This makes it on the top of the list of kid’s foods that aren’t as healthy.
12. Sports Drinks: Sports drink is not meant for kids to drink, to be honest. The only time they might even need a sugar rush is when they are into an intense long hour of workout and want some electrolyte and calories to recover which is rare in case of kids. Plain water should do for kids even if they are into an intense workout.
13. Raw Milk: Even though milk is called as the healthiest beverage for kids, it is healthy only when pasteurized. Raw milk contains digestive enzymes and other nutrients which is very risky for kids to intake. The unpasteurized milk can cause food-borne disease in kids and this is mainly because their immune system is just building and not as developed as adults making them more susceptible to diseases.
14. Luncheon Meats: Even though parents prefer to feed the kids with sliced meat sandwich every meal, you have to be doubly sure before doing so as a lot of packaged meat might contain unwanted ingredients. Check the package before purchase for any nitrate content which is used as a preservative very commonly and is also known to possess the risk of increase heart diseases and cancer.
15. Frozen food: The frozen food can be trouble-free for you to remove from refrigerator and heat to feed, but what about the fact that they have a very high amount of sodium, saturated fat and all kinds of preservatives to prevent it from getting stale for so long! This has hardly any nutrients for your kids and only adds up to their high calorie and fat count. Check the contents of the packet to be sure you are using a whole-grain breading brand and they haven’t been flash-fried prior to packaging. You can see the saturated fat count and the content to judge.
You can always replace these snacks with all organic product to be kid’s safe. These snacks look filling, but they usually are empty based on the nutritional aspect. Are bothered about the dyes used in various products, and if they are right for kids? Then compare and read the labels such as shampoo, toothpaste, cough syrup, laundry detergents etc have similar toxic contains.
Also, as a matter of fact, the restaurants are no better options for our kids as they do contain the usual burgers and fries which contain 200+ calories more than what we ate when we were kids. Desserts which tempt kids really very damaging for the children as it has more than half a day’s calorie for the kids. They surely do not need as much but just adds to the child’s body weight. Parents have a very big hand in looking after the kid’s diet and what is right for them. Get in the habit to read the contents of a package to be sure that it does some good to your kid when fed.
Read about ways you can get your child to eat better and tips to make a healthy meal plan for your family
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