LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: A photo illustration of chocolate chip cookies on February 16, 2018 in … [+]
An average toddler in the UK gets around 47% of their calories from highly processed foods such as packaged yoghurts, sweetened cereal products, puddings and wholemeal bread, new findings say. This percentage increases to 59.4% by the age of seven.
“The increase in the dietary share of highly processed foods has been accompanied by a decrease in the intake of unprocessed and minimally processed foods in favor of ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat products such as pizza, processed meat, salty snacks, puddings and sweet cereal products, desserts and confectionery items,” the researchers wrote in the study. “It has been suggested that the hyperpalatable nature of some highly processed foods may in part lead to continued consumption of these foods, which goes beyond habit formation.”
Previous research has it seems that introducing young children and children to fruits and vegetables and making them a significant part of their diet increases the likelihood that they will accept these foods and may be more inclined to choose them from the temptation of highly processed foods to their coming of age. In England, 22% of children ages 4 to 5 are either overweight or obese. This percentage jumps to 38% by age 10 to 11.
“Highly processed foods such as baby yogurts and breakfast cereals are often marketed as healthy and while they may provide micronutrients and fiber, they are often a source of free sugar,” the researchers added. “High free sugar intake increases the risks of dental caries and contributes to excess energy intake and is of particular concern in infancy, when lifelong eating habits are being established.”
Lead author Rana Conway from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care and her colleagues analyzed data from 2,592 children whose parents had kept food diaries documenting what their children ate on a daily basis.
They observed that toddlers who had consumed more hyperprocessed foods got less protein than those who consumed lower amounts.
In a press release, Conway said, “It’s not easy to feed children healthily in our current food environment. Highly processed foods are often cheaper than foods that parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.”
“Also, despite labels suggesting they are a healthy choice, highly processed foods marketed to children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices,” he added.
The researchers highlighted that in the UK, foods marketed to children, such as breakfast cereals featuring cartoon characters, are the least healthy as they have extremely high levels of high fat, salt or sugar.
“Across Europe, UPFs marketed for children typically have a worse nutrient profile – ie more fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium – compared to less processed products. It is currently proposed to restrict the promotion of these products in the UK to address childhood obesity, in part prompting the reformulation,” they wrote. “Comprehensive, long-term policies will be needed to rebalance children’s diets towards a lower proportion of highly processed foods, such as warning labels on products, inclusive school food policies and subsidies for fresh and minimally processed foods.”
