Fast food and your child's weight

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by MSc.BS.Huynh Bao Toan - Neonatologist, Vinmec Nha Trang General Hospital. The doctor has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics.

1. Why is fast food attractive to children?

A study has shown that not only the very nature of fast food is harmful to children, but fast food has the potential to cause other bad effects, namely when children consume fast food, in Children will also eat more other foods. It is estimated that after a period of 1 year, a child can gain up to 6 pounds (~2.7 kg) from consuming a lot of fast food.
The fat, sugar and salt ingredients in fast food are very appealing to children, mainly because they suit the basic taste of the child. It is this satisfaction of taste that stimulates the child's ability to eat, making them eat more during the day.
Moreover, fast food does not contain much fiber, so children do not feel full after eating, contributing to children eating more later. Large portions of fast food served in fast food outlets promote overeating and obesity in children.

Fast food disrupts a child's diet by taking the place of other healthy options. Children who consumed fast food tended to consume more sugar-sweetened beverages, along with less milk, and less fruit and non-starchy vegetables.

2. The relationship between fast food consumption and more eating in children

A national study in the United States involved more than 6000 children and adolescents. The children in the study did a food composition survey for a week. Researchers found that on a given day:
30% of children will eat fast food. Fast food is the staple food of 29-38% of children. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 who eat fast food consume 6% more food per day than children of the same age who do not eat fast food. Children between the ages of 10 and 14 who consumed fast food ate 17% more than other children. On average, children who consumed fast food absorbed 15% more energy than other children.

The researchers also compared the children's diets on days with and without fast food. Compared with children who did not eat fast food, children consuming fast food on average per day absorbed 187 more calories. Among children who ate fast food (but not every day), fast food days absorbed 126 more calories than non-fast food days.
On average, fast food alone causes children to take in 57 calories more than a normal diet, and at such levels, after a year children can gain 6 pounds (~ 2.7 kg) if you don't exercise enough to burn off that extra energy.
Children and adolescents who consume fast food will consume more saturated fat and total fat, more added sugars and total carbohydrates, absorb more energy, and absorb more less fiber in the body. Therefore, in order to protect the overall health of children, it is necessary to limit advertising of fast foods, remove fast food, junk food, and sugar-sweetened beverages from the child's diet, and at the same time Encourage children to maintain physical exercise.
Children need to provide enough elemental zinc/day for them to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.
Article reference source: webmd.com