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According to restaurant
market-research firm Sandelman & Associates Inc., the average
fast-food consumer dined 16.4 times a month in 2002.
The surveys 16.4 times a month is equal to no vegetables
to speak of (except that little piece of lettuce and a thin slice
of tomato) and no fruit for 5 and a half days a month.
So that would mean very little fiber, minerals and
vitamins. No essential fatty acids, just the bad kind of oils.
How are their bodies supposed to work, let alone build
strong bodies and good immunity, on this kind of diet? Yes the
child’s health will appear to be okay on the surface, but
underneath, the his/her body is getting more and more nutrient
deficient.
This will lead to immune deficiency, high cholesterol,
and diseases showing up at an earlier age than we used to see.
And I can assume that the soda comes with those meals
as well. Sodas are so acidic that studies have been done on them
to see how much they are affecting teenage athletes and their
mineral balance. Minerals are pulled from tissue and bone to
keep the blood pH in balance to buffer the acids of the sodas.
This leads to osteoporosis in teenagers.
In addition to eating
at fast food places, how much fast food and non nutritive food
is eaten at home? From what I see in shopping carts at the grocery
store, a great deal. So reality is that many children are getting
considerably less real food than they were 20 years ago.
Is this a real problem?
Yes! I have done nutritional counseling for young adults
who ate nothing but fast foods for every meal. One that sticks
in my mind was a young man that said he was too busy with his
job and just drove by the fast food place for his meals.
And one 19 year old female
was so tired, ill and overweight that she could hardly get off
the couch. Her mom cooked regular meals at home, but this young
lady insisted on fast foods for her meals instead: donuts
for breakfast, and driving to fast food restaurants for the other
two meals.
Because of her poor eating
habits and eating fast foods, my brothers step daughter was diagnosed
with osteoporosis by the time she was 18. She is 20 now, still
eats a lot of fast food and does not "get it" when
it comes to what osteoporosis means to her health now and in
the future.
What Are The Consequences?
What might some of the affects be of this diet lifestyle?
Constipation. Acne. Growing pains/leg aches. Not being able to
think clearly. Attention Deficit Disorder. Moody. Hyperactivity.
Blood sugar disorders including Diabetes. Possibly osteoporosis.
Menstrual problems for girls. Getting the flu and
colds often. Bad breath/body odor. Overweight. Becoming overly
acidic. Continued hunger, even though the child ate. No energy.
The list goes on and on.
What to do?
You as the adult have a responsibility to educate
your child. If you don’t take responsibility, the advertising
for fast food and peer pressure from the other children will
get to them.
Their taste buds get trained for these flavors by
the MSG and flavor enhancers added to addict them to fast food.
And these chemicals affect the brain, making it harder for the
child to think clearly.
Show your child you love them and care about what
happens to them. Guide them, lead them, set the example for them.
They need to know the truth about the importance of
eating fruits and vegetables. They need to know the consequences
of drinking sodas and eating fast food. Please educate your kids
that their food choices have serious consequences.
© 2003
Article written by Jeannie Crabtree C.Ac. Jeannie
publishes Healthy Living Newsletter and Blog. She shares Nutrition
tips and research. http://www.health-doc.com |
