10 common foods that you must stop feeding your kids NOW!
Are you giving your kid the right food?
Whether you are a young mother or a veteran one, staying a trifle obsessed to provide the best possible food to your child is quite natural. Usually, you may be either depending on the traditional granny wisdom or a deluge of TV advertisements to choose the food for your kids. But beware, if you are opting for either of these food items for your kids as they may do more harm than good to their health.
Honey
No doubt honey is traditionally considered to be nectar among Indian food items. But for your kids, it may not be as sweet and healthy if your child is below 2 years. Honey contains a dangerous bacteria that causes Botulism, a fatal disease. This bacteria is not strong enough to harm adults but can spell disaster for your kid's health owing to their delicate immune system. This bacteria is found in all types of honey, irrespective of its source.
Packed chocolate or fruit snacks
Reeling under the deluge of 24*7 jingle-bell TV ads of chocos and fruit snacks, complete with young mothers' mesmerizing smiles, you may be often lured into buying them, thinking they are the best breakfast for kids. But just stop! Beneath the veneer of these TV ads for chocos and fruit snacks, what you actually get is a heavy dose of sugar. Little consumption of this ready to eat breakfast cereal may sure make your kid a little chubbier and cuter. But it’s also going to lead your kids to irreversible obesity.
Fish
No doubt fishes sound synonymous to excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and lean protein. But good facts aside some fishes like shellfish, marlin, tuna, shark, swordfish or even tilefish contain very high levels of mercury in them. Older fishes too have a great amount of mercury in them along with fat-soluble pollutants from water pollution. Mercury causes bio-accumulation in humans which can result in mercury poisoning. Mercury is a very heavy and dangerous metal which is so toxic that it directly hampers the nervous system. So do not serve your children fish unless you are absolutely sure of them.
Granola Bars
Departmental stores are all stacked up with granola bars, ostensibly a source of energy for lethargic kids. But it is as good as feeding your kids with loads of candies as they are actually high in sugar content. So if you really want to feed your kids granola bars then avoid buying them from the market and make them at home. And make sure they have the right ingredients.
Sports Drinks
There is absolutely no reason why you should be buying any energy drink for your kids. Energy drinks are just not meant for kids. They are meant only for adults, who are totally exhausted after hitting the gym and in need of some quick calories and electrolytes. As sports drinks are too high in sugar and calories which can cause obesity which makes your once active child a couch potato attracting a number of health conditions like diabetes and bad cholesterol levels.
Frozen Food
Frozen foods are very high in saturated fats that raise the LDL cholesterol in your blood that causes risk of heart diseases, sodium which can cause blood pressure, and loads of preservatives that can do permanent damage to the nervous system. Also, the chicken, cheese or fish used in these types of food items are of very poor quality. Feed your kids homemade chicken instead, that is fresh and made under your supervision. Frozen food items are very high in calorie content and are thus very harmful for kids.
Dipping Sauces
Having a burger or pizza with the extra dollop of your kid's favorite sauce is sure very tasty. But junk food already has a high content of these sauces in them. While junk food itself causes many health concerns, do not add sauces to the list. Condiments like mayo, ketchup etc are harmful for kids as they contain high levels of fat and calories that contribute majorly to excessive fat gain and high cholesterol levels. You could swap these sauces with healthy alternatives like Greek yogurt mixed with seasoning instead of a ranch dressing or you could even make your own tomato sauce at home but try to stay as away as possible from the ones stacked in the market as they are very unhealthy.
Fruit Juices
All types of packed fruit juices are very harmful as they contain just sugar which causes obesity and preservatives that cause palpitations, allergies or even cancer. They do not have any fruits in them even if they claim so. The most harmful among all juices is the apple juice as it contains the highest level of fructose. Switching from fruits to packed juices is the biggest mistake one can make for their kids as it’s doing more harm than good. When kids consume these juices they miss out on the fiber that they get from real fruits and also the essential vitamins and minerals.
Soda
Soda is another useless drink that only harms the health of kids. Keep your children strictly away from these drinks as they cause damage to the bones and teeth since they leach away the calcium in the body. Also, just like fruit juices, sodas are piled up with a high level of calories and sugar that can make your child fat in no time and make them very unhealthy. So do not buy these for your kids.
Pasta
Being a modern mother who is often running late for work, you might be storing packets and packets of noodles, pasta or macaroni to instantly serve your kid before leaving for work. But you need to stop! These items are very high in sodium content that raises the risk of blood pressure, heart failure or stroke and one serving contains more than what is recommended for a child's entire daily requirement.These packaged instant food items are rich in preservatives and also contain zinc in them that can damage the internal functioning of your child’s body. These packaged food items may be quick to make but they are also very quick in causing damage to your kid's health. They have empty calories and have preservatives that are harmful to the little ones.