Making informed choices about what to feed your children is crucial for their health and well-being. It’s becoming more challenging to provide your kids with a healthy, well-balanced diet due to nasty chemicals and toxins that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows into everything. Still, some foods are worse than others. Here are ten foods you should stop feeding your kids immediately.
Foods With Food Dyes
Before jumping into specifics, food dyes are harmful for several reasons. Many artificial food dyes are derived from petroleum, raising concerns about their safety and long-term effects on children’s health.
These dyes have been linked to various adverse reactions, including allergies and hyperactivity. Finally, food dyes can disrupt children’s natural appetite cues, making it challenging to maintain a healthy diet. They are in everything. Choose homemade or dye-free alternatives.
1. Fast Food
Skip the Happy Meals. Fast food is extremely high in unhealthy fats and salt. And often includes food items with artificial coloring. Regular consumption can lead to weight problems, poor nutrition, and health problems later in life, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
2. Soda
Soda often contains artificial food dyes and is linked to childhood obesity and dental issues. Soda provides empty calories and can lead to unhealthy weight gain and poor eating habits that will follow them later in life, posing serious health risks.
3. Fruit Juices
Fruit juices are high in added sugars and can contribute to excessive calorie consumption and excessive tooth decay. It’s better to opt for whole fruits or use a juicer to make fresh juice without the added sugar at home. Kids love pushing the fruit through and watching the de-pulping process.
4. Breakfast Cereals
Many sugary cereals marketed to children are high in sugar and often contain artificial food dyes. Moreover, these breakfast cereals contain cancer-causing chemicals, including glyphosate (an ingredient in the weed killer Roundup).
An analysis released by the Environmental Working Group’s Children’s Health Initiative discovered that nearly two dozen of General Mills’ oat-based cereals and snacks were contaminated with glyphosate. With the exception of four products — all others contained levels higher than what EWG scientists consider safe for children.
5. Processed Sugary Snacks
Snacks like candy, cookies, breakfast, and granola bars are high in added sugars, often accompanied by artificial food dyes. These treats can contribute to poor dental health, childhood obesity, and sugar dependence that initiate cravings and withdrawals.
6. Processed High-Sodium Snacks
As with sugary processed snacks, high-sodium processed snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers contain cancer-causing chemicals. Harvard reports a diet high in sodium can lead to hypertension, an increased risk of heart disease, and stroke. It can also cause calcium loss — which may be pulled from your bones.
7. Processed Meats
As with all processed foods, processed meats, including hot dogs, bacon, and sausages, are often high in sodium, unhealthy fats, and cancer-causing carcinogens. Consuming these foods can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity in children. It also develops poor eating habits that prove more challenging to break later in life.
8. Flavored Yogurts
Flavored yogurts are loaded with added sugars. They often use artificial food dyes for vibrant colors, making them more like a dessert than a healthy snack. Choose plain yogurt and add your child’s favorite fruit for sweetness. You can also add a bit of honey or pure maple syrup.
9. White Bread
White bread is made from refined flour and lacks essential nutrients and fiber. Consuming too much white bread can lead to blood sugar spikes, contributing to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
10. Fried Foods
Fried foods like french fries and chicken nuggets are ridiculously high in unhealthy fats and salt. Overconsumption can lead to weight problems and poor cardiovascular health.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.