Unhealthy Foods You Should Stop Giving Your Children

Many children are picky eaters and a lot of times parents and caregivers give in to their demands too easily as the little one’s straightaway refuse to eat their meals. What many of the kids prefer are sugary treats, junk food with little nutrition, or some selected foods that do not have all the required nutrients. Health experts say the need for balanced meals starts as early as the age of 1 and not eating well could lead to long-term health implications for children. A good diet is important to build immunity, guard one against seasonal infections, develop of brain and body, and keep up the child’s energy levels.

Making meals interesting for children by weaving in healthy ingredients albeit in a delicious way could help the little ones get the required nutrients. Mixed vegetable parathas or tikkis, paneer rolls, and mixed fruit desserts are some of the ways of making ‘healthy’ appealing to children. Since the food preferences of children are set quite early in their life, it is the right time for parents to focus on developing a taste for healthy foods for their kids. Sometimes wrong food habits during the early years can carry on till adulthood and beyond.

Here’s a list of food items that you should completely eliminate from your child’s diet.

Raw milk and soft cheese:

Basically, unpasteurized foods or drinks contain harmful bacteria which could cause severe diarrhea and serious infective illness. It also weakens the gut health of your kids which harms the immune system of your kid. So, avoid these foods and also raw meats like sashimi, sushi, etc.

Chips, crips, and crackers:

Excess salt is not good for the growing kidneys. Canned, processed, and frozen food items, sausages, chips, crackers, crisps, pickles, etc are some of the foods you should avoid giving your children on a regular basis.

Caffeine:

Too much caffeine can cause increased heart rate, anxiety, and lack of sleep and it could be toxic for children. Also, it can interfere with calcium absorption and hinder proper bone growth in the growing years. Do check labels when you are buying something off the shelf.

Packaged foods, deep-fried foods:

Saturated fats and trans fats are unhealthy for your child’s health as they could lead to obesity and its related diseases. It could also increase bad cholesterol in the body. These are mostly found in bakery products, junk packaged foods, and deep-fried food items. However, unsaturated fats such as nuts, avocado, soy foods, seeds, etc. are healthy fats and can be provided to your kids in moderate amounts.

Raw vegetables:

Raw vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, peas, cauliflower, beans, ladyfinger, etc. contain high levels of nitrates and also act as a choking hazard for younger children in raw forms. Try to provide these as thoroughly rinsed, well-cooked, or boiled veggies to your child.

Round foods:

Foods such as whole grapes, raisins, almonds, other nuts, hard peas, etc can get stuck in a child’s airway. Avoid giving these food items to your baby as a whole piece until 5 years of age. You can however use them in mashed and powdered forms.

Prawns, peanuts, or foods that could cause allergies:

Your child also may suffer from some food allergies. Few common foods cause food allergies such as milk, prawn, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soya beans, fish, nuts, etc. So, if you find any symptoms such as hives or rashes after eating that food item, kindly consult the paediatrician immediately and the nutritionist could help you with a detailed diet plan.

Also Read: Tips To Build Respectful Connections Between Parents And Children