Effects of Fast Food on Children

When one utters the word fast food, 'junk food' is the word that pops up in our minds. Fast food has become synonymous to hamburgers, pizzas, French fries, hotdogs, rolls, etc. Junck foods have high calories, fats, saturated fat, sugar and salt content. Many restaurant chains and fast food joints have established business selling these easy-to-eat eatables. People have less time to spare for cooking food and eating it. Fast food helps them save the precious time and their inexpensiveness becomes an added attraction.

Children are more prone to the advertisement gimmicks of the junk food chains and get tempted to try out their products. Their easy to eat and lip-smacking tastes, allure them away from healthy vegetables and homemade nutritious food. The fats, sugars and salt being appealing to the child's primordial tastes, draw the children. As the foods contain starch, they do not make the child feel full, thus, leading to overeating. Fast foods cause a number of health problems in children.

Health Implications of Fast Food
The excess sugar in the junk foods and sodas lead to diabetes in children. Children develop type 2 diabetes that generally affect our grandparents and parents. Their bodies fail to produce the insulin that controls the sugar levels and metabolism.

Fats and saturated fats lead to high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol leads to various heart problems. These heart problems increase the risk of major heart diseases. It may lead to dyslipidemia when the LDL levels and triglycerides are abnormally high. It puts one at risk of coronary heart diseases.

The excessive sodium leads to high blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to ruptures and cracks in the blood vessel walls. The body uses lipoprotein to repair these walls converting it into a substance that contains cholesterol thus, indirectly increasing the cholesterol levels.

Children become anemic as they do not get the required vitamins and iron supplements necessary for their growth. Children become lethargic and become tired easily. Green vegetables and fresh fruits become almost non-existent in their diet, causing a deficiency in macro and micro nutrient supplements in their bodies. This decreases the immunity and children become susceptible to various diseases and ailments. Deficiency in calcium makes their teeth, nails and bones brittle. Many times the added preservatives and coloring agents used in fast foods can cause cancer in children.

The most common and the root cause of all the diseases in children due to junk food is obesity. Fast food obesity is the root cause for major diseases that can develop in children. According to research, 15-20% of American children in the age group of 12-18 years are overweight. Obese children spend little time in physical activity or sports, leading to a sedentary lifestyle which leads to mental stress and other emotional disturbances. Even if children are active, they tend to weigh more than their peers, who do not consume fast foods. As mentioned earlier, these foods do not give the children a feeling of fullness. This makes them feel hungry most of the time, which leads to overeating and increase in weight.

Alternatives to Fast Foods
You can't prevent your children from eating fast food, but you can ask them to make healthier choices. You can ask them to ask for less cheese topping on their pizza and have more of low-fat toppings like onions, mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables of their choice. They can order roast beef, turkey or chicken sandwiches made of whole wheat breads or biscuits. Burgers can be single meat patty with extra lettuce leaves, tomatoes and onions. They can opt for salads with lettuce leaves and assorted vegetables. Grilled bake, roasted or broiled meats are a better choice over breaded or fried types. They can avoid anything that is cream based like 'creamy tomato soups'. They can choose low-fat milkshakes or juices over sodas and colas. Low-fat frozen yogurt, fruit ices, etc. make excellent dessert choices.

Following the above guidelines while ordering junk foods can help decrease the effects of fast food on children. You can try making spicy and healthy recipes at home from tomatoes, pickles, potatoes, onions and other vegetables and use it as sandwich or burger fillings. You can make variety of baked recipes using chicken and meat and serve salads made of fruits and vegetables with every meal. This will prevent children from buying fast food. The effects of these foods can be very damaging. For the brighter, healthier and safer future of your kids, prevent them from eating excessive fast food, rightly known as, 'junk food'.