Risks of ultra-processed foods in children’s menus

Whenever we talk about baby food, people immediately think of the goodies that children like so much, but which – unfortunately – are terrible for their health. Ultra-processed foods can present a great risk to the health of our puppies, mainly because this type of food can cause addictions and encourage childhood obesity. First of all, it is worth remembering that ultra-processed foods are those that have undergone processing and techniques with a lot of sugar, salt, fats, texturizers, dyes, products that enhance color and flavor, among others. In addition, these foods are also lacking in vitamins, mineral salts, water and fiber.

In order to better understand the set of factors responsible for childhood obesity, a Brazilian survey investigated overweight and low-income children who have food addiction in two public schools in São Paulo. Based on the questionnaire, 95% of the 139 children who participated, all overweight or obese, suffer from at least one of the symptoms of food addiction. Of the total, 24% of the children were diagnosed with food addiction, and the consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar were the main causes of the problem – scary!

There are many processed foods, but among them we can highlight biscuits, sweets, snacks, ready-made cakes, cereal bars, yogurt and dairy drinks, ready-made sauces, ready-made chips, chocolate bars and much more.