By Dr. Wale Okediran
My children have suddenly taken a liking for junk food (fast food) such as fried and oily foods with carbonated and sugary drinks. Kindly let me know whether these kinds of foods are healthy. If not, what can I do to convince my children to stop eating these kinds of stuff.
Ladele (by SMS)
It is almost impossible nowadays to listen to the radio, watch TV or scroll through social media without being exposed to an advertisement telling us that all we need for a little happiness and love is a sugary drink or a fast-food snack. There’s nothing that a tasty, affordable, ready-made meal cannot fix, we are asked to believe. This rise in advertising has contributed to a growing global obesity crisis as well as nutrition deficiencies as more and more people opt to eat unhealthy food. Although everybody has the right to eat whatever they like, however, current evidence show that key causes of ill health – such as obesity and related non-communicable diseases – are linked to the consumption of junk food.
Although many countries have put in place policies and laws such as tax on sugar-sweetened beverages that will discourage the consumption of fast foods, parents and guardians have the responsibility to inculcate into their children and wards the proper habits of healthy living. It is also very essential that Parents and Guardians prepare nutritional and fresh meals for their children and wards which will be as tasty or even more delicious than fast foods.
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