How much junk food does the average child eat

Kids in the U.S. are eating more fast food, the CDC reports

Kids' Health

Over one third of kids eat fast food on any given day.

Aug. 14, 2020, 3:48 PM UTC

By Kelsie Sandoval

Despite warnings about obesity and unhealthy diets, American kids and adolescents are eating even more fast food. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that children and adolescents got 13.8 percent of their daily calories from fast food in 2015 to 2018, up from 12.4 percent in 2011 to 2012.

The report, from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, also found that Black and Hispanic kids eat more fast food than their white counterparts, and over one third ate fast food on any given day.

What’s more, the proportion of calories from fast food increased with age, with children ages 2 to 11 getting 11. 5 percent of their daily calories from fast food, compared with ages 12 to 19, at 18 percent.

The report included data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is given to a sample of the U.S. population every two years to gather information on health and nutrition.

The rise in consumption among kids and young teens is not unexpected, experts say.

“These are not surprising findings when you think about how strapped families are these days for both time and money, and how fast food can be an easy option for stressed families,” said Dr. Eliana Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.

The report only included data through 2018, and therefore didn’t touch on how kids and families are eating during the pandemic, but Perrin speculated that it had most likely exacerbated the problem.

While some families are privileged to work and cook from home, “too many families are poorer than they were before, have more food insecurity and have more work to do with less support,” she said. “So fast food once again becomes, I think, a too-easy default for their stressed lives.” And it’s likely that these changes affected people of color more.

Eating too much fast food is bad for childrens’ health because of the high calorie count coupled with too few nutrients, Perrin said. A poor diet can also lead to heart problems and obesity.

Obesity affects an estimated 18.4 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 and 20.9 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19, according to the CDC. Obesity rates are higher among Black and Hispanic children.

Another factor that may have played a role in the increase in fast-food consumption is advertising, said Frances Fleming-Milici, director of marketing initiatives at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. A report from her institution compared the average number of TV advertisements viewed from 2007 to 2016. “We saw a big increase in ad exposure for preschoolers and children for particular fast-food restaurants,” she said.

And many of the ads were targeted at Black and Hispanic children.

“Compared to white youth, Black youth view twice as many ads for fast food and other restaurants,” Fleming-Milici said. On Spanish-language television, “about half of all the food ads that they view are fast-food restaurants,” she added.

Perrin said that targeted marketing contributes to health disparities.

“I think this is a major health equity issue,” she said.

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Kelsie Sandoval

U.S. Kids Get Majority Of Their Calories From Ultra-Processed Junk Foods : NPR

U.S. Kids Get Majority Of Their Calories From Ultra-Processed Junk Foods What do frozen pizza, cookies and ice cream have in common? A new study finds ultra-processed foods make up the majority of U.S. children's and teens' diets.

Children's Health

August 11, 20217:09 PM ET

Researchers found that 67% of calories consumed by children and adolescents in the U. S. came from ultra-processed foods in 2018, a jump from 61% in 1999. The nationwide study analyzed the diets of 33,795 children and adolescents. Drazen Stader / EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption

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Drazen Stader / EyeEm/Getty Images

Researchers found that 67% of calories consumed by children and adolescents in the U.S. came from ultra-processed foods in 2018, a jump from 61% in 1999. The nationwide study analyzed the diets of 33,795 children and adolescents.

Drazen Stader / EyeEm/Getty Images

Kids and teens in the U.S. get the majority of their calories from ultra-processed foods like frozen pizza, microwavable meals, chips and cookies, a new study has found.

Two-thirds — or 67% — of calories consumed by children and adolescents in 2018 came from ultra-processed foods, a jump from 61% in 1999, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the medical journal JAMA. The research, which analyzed the diets of 33,795 youths ages 2 to 19 across the U.S., noted the "overall poorer nutrient profile" of the ultra-processed foods.

"This is particularly worrisome for children and adolescents because they are at a critical life stage to form dietary habits that can persist into adulthood," says Fang Fang Zhang, the study's senior author and a nutrition and cancer epidemiologist at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and policy. "A diet high in ultra-processed foods may negatively influence children's dietary quality and contribute to adverse health outcomes in the long term."

One reason for the increase may be the convenience of ultra-processed foods, Zhang says. Industrial processing, such as changing the physical structure and chemical composition of foods, not only gives them a longer shelf life but also a more appetizing taste.

"Things like sugar, corn syrup, some hemp oil and other ingredients that we usually don't usually use in our kitchen, that are extracted from foods and synthesized in the laboratory, those are being added in the final product of ultra-processed foods," Zhang said. "A purpose of doing this is to make them highly palatable. So kids will like those foods that somehow make it hard to resist."

During the same two-decade period when the study data was collected, the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods decreased to 23.5% from 28.8%, the study found.

The greatest increase in calories came from ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat meals such as pizza, sandwiches and hamburgers, rising to 11.2% of calories from 2.2%. Packaged sweet snacks and treats such as cakes and ice cream were a runner-up, which made up 12.9% of calorie consumption in 2018, compared with 10.6% in 1999.

When broken down by race and ethnicity, the growth in consumption of ultra-processed foods was significantly higher for Black, non-Hispanic youth, compared to white, non-Hispanic youths. The study also noted that Mexican American youths consumed ultra-processed foods at a persistently lower rate, which the researchers said may indicate more home cooking by Hispanic families.

The study also found that the education levels of parents or family income didn't affect consumption of ultra-processed foods, suggesting that these types of foods are common in many households.

But the responsibility for tackling this problem shouldn't fall only on parents, Zhang says.

While she would encourage parents and children to consider "replacing ultra-processed foods with minimally and unprocessed foods," Zhang says changes at the policy level are needed "to achieve a broader and more sustainable impact."

Take, for instance, consumption of soda. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages dropped to 5.3% from 10.8% of overall calories. The study's researchers noted that the decline could be related to efforts such as soda taxes and raising awareness about the effects sugar has on youth health.

"We may have won this battle, at least partially, for some sugary beverages," Zhang says, "but we haven't yet against ultra-processed foods."

This widespread reliance on junk food is an increasing public health concern as the obesity rate has been rising steadily among U.S. youths for the past two decades.

While the study's authors said that the relationship between childhood obesity and ultra-processed foods is complex, they acknowledge that "cohort studies provide consistent evidence suggesting high intake of ultra-processed foods contributes to obesity in children and young adults."

Indeed, a 2019 study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that a diet filled with ultra-processed foods encourages people to overeat and gain weight compared to diets that consist of whole or minimally processed foods.

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How much junk food can a child eat per day? – “Food”

From a utilitarian point of view food is a source of energy and building materials for the body. Food products are made up of various components: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, macro- and microelements. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates determines calorie content of food. Proteins are the least caloric of the entire BJU company. it high-molecular organic substances consisting of alpha-amino acids, connected in a chain by a peptide bond. One of the main roles of protein in the body human - to participate in the construction of new cells. Part of the amino acids necessary for a person cannot be synthesized by the body and must be supplied outside - with proteins.

Fats are compounds necessary for the release of energy and the construction of connective fabrics. By increasing the number of fat cells, the body accumulates energy. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy.

The so-called BJU balance is the way to a healthy and beautiful body from a young age. We turned to those operating in the Russian Federation standards and studied how much favorite food for children of all ages they matches.

The rules are as follows.

Energy. Children from 3 to 7 years old should receive 1800 kcal per day, children from 7 to 11 years old - 2100 kcal per day, boys from 11 to 14 years old - 2500 kcal per day, girls - 2300 kcal per day.

Proteins. Children 3 to 7 years of age should receive 54 g per day, 7 to 11 years of age 63 g per day, 11 to 14 years of age 75 g (boys) and 69 g (girls) per day.

Fats. Children 3 to 7 years of age should receive 60 g per day, 7 to 11 years of age 70 g per day, 11 to 14 years of age 83 g (boys) and 77 g (girls) per day.

Carbohydrates. Children 3 to 7 years of age should receive 261 grams per day, 7 to 11 years of age 305 grams per day, 11 to 14 years of age 363 grams (boys) and 334 grams (girls) per day.

There are many other details that still affect nutritional value (for example, 60-70 percent of proteins should be - but according to the standards - of animal origin, fats should provide no more than 30 percent of energy, and so on). Plus - consumption rates depend on the mass, constitution and metabolic characteristics of each individual child. But we will make the most approximate calculations, because the main harm that the excessive consumption of the products of our choice brings is due to their nutritional imbalance.

So.

Chips with salt

Consider the example of crispy potatoes with a girl in a circle on a pack, which used to be made in Moscow, and now in Kemerovo.

A large pack contains 160 grams of these chips. These 160 grams contain 816 kcal, as well as 9.6 grams of protein, 51.2 grams of fat and 80 grams of carbohydrates. The chips also contain salt, but its amount is not indicated on the pack, although this is also very valuable information from the point of view of the child's health.

If a child aged 3 to 7 eats a pack of such potatoes, he will satisfy his need for energy by 45.3%, proteins by 17.7%, fats by 85.3%, and carbohydrates by 30 .7%. That is, if he eats another such pack, he will receive almost all the energy he needs for the day, but will not satisfy the needs for proteins (especially) and carbohydrates, but will exceed the norm for fats by more than one and a half times. And if he eats only one, then he definitely can’t do anything very fatty anymore. So if you allow a child at this age to eat chips, then in a minimal amount.

With a child aged 7 to 11, the calculations are as follows: the daily need for calories will be satisfied by 38.9%, in proteins - by 15.2%, in fats - by 73.1%, and in carbohydrates - by 26 .2%. Again: the second pack cannot be allowed because of the fat, but after the first one you need something rich in proteins and carbohydrates.

Adolescents aged 11 to 14 will receive 32-35% of their energy needs, 13-14% of protein, 62-66% of fat and 22-24%. The second pack is again definitely not recommended, and a third of the required energy has already been received.

Cheeseburger

We took the most obvious option: the McDonald's cheeseburger. It contains 302 kcal, 12 g of fat, 30 g of carbohydrates and 16 g of protein.

If a child aged 3 to 7 is fed with a cheeseburger, then his daily need for kilocalories will be covered by 16. 7%. He will get 20% of fats, 29.6% of proteins, and 11.4% of carbohydrates. Three of these cheeseburgers - and almost daily protein intake and more than half of the required fat. Only after them it will be possible to allow him only a vegetable salad.

For a child aged 7 to 11 years, the need for calories will be satisfied by 14.3% of the daily norm, in fat - by 17.1%, in proteins - by 25.3%, and in carbohydrates - by 9, eight%. Adolescents will receive 12-13% of the required energy, 14-15% fat, 8-9% carbohydrates and 21-23% protein. It seems to be okay, but do not forget that McDonald's is not limited to a cheeseburger, there is also soda, and this is a shock dose of sugar (see below). And besides, the cheeseburger is small, one might even say thin, and more often they take more impressive things like the Big Mac, everything is much more serious there: 503 kcal, 25 g of fat, 42 g of carbohydrates and 26 g of protein.

McDonald's, by the way, lists on its website not only all these numbers, but also the fiber, sugar, and salt content. Other major chains do the same. Use it, it's really very useful information.

Sundae

For example, we took ice cream “48 kopecks”. One cup contains 170 kcal, 2.4 g of protein, 9.5 g of fat and 18 g of carbohydrates.

Children aged 3 to 7 receive 9.6% of daily calories, 5% protein, 15.7% fat and 7.4% carbohydrates with one serving of ice cream. 6 ice creams - and the need for fats is almost satisfied, but not enough energy. However, two cups, if the child really wants to, is rarely allowed, but possible.

A child between the ages of 7 and 11 will receive 8.2% calories, 4.3% protein, 13.4% fat and 6.3% carbohydrate. He can even be allowed three - but again, not every day.

Adolescents will receive 7-7.5% energy, 3.5-4% protein, 11-12% fat and 5-6% carbohydrate. That is, you can, of course, eat nine ice creams at a time, but then there will be a lack of proteins and carbohydrates, and at the same time you will still want to eat.

Kinder Chocolate

Small package chocolate Kinder Chocolate contains 4 serving bars (50 g total), they generally contain 284 kcal, 4. 35 g of protein, 26.75 g of carbohydrates and 17.5 g of fat.

For a child aged 3 to 7 is 15 % of daily calories, 8% protein, 10.2% carbohydrates and 30% fat. If for breakfast there was porridge with milk or fatty cottage cheese, then after chocolates until the evening you will have to focus on lean food - lean meat (to get protein norm), vegetables and cereals (it will give carbohydrates). Permissible, if necessary, a snack, if in the afternoon no desserts are planned in the diet, but not on a daily basis.

Child in aged 7 to 11 years, a package of chocolate will give 13.5 % needed energy, 7% the protein he needs, 8.7% carbohydrates and 25% fat. The legend that Kinder Chocolate is a kind of deceptive way to give children milk to drink by serving it in the form of chocolate does not stand up to scrutiny a little: in fact, the filling contains vegetable fat along with milk fat. But from the point of view of the BJU, this is quite acceptable snack, though with a bias in fats.

Teenagers 11-14 years old Kinder Chocolate is 11-12.5% ​​energy, 5.8-6.3% protein, 7-8% carbs and 21-22% fat. Quite nutritious and relatively safe thing with a reasonable approach. The main thing is to monitor the fat content of what children will eat at home: the more chocolate in the diet, the more lean there should be other food that day.

Snickers

Standard bar weighing 50.5 g contains 249 kcal, 3.8 g of protein, 32.4 g of carbohydrates (there are 26 of them g sugar), 12.7 g fat.

For a child 3-7 years old one Snickers is 13.8 % of daily calories, 7% protein, 12.4% carbohydrates and 7.6% fat. The proportions are not bad, because having made the child will receive only a slight shortage of his diet only from Snickers proteins and fats or a light bust of carbohydrates. But the main danger lies in sugar. One bar contains 26 g of sugar, which means that ten bars contain more than a quarter of a kilogram! According to representatives of the domestic system health care, the amount of sucrose should not exceed 10 % of the calorie content of the children's daily diet. We consider. One Snickers is 99 "sugar" kilocalories, so two bars is already more than 10 % of the 1800 kcal for children of this age day. Even one bar a day is an occasion to think about the composition of the rest products on the menu.

Child 7-11 years old, eating Snickers will get 11.8 % calories needed, 6% protein, 10.6% carbs, and 8.9% fat. A complete failure in proteins, however, when the task is to “snicker”, that is, quickly replenish the supply of energy, they do not needed. Not bad if the child plays sports or has an important control, but remember to keep an eye on the amount of sugar you consume.

Teenage boy 11-14 years old can, say, eat 10 Snickers a day - one contains 9.9 % of required calories. The girl can no more than 9 pieces: one "Snickers" is 10 .8% of the required energy. With fats and carbohydrates, everything will also be within the normal range - in one bar, about 10% of what is needed. But at the same time, both will receive a shortage of proteins: one bar is about 5% of the daily requirement, and 10 bars will only satisfy the need by half. In general, if you take into account the rest of the diet, this is also more of an emergency energy help than part of a permanent lifestyle.

Coca Cola

500 ml Coca-Cola contains 210 kilocalories, no fats and proteins, but 53 g of carbohydrates, of which all are sugar.

Coca-Cola (however, like Pepsi-Cola and other sodas) is literally pure sugar. To drink a bottle is to consume 2 tablespoons of sugar with a slide. Therefore, consider it from the point of view view of the balance of the BJU is meaningless. And if you look from the point of view allowable amount of sugar, things are rather alarming.

One half-liter bottle of Coca-Cola is 20% of the carbohydrates needed by a child 3-7 years old, 17% - needed by children 7-11 years old and 15-16% - teenagers. If we remember that, according to Russian standards, sugar should not give more than 10 % from the daily norm of kilocalories, then 500 ml of cola without a twinge of conscience can only be drunk by children at the age of 11-14 years, and they will still have a small gap in sugar: it will be possible, for example, to eat fruit. The rest is proteins and fats, cottage cheese, meat and fish. For children under the age of 11, half a liter of cola is the daily amount of sugar. And for children of age 3-7 years half a liter of cola is already too much, the maximum allowable amount is 400 ml of soda.

Sum

Now let's imagine that the child consumes all these foods in a day. Their total calorie content is 2031 kcal, proteins in them are 36.15 g, fats are 102.9 g, and carbohydrates are 320.15 g.

For a child of 3-7 years old, this is 12% of excess calories, 66% of the necessary proteins, fats - 70% more than the norm, and carbohydrates - 22%. (And do not forget about the sugar norm, which is already exceeded by one Coca-Cola.)

For a child of 7-11 years old, this is almost the daily calorie intake, 57% of the necessary proteins, 47% of excess fats and the daily intake of carbohydrates.

And for teenagers - 81-88% of energy, half of the norm of proteins, 23-33% of the excess of fat and slightly less than the daily norm of carbohydrates.

Pure arithmetic.

Healthy eating for children: what you need to know

Alexandra Sitnova

pediatric nutritionist

Author profile

Ekaterina Kushnir

learned how to feed children

parents want to make the food perfect.

But often this desire only leads to additional problems. We talked with children's nutritionist and author of books Alexandra Sitnova about when it's not worth worrying about a child's nutrition, how to help him diversify his diet, and much more.

What we'll tell you

• What to do if the child eats almost nothing
• How to make sure that the child eats enough
• Should you persuade the child to eat
• Are there foods that should not be given to children at all
• What should be on a child's menu
• At what age can sweets be given to children
• What to do if a child prefers sweets to healthy food healthier
• What processed foods can be included in the diet
• Do's and don'ts to tell a child about food
• How to suspect an eating disorder in a child
• Which doctor should I go to if parents suspect a child has eating disorders
• What problems should I contact a pediatric nutritionist

What should I do if my child eats almost nothing?

When I hear that children do not eat anything, I immediately want to look at them and their food diary. Often they eat normally, they just don't want to eat what they should according to their parents, grandmothers, the local doctor.

Recently, during a consultation, I had just such a case - a child who, according to his parents, did not eat anything. But in fact, his daily diet included three chicken drumsticks, a lot of dairy products, and various fruits. He just refused soup, so his parents were worried.

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Another case is complaints that the child does not eat anything, drinks only milk. We look at the food diary, and every day he eats 30 different foods. Yes, he loves milk and asks for it at every meal, but he also eats enough other food.

When it seems that a child eats almost nothing, you need to look at what he actually eats. When children do refuse to eat, they tend to have health problems, such children often end up in the hospital with signs of malnutrition. These are rare situations that are usually associated with some kind of disease.

How can I make sure my child is eating enough? Are there food standards?

All children should eat according to their appetite. The appetite of each child will be different, it depends on a huge number of factors - for example, weight, height, physical activity and temperature around.

You cannot compare two children even of the same age in terms of appetite and assign them the same food ration. The amount of food eaten by children of the same age and gender can vary by 50%. Here you can’t focus on grams or calories, only on the child’s appetite and his physical development.

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If a child develops well, he is active, alert, not sleepy, his weight and height do not differ much from age norms, then he eats enough.

If the child does not have confirmed vitamin and mineral deficiencies with clinical symptoms, then he also eats enough. It is important to say that blood tests for vitamins and minerals are often taken without indications, and then deviations in these tests are treated. You should not do this if the child does not have any symptoms.

Understanding if a child is eating normally - NHS

To understand if a child is eating too much, you also need to look at his development. Some children may have weight and height above the norm and not be obese, that is, they have a normal body mass index, for example, they are more active than their peers.

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Is it worth persuading a child to eat?

You can try to persuade the child to eat. But this is usually a bad strategy, because children, like adults, know how to feel hunger and satiety.

It is enough to remember yourself in childhood. Almost everyone had an adult who tried to persuade them to eat: look, what a delicious salad, what potatoes I stewed, why don’t you eat cake, I tried so hard.

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It is easy to remember what emotions arose: rejection, shame, discomfort, awkwardness. We were uncomfortable with what we had to eat. Our children experience the same thing, so persuasion tactics are not effective. It may work a couple of times, but in the long run, persuasion only reduces the child's desire to eat.

The best thing to do is put food on the child and do nothing else to participate in his meal unless he asks for help.

Are there foods that should not be given to children at all?

Alcohol is perhaps the only absolutely harmful product that should not be given to children under any circumstances.

For other foods, there may be an age before they should be given. For example, honey is not allowed for children under one year old, because there is a risk of botulism. For older children and adults, there is no such danger - the spores of the bacterium that causes botulism cannot survive in the acidic environment of the stomach.

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How to introduce complementary foods to children

Thermally unprocessed meat, eggs, fish are not given to children under five years of age, as the risk of intestinal infections is high. The same goes for unpasteurized milk and moldy cheeses.

Foods not to be given to young children - NHS

Whole nuts are not given to children under four due to the risk of suffocation.

All this applies to many other products that are not given to children under a certain age, because there are health risks. Most food restrictions end when a child reaches four or five years of age.

What should be on the child's menu?

The optimal menu for a child includes:

1. Five to six servings of vegetables and fruits.
2. Five or six servings of cereals - this is cereal, and bread, and crispbread, and cereal, and pastries.
3. Two to three servings of animal or vegetable protein.
4. Two or three portions of dairy products: milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir.

Children's Healthy Plate - Harvard Public Health School

One serving is one baby's fist. The larger it is, the larger the serving. It is more convenient to measure with cams than grams or spoons.

With this diet, the child will receive enough nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Of course, there may be deviations from the diet; one cannot always strive for a reference menu.

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For example, a child might eat seven servings of grains during their growth period, or two servings of dairy but four servings of protein, or vice versa. It is also normal if the child eats a little less or more than the recommended servings - this may be his individual feature.

The child may even, for example, not eat dairy products at all - this is acceptable. At the same time, his diet will be complete if you add calcium-containing plant foods and additional protein to it.

Another example: a child may choose not to eat meat, fish, eggs, but to eat vegetable protein and dairy products. This is also a valid and healthy food option.

At what age can sweets be given to children?

Sweet is recommended not to include in the diet of children until at least two years old.

Of course, if a baby under two years old accidentally tries some sweetness, for example, bites off a piece of his mother's bun, nothing bad will happen, but sweets should not be part of the daily diet.

After two years, sugar may be present in the child's diet, but we do not talk about its regular consumption until four or five years.

How much sugar to eat - Harvard Public School of Health

Early and regular sugar intake is associated with an increased risk of tooth decay, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in children. It cannot be said that if a child eats cookies, then he will 100% have caries and be overweight, but the probability is higher.

It is usually easy to avoid sweets until the age of two, since children at this age are in the family, not yet attending kindergarten.

It is important to note that we are talking not only about sweets, but also about any sugar - granulated sugar added to cereals and curds, sweeteners like juice concentrate, honey, maple syrup, and the like. All this should not be introduced into the child's diet too early. This does not apply to fruits - they do not apply to added sugars.

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How much sugar can be in a child’s diet

to 2-4 years old

Sugar rate

Do not give sugar up to 2 years, to avoid regular use up to 4 years

How much

no sweetened products

for comparison

-

111111111111111111111111111111111111 4-6 years

Sugar requirement

No more than 19 grams of sugar per day

How much is

Approximately 3 full teaspoons or 5 sugar cubes

For comparison

About so much sugar in 2 bottles of Znishki, 90 ml

7-10 years

Sugar rate

No more than 24 grams of sugar per day

How

are about 4 complete teaspoons or 6 sugar cubes

For comparison

About the amount of sugar in 50 grams of dark chocolate

Over 10 years old and adults

Sugar norm

No more than 30 grams of sugar per day 90 3

03

Approximately 5 full teaspoons or 7 sugar cubes

For comparison

One can of Coca-Cola contains 35 grams of sugar: more than the daily allowance

What if a child prefers sweets to healthy food?

The first question is what we consider sweet. Fruits are often referred to as sweets, but this is not true. Fruit is a healthy, healthy and important product for children. If a child loves fruits and chooses them from a large number of foods, this is normal.

Another thing is if the child eats only cookies, sweets, sweetened yoghurts, curds and the like. This, of course, is not the norm.

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“Only the first few weeks are difficult”: 8 tips to help you eat less sweets

Often, an excess of sweets in the diet is associated with the fact that they try to feed the child with all their might. For example, a baby does not like cottage cheese, so sugar is added to it so that he eats at least a little. Or the child does not like soup, but then they promise him cookies, so the wrong habit is formed.

If children prefer sweets, you need to look at how it appeared in their lives and what role it plays. For example, sweets are often a motivation for a child to eat other foods. There are several ways to gradually reduce the amount of sweets in your diet.

Stop motivating with sweets. Sweets should be given along with the main meal, limiting their portion. That is, the child does not need to put a plate of borscht and a whole cake, but you can put a small candy. As soon as parents stop being afraid to do this, and the child understands that he can eat sweets just like that, the motivational component disappears. Children stop demanding sweets.

Smoothly reduce sweets in the diet. For example, give not five cookies, but four, add not three spoons of sugar to porridge, but two. Then continue to reduce portions gradually, a little bit once a week. So little by little you can come to a safe amount of sweets for the child.

Plan your sweets. For example, the family agrees that they buy a cake on Saturdays or ice cream on Sundays. That is, they buy sweets not when the child made a scandal at the checkout of the store, but when the parents planned it, they talked with the child.

Then children know that they can eat sweets, they don't forbid them, they don't need to overeat them somewhere, they will always be there on a certain day. As a result, they start eating less sweets.

Do not be intimidated by sweets. Children should not be told that if they eat a piece of cake, their teeth will fall out tomorrow or their stomach will ache. This will not happen, but they will see and remember that parents cannot always be trusted.

/fruits-and-vegetables/

How I started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables

How can I get my child to eat more fruits and vegetables?

It is unlikely that my answer will be unexpected - you need to eat them yourself. Most families do not eat enough vegetables and fruits. There are objective reasons for this - for example, it is expensive, and subjective - adults do not like vegetables, do not know how to cook them, are afraid of store-bought fruits, and so on.

Only one in ten adults in the world eat enough fruits and vegetables. In Russia, approximately 50% of families eat vegetables and fruits irregularly.

There is no magic here: if we ourselves started eating vegetables and fruits today, then the child will not start eating them tomorrow. This is a long process. Many children take three to six months to change their diet.

Basic advice: eat vegetables and fruits ourselves, put them on the table, don’t make an unpleasant mess out of them, cut them into nice pieces on a plate, offer them with every meal, don’t insist, don’t force. We don’t try to hide zucchini in cutlets or spinach in juices, but we learn to eat with pleasure. Then the children will start repeating after us.

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How to make a teenager's diet healthier?

Teenagers who only eat chips and drink cola are isolated cases of serious nutritional problems. Such children will be in a state of nutritional deficiency.

Of course, as children enter adolescence and receive pocket money, at some point they spend it on food. Usually this is the food that is limited or not available at home. This is normal, this is the stage of growing up.

If a child after school went to the store and bought chips, it is important to overcome the desire to scold, scold, deprive of pocket money, punish, intimidate. It is worth accepting this as the decision of the child and his choice. Then, just as in the case of younger children, the teenager will understand that food is allowed, he is not scolded. This means that he will not have the desire to stock up on such food and hide from his parents with it.

He will understand that if he wants chips or cola, he can go and buy them. As a result, he will switch to something else, start making decisions not in favor of fast food or sweets.

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It is the forbidden that becomes desirable. When we try to severely limit ourselves in any products, we go on diets, we have breakdowns. When there are no prohibitions, then there are no breakdowns.

An important point: before becoming a teenager, a child must understand that all these products are not something terrible, dangerous and forbidden, but something that he can try at a certain age.

You can talk to him that sometimes we buy hamburgers and cola when we go to a cafe, or we get popcorn at the cinema, or sometimes we eat chips at home. Parents are often afraid that the child will get into an environment where fast food is available and begin to overeat. But if there is no ban, this is unlikely to happen.

Should you always cook homemade food? What semi-finished products can be added to the diet?

It is not necessary to cook homemade meals all the time. Of course, it is associated with healthier eating habits, allowing you to eat more vegetables and fruits, a variety of grains, and get more fiber. But sometimes it’s okay to eat in a restaurant, order food with delivery, buy ready-made products in a store.

Speaking of semi-finished products, you need to understand that they are different. So, a frozen vegetable mixture is also a semi-finished product, but it is a healthy healthy product. A mixture for soup made from dry grains and dried vegetables is also a semi-finished product, but it is useful and allows you to diversify your diet.

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How much does it cost to cook at home for and with children? They often contain too much salt and saturated fat and are highly processed foods. Such products, of course, should be limited in the diet of children over five years old and avoided in the menu of children under five years of age.

That is, you can eat any food, but it is important to choose foods that provide the greatest variety, allow you to eat more vegetables and fruits, and limit those that are high in sugar, salt, saturated fat.

What can and cannot be said to a child about food?

What we tell a child about food influences his habits to a lesser extent than what we show and how we ourselves feel about food. But if parents speak negatively about the weight or appearance of the child, comment on his food, this increases the risk of nutritional problems in the future.

Also, do not intimidate with food - for example, telling that cola will make a hole in the stomach. The child will see that no hole has formed in himself or his friends, and his level of trust in adults will decrease.

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“You have to eat homemade food or you die”: 10 burning questions about healthy eating run, jump high and so on. Also, food helps us grow and be strong, enables our organs to work properly.

It is necessary to tell about the fact that food is different. So, some food gives only energy, pleasant taste sensations, a sense of celebration. For example, cake and other sweets. But it does not fill the body with vitamins and minerals, does not help to grow and develop. Such food can be eaten, but if we make it the basis of nutrition, it will be harder to play and learn.

This knowledge is enough for a child to understand how food works, why it is needed, not to avoid certain foods, to learn to love food.

How to suspect an eating disorder in a child?

Eating disorders, ED, are often overdiagnosed in children. Often, even the minimum selectivity of a child in nutrition is recorded here.

Eating Disorders in Children - American Academy of Pediatrics

This happens not only in Russia, but also in many other countries. But abroad, this is usually done by the parents themselves, and the doctor stops them, can determine from the list of criteria whether there really are violations or not.

In Russia, on the other hand, doctors often give parents the impression that their child has an eating disorder. It happens that such a diagnosis is made if the child does not eat one product, he does not like the smell or texture of some food. Many adults behave the same way, say, they cannot eat boiled onions or drink frothy milk, but no one diagnoses them because of this.

An eating disorder should be suspected if:

1. The child is critically short of height or weight.
2. His physical development is impaired.
3. There is regular weakness, drowsiness, the child is constantly cold and cannot get warm.
4. He does not show interest in active activities, that is, we see that there is a lack of energy.

It is also possible for a child to have an eating disorder if they do not eat many food groups. For example, 80-90% of the diet is dairy products, and he does not want the rest. Or when a child eats only one product - for example, only one brand or in a certain form. For example, he drinks only kefir of one brand from a bottle. There will be no other kefir, and if this one is poured into a cup, it will also refuse.

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You can also suspect an eating disorder in a child if he has severe anemia, severe deficiency of calcium, B vitamins, protein.

If parents think their child has an eating disorder, they should see a doctor.

In most cases, all of the above signs are absent in a child. He may have a weight at the lower limit of the norm, he may give preference to the same dairy products, but they do not take up 90, but 50%, he may have anemia, but not critical, but one that is eliminated by taking iron supplements. In these cases, we are not talking about RPP, but about a selective diet, which is adjusted by training and changing feeding tactics.

True eating disorders are very rare in children. And in most cases, if it is, then there are some concomitant diseases.

Which doctor should I go to if parents suspect their child has an ED?

The history is taken by the paediatrician. It evaluates whether the child has physical manifestations of selective nutrition: his weight, height, development, nutritional deficiencies, and so on.

If the child's nutrition has not been corrected, and his selectivity prevents him from developing, it is worth going to a psychiatrist. Only a psychiatrist can make such a diagnosis as RPP, not the parents themselves and not the pediatrician.

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This is important, because when a child does not have eating disorders, we can teach him. He does not need psychotherapy, nutritional support and so on.

If there is an eating disorder, then a team should work: a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, a nutritionist prescribing additional food, planning the sequence in which new foods are introduced into the diet.

Sometimes psychologists take over the correction of the nutrition of such children, but they cannot properly expand the child's diet when each new product is worth its weight in gold. You can’t introduce zucchini or cookies as a third product if the child eats only two: this will not give the right amount of energy and nutrients.

In my practice I have seen two children with an eating disorder where it was confirmed by a psychiatrist. Such cases cannot be confused with anything, they are significantly different from "does not eat any vegetables" or "refuses meat and fish." These are not the children who can be forced or persuaded to eat, feed under a cartoon.

What problems should I contact a pediatric nutritionist and how to choose such a specialist?

Nutrition, unfortunately, is largely discredited by specialists who prescribe dietary supplements for everyone. Many people think that a nutritionist is someone who will give you a promo code to buy a huge list of vitamins, put you on a strict diet with no dairy products, gluten, fruits, or anything else.

In fact, nutrition is the science of healthy and varied nutrition, and a nutritionist is the person who will help plan the menu.

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children were interested in them, read food labels, diversify the family menu.

A nutritionist works only with healthy people. He cannot treat obesity, anemia, other conditions or diseases, prescribe tests and read them. Its mission is to help healthy people plan healthy diets.

When choosing a nutritionist, it is important to look at the reviews of the people with whom he has worked, as well as what the specialist says and writes about. If he prescribes supplements, tries to exclude products or entire product groups from the menu, you should refuse his services. This is not about healthy eating and not about healthy eating habits.

Your own feelings are also important - is there trust in a specialist, is it comfortable to work with him. But education, course certificates, and so on are not always an indicator of professionalism, because there are few educational programs that train good nutritionists.

Remember

1. It is extremely rare for children to actually eat nothing. More often, parents' complaints are related to the fact that the child does not eat what, in their opinion, he should.
2. Every child should eat according to his appetite, there are no nutritional norms.
3. Coaxing children to eat is ineffective in the long run and only reduces their interest in food.
4. Alcohol is perhaps the only absolutely harmful product that under no circumstances should be given to children. For other products, there may be an age until which they should not be given.
5. It is good if the child eats enough vegetables and fruits, grains, dairy products and protein. Deviations from the optimal menu are acceptable, since almost any diet can be adjusted so that it contains all the necessary nutrients.
6. Sweet is recommended not to be included in the diet of children until at least two years of age.
7. Sweet should not be a motivation to eat other foods. If the child is already used to eating a lot of sweets, gradually reducing their amount in the diet can help.
8. In order for children to eat more vegetables and fruits, adults need to eat them themselves.
9. The ban on fast food and other food that adults consider harmful, on the contrary, makes it more desirable for a teenager.
10. You can eat any food, including fast food, but strive for a varied and healthy diet.
11. Eating disorders are often overdiagnosed. Such children are rare.
12. In case of suspicion of eating disorders, you should first visit a pediatrician, and then contact a psychiatrist.
13. The child should be told why food is needed and what it is, but not intimidate, not comment on his appearance and taste preferences.
14. A nutritionist works only with healthy people, he cannot prescribe tests or treat anything. Also, a good specialist does not prescribe a huge amount of dietary supplements.

Materials that will help parents save their budget and sanity are in our telegram channel @t_dety.

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