Today a survey was released that looked at over 30,000 kids and found that they are snacking at least three times a day, which adds nearly 600 calories to their diet from snacks every day.
Cookies, cakes, chips and sodas regularly litter homes when kids get home from school, making it easy for them to dive into whatever is around. This can disrupt sleep patterns, not to mention lead to early warnings about heart disease and childhood obesity.
Millions of children are already at risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, but there is one major problem: snacks are delicious.
Plenty of studies are early to rail against parents who give their kids snacks, or have junk food lying around, but doing so is much easier than putting up with an unsatisfied teen, and cheaper than a hunt for healthy foods.
Here’s the thing, though, haven’t we succeeded to some degree with smoking? It would be easy to argue that junk food is the modern version of what cigarettes were to kids thirty years ago, and although smoking hasn’t been eradicated, there has been a successful effort to educate parents and kids about their dangers. If we can pull off the same awareness with food and obesity, maybe people would understand the long-term benefits to eating better and put that into action.
Vending machines are ubiquitous, but parents need to start by setting an example for themselves. Parents can still snack and provide snack choices, but they should go with options that are healthy and they can stick to for their own diets.
And there are plenty of delicious foods that fit the bill without being too expensive or detrimental to a daily caloric intake. These include:
-Sliced fruit. Cutting up strawberries, apples, pears or bananas, and leaving them in the fridge. These are some of the healthier sweets and sugars that are still tasty and sweet, but don’t have junk food’s repercussions.
-Veggies. Baby carrots, sweet peppers and celery. These are usually available in prepackaged trays in the produce aisle for the same cost as a bag of chips.
-Yogurt. This can come in a variety of flavors and makes a nice substitute to ice cream.
-Nuts. Raw almonds are some of the most delicious and valuable sources for protein and healthy fats. They can be on the expensive side, but it saves money in the long run.
Today a survey was released that looked at over 30,000 kids and found that they are snacking at least three times a day, which adds nearly 600 calories to their diet from snacks every day. Cookies, cakes, chips and sodas regularly litter homes when kids get home from school, making it easy for them to dive into whatever is around. This can disrupt sleep patterns, not to mention lead to early warnings about heart disease and childhood obesity.
Millions of children are already at risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, but there is one major problem: snacks are delicious. Plenty of studies are early to rail against parents who give their kids snacks, or have junk food lying around, but doing so is much easier than putting up with an unsatisfied teen, and cheaper than a hunt for healthy foods.
Here’s the thing, though, haven’t we succeeded to some degree with smoking? It would be easy to argue that junk food is the modern version of what cigarettes were to kids thirty years ago, and although smoking hasn’t been eradicated, there has been a successful effort to educate parents and kids about their dangers. If we can pull off the same awareness with food and obesity, maybe people would understand the long-term benefits to eating better and put that into action.
This image might have come from a NSFW blog
Vending machines are ubiquitous, but parents need to start by setting an example for themselves. Parents can still snack and provide snack choices, but they should go with options that are healthy and they can stick to for their own diets.
And there are plenty of delicious foods that fit the bill without being too expensive or detrimental to a daily caloric intake. These include:
- Sliced fruit. Cutting up strawberries, apples, pears or bananas, and leaving them in the fridge. These are some of the healthier sweets and sugars that are still tasty and sweet, but don’t have junk food’s repercussions.
- Veggies. Baby carrots, sweet peppers and celery. These are usually available in prepackaged trays in the produce aisle for the same cost as a bag of chips.
- Yogurt. This can come in a variety of flavors and makes a nice substitute to ice cream.
- Nuts. Raw almonds are some of the most delicious and valuable sources for protein and healthy fats. They can be on the expensive side, but it saves money in the long run.
