CANTON, MISSOURI (WGEM) – It’s summer time which means your children will be out for the summer and health educators say parents should make sure their kids are eating healthy foods.
A study from the Harvard Medical School found that consumption of ultra-processed foods have severe health risks, such as dementia, strokes, cardiovascular issues and other illnesses.
Jay Hoffman, the department chair for athletic training and health sciences for Culver-Stockton College said ultra-processed foods tend to be loaded with fat, sugar, salt, but also preservatives and other chemicals to give it a longer shelf life.
Hoffman said it’s important for parents to look at the nutrition labels on food to see just how many chemicals, preservatives, sugars, and other items are in the food. He says parents also need to take a closer look at the labels, as some marketing mislabels food to make it seem healthy, but it isn’t.
“When they see like, ‘all natural’. So people will sometimes confuse that as being organic. And the requirements for something being organic versus something being all natural are totally different. There’s not government regulation per say on the all natural. So that’s typically a marketing ploy,” Hoffman said.
He said that can also apply to foods labeled low fat, diet, even reduced sugars, as there’s always something extra like chemicals, sugars or sodium added to make it flavorful.
He said its important parents keep an eye on what their children eat and work to incorporate more fruits and vegetables as a snack, instead of things like chips or cookies. He said it’s gives them more energy, and having better eating habits early in life can lead to less chances of diabetes and other diseases. He said what makes ultra-processed foods appealing is that it’s ready to go, so parents should try to do that with healthier food.
“Pre-packaging your own healthy options in the fridge, so that the kids can grab it real quickly. Because one of the primary advantages to processed foods is it is easy to go. You grab it, you go, it’s no preparation. So if you can take that preparation side out of it for your kids, your kids will be more likely to grab it,” Hoffman said.
He said you can also add things to make the healthier food sweet and appealing. He said he will sprinkle cinnamon on apple slices for his children and add some ranch for the vegetables. He said doing minor things like that can make eating healthier appealing to children.
He said building these healthy eating habits at a young age can mean they continue following those habits as they grow older, which leads to a healthier life.
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