The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 40 million individuals succumb to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) annually, making up 70% of all global deaths. Most of these are lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, and certain cancers, all closely associated with unhealthy dietary patterns.
What is alarming is that unhealthy dietary patterns are very common amongst kids and rising day by day due to the increased consumption of packaged foods.
Packaged foods are ultra-processed, aggressively marketed, cheaper and easily available. They use colourful labels and cartoons on packaging and are heavily targeted to children. Kids are bombarded with advertisements across various media platforms which show celebrities endorsing these products. They are not only high in fats, salt, and sugar (HFSS) but also have low levels of micronutrients and dietary fibre with presence of chemical additives. Unfortunately, our food labelling system falls short, leaving consumers without sufficient information.
1) Loaded with sugar which give empty calories and one serving often crosses the daily sugar intake limit.
2) Lacks in fibre Fibre is an important nutrient in our diet and is lost when the food undergoes processing. It not only adds bulk to the food and slows down the absorption of carbohydrates but also has a vital role in keeping us healthy.
3) Altered to be addictive Processed foods like potato chips are often chemically altered to be hyper-rewarding, releasing an intense hit of reward related neurotransmitter dopamine when consumed. This is why kids crave and struggle to stop eating processed foods and even battle food addiction.
4) Cause Mood Swings A new study links trans fats in processed foods to increased irritability and aggression. Giving whole, unprocessed foods to abate your child’s hunger pangs is best to keep their mental state in check.
5) Loaded with Chemicals in the guise of taste enhancers, artificial flavours, and shelf life improvers. Manufacturers do not disclose the chemicals added to the packaged or processed food. They utilize the term ‘artificial flavour’ to mask the blends of additives added to enhance taste, improve textures, or extend the shelf life of the products.
Would you really want your child to eat a product that is more of a science project than food?
6) High in Sodium content Processed foods often contain added salt to improve their taste, increase shelf life and add texture, consuming this pushes body’s sodium intake above the daily permitted limit. High sodium levels can increase blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular diseases.
7) Disturbed Sleep Patterns – Excessive consumption of processed foods make good night’s sleep next to impossible. Sudden spikes and crashes in blood sugar produced from digesting high levels of refined carbohydrates can keep one tossing and turning in bed. To keep insulin levels stable and get a more restful night’s sleep, kids should be served unprocessed food for meals and snacks.
8) Contains Synthetic Nutrients – Processed foods are extremely low in natural nutrients compared to whole, unprocessed foods. Though synthetic vitamins and minerals are sometimes added back in to replace those lost during processing, they are a poor substitute for original nutrients. The more processed foods you eat the less of these beneficial nutrients you receive.
9) Prompts Overeating– As fibre is stripped off from most of the processed foods, they are easily processed by the body. Some almost melt in your mouth. Since it takes less energy for the body to consume them, more processed food is consumed in a short time, leading to overeating and weight gain.
10) Contains Processed Oils and Trans Fats– To make their food cheap and shelf stable, manufacturers often turn to refined seed and veg oils that are hydrogenated, a process which turns them into trans fats. These trans fats are extremely harmful to the body and can lead to a host of adverse effects on.
Article by Amatullah Merchant ,certified Clinical Nutritionist & Dietician. Passionate and patient-focused professional with 10+ years of experience in developing personalized nutrition plans, promoting healthy eating habits and lifestyle modification. Skilled in reversing and managing lifestyle disorders like obesity, diabetes, hypertension dyslipidemia, gastrointestinal disorders etc. Contact: 9331964062 amatullamerchant@gmail.com
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