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Toddlers get 69% of calories from ‘unhealthy’ ultra-processed foods, warns study�
Nutritious food is crucial for babies’ development of the body and brain. While modern parents believe they are extra cautious of what they feed their children, a new study warns against some common eating habits.
Unlike a few decades ago when people prepared food from scratch, the modern lifestyle demands quick and easy recipes. Some instant infant foods assumed to be rich in nutrition owing to their ingredients aren’t as healthy as you imagine.
Parents are feeding children ultra-processed foods
You may want to take a hard look at the ready-made foods you’re feeding your children as a recent study finds that toddlers get half of their calories from ultra-processed foods.
Although yogurts and wholegrain breakfasts are touted as “healthy”, their core ingredients such as sugar and salt aren’t good for health.
The researchers surveyed 2, 591 parents in the UK to understand the eating habits of children born between 2007 and 2008, when they found out that most toddlers consumed ultra-processed foods.
Flavored yogurts and breakfast cereals usually contain more sugar and salt than the recommended amount for children, which is concerning.
Commenting on the findings, lead author: Dr Rana Conway, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “Ultra-processed foods are not all bad for our health and the foods typically eaten by the toddlers in our study are ones that are seen as quite healthy.”
“However, some wholegrain cereals and flavored yogurts have high levels of added sugar and salt and our study found that toddlers who consumed more ultra-processed foods also had a higher intake of these ingredients.,” she continued.
The study further looked into more ultra-processed foods fed to toddlers including industrially made sliced bread, biscuits, sausages, and crisps, which lack essential nutrients.
Eating habits can extend to later years
Not only were children found to eat not-so-healthy food at a very young age, but the eating habits highlighted in the study are unlikely to encourage them to eat a healthier diet when they grow up.
It was also found that 21-month-old toddlers who consumed high amounts of ultra-processed foods were 9.4 times more likely to be in the highest UPF-consuming group at age seven.
Shockingly, toddlers who ate less ultra-processed foods got about 28% of their calorie intake from the said diet, while it was as high as 69% in others who ate more highly processed foods.
Despite the convenience and affordability of ultra-processed foods you find at supermarkets, the researchers warn parents to be more mindful of their children’s diet as it strongly impacts their eating habits in the future.
“Eating patterns in the early years are important, as they help set habits that can persist through childhood and into adulthood,” said the lead author.
