Childhood Obesity Fast Food

Fast food causing child obesity
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Many researches have suggested that fast food is one of the factors of causes of childhood obesity (see childhood obesity causes). As expertise has emerge and globalization has extended, thousands of fast food chains have been formed to consider the requirement of the speed of life that most of us have. Fast food (see childhood obesity & food) companies produce quick food with unhealthy ingredients, for example; hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and thousands of other fast foods in today’s market. These fast food companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in promotion in television, radio, magazines, and newspapers and everywhere you go. Therefore, kids are everyday exposed to thousands of advertisements (see childhood obesity advertising) of fast food and junk food. Many kids just like to eat fast food and not anything with nutrients and vitamins. Obtaining fast food as a part of lifestyle is threatening the health and life of many people and children all over the world.

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Childhood Obesity & Food

Childhood Obesity & Diet

Childhood Obesity & Nutrition

Fast Food Diet
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► In 1992, children aged 6-14 years ate in quick-serve restaurants on average 157 million times a month. Children are courted and targeted by many fast food chains, who promote super-size portions and all-you-can-eat offers. ► Nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day, resulting in approximately six extra pounds per year, per child. Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970.

Today, the way we set up food and the no of time per day is totally different as compare with our ancestors did in the old time. During the old time, everything need to be cooked from scratch, but now with the help from modern equipments, the time and effort to prepare food became simple and faster. This is one of the reasons why now fast food (see fast food and childhood obesity) restaurants dominate our diets. Fast food companies don’t care about your health, they just want to make quick food that you and your children will like because it tastes good and therefore they will have a good return on venture. However, most of that food is made from fat, sugars and chemicals that have no nutrients and little or no vitamins. If your child eats every day a fast food like a burger instead of fruits or something made in house, he can be a victim of child obesity. But the worst part is that it can lead heart and other diseases like type 2 diabetes (see childhood obesity effects).

Most of the processed foods, especially fast food, contain taste additives so the food can taste delicious and people become addictive to their food. Additives are not completely safe, because they are not natural and cause neurological problems, mental diseases and cancer. The much known additive used in a lot of food is aspartame and now is known to be not just unhealthy but dangerous for your health, especially your children. Fast food and other unnatural food are dangerous not just because our child will become obese, but because is poisoning them little by little and a child is more sensitive than an adult.

Excessive Snacking
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► Excess munching is also a probable cause of obesity in children. Americans are expected to spend over $1 billion dollars a day on snacks. The average American eats the equivalent of a fourth meal every day. And children are no exclusion. ► Frequently surrounded at school by high-calorie snack vending machines dispensing (e.g.) sugary soft drinks, regular TV-watching exposes the child to a battery of high-energy snack foods and drinks.

Bad behavior is also one of the causes. Lack of physical activity (see childhood obesity & physical activity) also adds to the problem of obesity in children. Children eat foods with low in nutrition and high in fat and get less or no exercise (see childhood obesity & exercise) which increases energy consumed then energy burned (see energy imbalance). They also usually overeaten, and the food that they consume has many empty vitamins. In other words, the food that they eat does not provide enough nutrition for a children needs. This same group of children eats lots of sweets food which in general have no nutrients.

Habits that protect against childhood obesity include eating more vegetables and fruit, eating meals with family, and being physically active. Children's food habits and choices are influenced by parents (see childhood obesity & parents), caregivers, friends, schools(see childhood obesity in schools), marketing, and the media (see television childhood obesity). By studying what children eating; you will know what the main cause of childhood obesity. Some changes in their daily diets can have large help make possible you to prevent child obesity. The best healthy choices of food include vegetables and fruits instead of sugary snacks. The most popular choices include carrot and bananas, celery sticks, apples and even salads that include a large variety of vegetables. By helping children understand and choosing the correct and better foods during the childhood time, definitely will ensure that they make the correct choices as they move into adulthood.

Tips for parents ► What can you do as a parent or guardian or caregiver to help preventing childhood obesity? We have some ideas in our Childhood Obesity Prevention section.

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