Skip to content

What Are the Worst Foods for Kids?

    Worst Foods for Kids

    Unfortunately, one of the biggest health problems in most part of the modern world is the childhood obesity. In the last few decades, the percentage of obese children grew rapidly, and the life expectancy of this generation is getting shorter.

    Who are responsible that this happens? Most of us blame the manufactures who in most of the cases do not care about what we eat, they are only interested in the profit. However, in my opinion we parents are the most responsible since we feed our kids.

    I have two small children, and I know that in this rushing world it is not easy to feed the kids with the best types of foods. It is not easy to cook at home using nutritious and organic ingredients because of the lack of time we have.

    On top of that, the children are bombarded day by day with commercials promoting unhealthy foods as if they were something magical. And we must not forget the fact that many junk foods contain various additives.

    Most of the children have pretty fast metabolism, therefore they are almost always hungry. We give them something to chew on and then they continue their active lifestyle. Your kids are maybe not fat yet, but the problem is that they get used to an unhealthy eating habit. This unhealthy eating behavior will be there when they become adults. The metabolism of the adults is different from the children’s, far slower, which causes adulthood obesity.

    Hence, it is very important to teach your kids the healthy lifestyle which means healthy eating and regular exercising. But this is only possible if you are a role model.

    Here is my example. When my son was born 3 years ago, I started working out regularly and since then I look after what I eat. I consume far more vegetables, fruits and almost no fast food. My son follows me! When we watch TV we chew veggies and fruits, instead of soda he drinks lemon water. And for my happiness he tries to follow me when I do my workouts. It does not mean he never eats chips or chocolate, but far less than his friends.

    I know it is not simple for the parents to teach their kids for the right type of eating habit, but it is a must!

    Now let me show you some of the worst foods you can give them.

     

    Top 5 things to not feed your kids

    1. Processed meats and chicken nuggets

    There are almost no children who do not like hot dogs, hamburgers, nuggets and weenies. The sad truth is that these sorts of things are full of bad components such as saturated fat, nitrates, sodium and other artificial ingredients. They are high in calories as well. Several studies have proved that processed meats are responsible for many diseases and obesity.

    What is the alternative? Simple buy unprocessed meats which are low in fats such as chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef.

    Here are some terrifying facts about processed meat and why it is among the worst kids foods.

     

    2. Potato chips and French fries

    It is one of worst snack foods for kids. I know there is no life without chips in America, but it is bad for us. Most of the chips are full of saturated fats and salt which are responsible for various cardiovascular diseases. A recent study has proved that these foods contain a cancer-causing chemical called acrylamide that is generated when starchy foods are fried on high temperature.

    What are the alternatives? We love crunching on something, and veggies and fruits are suitable for this habit.

     

    3. Doughnuts and others

    Doughnuts are not only loved by the policemen, but the kids. Unfortunately! They are full of trans fats, sugar and artificial ingredients. And this is also true for other common things like muffins, buns and other bakeries. Never give these things for your kids for breakfast, they are desserts, but give them as rarely as possible.

    In my opinion, the best alternative is the peanut butter sandwich made from whole grain bread.


    4. Soda and “fake juices”

    What do I mean by fake juices? If the juice is not 100%, the manufacturers add several other artificial ingredients, flavors and of course sugar to make their products taste better. With this, the so called juice is almost as bad as soda. These sweet things, even the diet ones, have no nutritional value, they are full of unwanted carbs and make your kids addictive to them.

    What is the best alternative? I always say fresh water is the best, but children do not usually like it. Let’s taste it with some homemade juice or lemon. My son loves it. You can also purchase juice makers and make your juices from fresh fruits which will be full of beneficial nutrients.

     

    why-soda-is-bad

     

    5. Sweet cereals

    Hey, cereals are good, aren’t they? No! Most of the cereals are full of sugar and other artificial ingredients to make them “funny”.  And those colorful packages with cartoons just make the things worse. Most of these products only contain a few whole grains, they are low in fiber and contain tons of sugar. So, they have far less nutritional value than we believe. Always check the label on the box before buying anything.

    Click to enlarge why they are among the worst prepackaged foods.

    cereal-facts

    Of course, there are other bad foods for kids, but these are the ones that we usually give our children. Focus more on how you feed your kids to help them become healthy adults and to avoid several illnesses.


    FAQ

    Which are the worst fast food items and restaurants?

    worst-fast-food-items-restaurants-infographic

    Information about healthy and unhealthy food

     

    Related:

    Did you like this post? Share with your friends.

    nv-author-image

    James Wright

    James (36) has been working out since he was 15 years old. He has a home gym where he pumps iron, does bodyweight workouts and boxing. He likes sharing his experiences with others who want to build a better physique.

    1 thought on “What Are the Worst Foods for Kids?”

    1. Currently, I find many families do not control the eating of young children. This leads to overweight, obesity. It is advisable to restrict unhealthy foods such as carbonated bean, french fries, chocolate, popcorn …

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    I accept the Privacy Policy