Rachel Lewis
"Please! Mum! Please! Please!
Please! I really want one!" If constant whining has caused you to swerve
into a drive-through to buy your kids burgers and chips, you're not alone.
Forty per cent of UAE parents admitted
that they often give into their children's demands for junk food, according to
a recent survey compiled for Al Aan TV's Nabd Al Arab (Arabs' Pulse) programme
and The National, conducted by YouGov.
But the next time you're thinking
about buying dinner on the go, bear in mind the impact it will have on your
kids before the day is over
Junk
food will encourage your child to eat more:
The fats, sugar and salt in fast food
draw kids like a magnet, largely because they appeal to a child's
"primordial tastes". "From an evolutionary point of view, humans
are hard-wired to crave high-calorie food as a survival mechanism, so each time
we see, smell or eat junk food, many chemicals and neurotransmitters are
released in our body," explains Rashi Chowdhary, a nutritionist based in
Dubai. (rashichowdhary.com)
"When your child bites into a
burger, his brain reward system gets activated since dopamine, which is the
main neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and excitement, gets secreted.
And then he will feel a complete lack of control and an intense demand from his
brain for more," adds Chowdhary.
If that isn't enough to convince you
to ditch the takeaway, a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine (a medical journal published by the American Medical
Association) found that once children have eaten fast food, they consume more
calories and fewer nutrients for the rest of the day. On days when kids ate
fast food, compared with days when they ate at home, adolescents and young
children consumed an additional 309 and 126 calories, respectively.
Junk
food will damage arteries immediately
Experts have known for years that
long-term consumption of junk food clogs arteries, but recently they've
recognised that this damage begins the same day. A study published in the
Canadian Journal of Cardiology indicates that damage to the arteries occurs
almost immediately after just one – that's right, one – junk food meal.
Junk
food will cause school work to suffer:
Diet has a significant effect on
children's study habits. Junk food and foods with high-sugar content deplete
energy levels and the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time.
"If a kid is having sweets, chocolate croissants or sweetened beverages
during the first break time at school instead of his fruit portion or his
sandwich, he would definitely feel hungry within an hour and that would disrupt
his concentration in class, and could affect his overall performance in
school," explains Chirine Watfa, a dietician at Health Factory, Dubai (www.healthfactory.com).
Want proof? In a study published in
Child: Care, Health and Development (a European public health journal),
researchers analysed the fast-food consumption and test scores in maths and
reading of 12,000 fifth-graders. They found that children who ate fast food
four to six times within a given week tested significantly lower in maths and
reading compared with children who did not.
Junk
food will make your kid depressed:
Eating foods rich in antioxidants,
such as fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats, such as cold-water fish and
nuts, leads to positive energy and moods – both of which derive from positive
brain function. A diet high in fast food lacks these nutritional benefits,
increasing the risk of depression.
Junk
food will put your child off healthy food:
The artificial taste of junk food is
thought to be addictive and children used to spicy junk food may have trouble
adjusting their palates to relatively blander healthy foods.
"Another problem is that junk
food tends to replace other, more nutritious, foods," says Watfa.
"When children are snacking on chips and cookies, they're usually not
having enough fruits and vegetables, which will decrease their vitamin C and
fibre intakes."
Junk
food will cause constipation:
Fast food typically lacks fibre. The
less fibre children consume, the more likely they are to develop constipation,
which can cause abdominal pain and discomfort. Will they know about it by the
end of the day? Probably.
Junk
food will make them irritable:
"The high content of sugar in
junk food causes fluctuations in children's blood glucose levels," says
Chowdhary. "This makes them edgy, sleepy and irritable throughout the day
and leaves them with no motivation to be active."
Junk
food will ruin bedtime:
Having sugary drinks or fruit juice
with dinner even twice a week can affect children's sleep and wake-up cycle.
The caffeine from sodas acts as a stimulant, keeping them awake longer and
negatively affects their metabolism. "Studies have shown that moderate to
high caffeine consumers [100 to 300mg of caffeine] have more disturbed and more
interrupted sleep than low- or no-caffeine consumers," says Watfa
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