Poor nutrition in the developing child and the adolescent can lead to diseases that hinder their physical and mental development, as well as bring more serious problems to adult life.
Because it is still developing, the organism of the child and adolescent is more susceptible to change, and nutrition is the main way to enhance healthy growth and learning. Therefore, here are the main diseases that wrong feeding can cause and what to do to avoid:
1. Obesity
Obesity is the main problem that leads to other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular problems. In addition, being overweight, along with cigarette smoking, is one of the leading causes of increased cancer risk.
To prevent obesity in childhood and adolescence, preference should be given to a more natural diet and with less industrialized ready products such as biscuits, salted snacks, ice cream, sausage and sausage, for example. Encouraging children to bring home-made snacks to school is a great way to create healthy habits and avoid the excess of pasta, sugar, and fried foods that are sold at school.
2. Anemia
Infant anemia is common and usually occurs due to lack of iron in food, which is mainly present in foods such as meats, liver, whole foods, beans and dark green vegetables such as parsley, spinach and arugula.
To improve iron intake in the diet, you should encourage the consumption of beef liver steaks once a week, and eat a citrus fruit every day after lunch, such as orange, pineapple or mandarin, as they are rich in vitamin C and increase the absorption of iron in the intestine. See the main symptoms and how the treatment for anemia is done.
3. Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that is appearing more and more in children and adolescents due to overweight and lack of physical activity. Besides the increase in sugar consumption, it is also linked to the great consumption of foods rich in flour, such as breads, cakes, pastas, pizzas, salted and cakes.
To prevent, it is necessary to maintain an adequate weight and to avoid the excessive consumption of sugar and white flour, being served to the foods that have large quantities of these ingredients, like biscuits, ready-made pasta for cakes, processed juices, soft drinks and salty snacks. Know the amount of sugar in the most consumed foods.
4. High Cholesterol
High cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis. This problem occurs mainly due to the consumption of foods rich in hydrogenated fats, such as biscuits, salted and processed products, and foods with lots of sugar or flour.
To prevent and improve good cholesterol levels and reduce bad cholesterol, one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil should be added over lunch and dinner, and include in foods like nuts, almonds, peanuts, nuts and seeds as chia and flaxseed.
5. Hypertension
Childhood hypertension may be caused by other problems, such as kidney, heart or lung disease, but it is also strongly linked to overweight and excessive salt intake, especially when there is a history of high blood pressure in the family.
To prevent, it is necessary to keep weight controlled, avoid the use of ready-made spices in cubes and add little salt in the preparations at home, giving preference to natural seasonings like garlic, onion, pepper, peppers and parsley. In addition, avoid high-salt foods such as frozen lasagne, ready-made feijoadas, bacon, sausage, sausage and ham. Find out which foods are richer in salt.
6. Insomnia and shortness of breath
Insomnia often happens because being overweight causes difficulty breathing due to the accumulation of fat in the region of the neck and chest. The increase in fat presses the flour, which is the channel through which the air passes, making breathing difficult and causing snoring and insomnia.
In this case, the solution is to lose weight through healthy eating. See tips to make your child eat everything.
7. Arthritis, Arthritis and Joint Pain
Arthritis can often be linked to overweight and increased inflammation in the body, caused by the accumulation of fat. To avoid, it is necessary to investigate the main cause of the problem and control the weight, in addition to consuming anti-inflammatory foods such as fruits, vegetables, tuna, sardines, nuts and seeds. Find out what the anti-inflammatory foods are.
8. Eating Disorders
Poor diet, excessive control of parents and the great demand of current beauty standards put a lot of pressure on children and adolescents, and can serve as a trigger for the emergence of disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.
It is necessary to be aware of the behavior of young people to identify eating disorders, refusal to feed themselves or moments of compulsion. Teaching how to eat well, without focusing on beauty standards or restrictive diets, is the best way to prevent this type of problem.
Here's how to get your child to eat better:
