Pay Attention to Avoid Nutritional Pitfalls
Our children should be feasting on only the best food and drinks that we can provide, however research continues to show that this is not the case as children are eating large quantities of sugar, saturated fat and over the daily recommended level of salt.
One in four children is overweight and one in five is obese. Tooth decay has been seen in one third of infants. As food labeling continues to baffle consumers, a new traffic light system has emerged – which is helpful because it tells us at a glance whether the product is high or low in the three undesirables (i.e. sugar, saturated fat, and salt). However, it still doesn’t provide us with easy-to-follow information on what is actually in the food we eat. Here is a glimpse of some of the hidden nasties in your children’s food.
Sugar
Sugar is added to virtually everything your child eats, but it’s not easy to spot, as sugar is called by many names. Carbohydrates, sucrose, maltose, concentrated apple juice, dextrose, honey, fructose, glucose, concentrated grape juice, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are all forms of sugar.
Sugar (even by another name) is added to tinned pasta in tomato sauce, digestive biscuits, hot chocolate, cereal bars, corn flakes, ice cream, strawberry jam, energy drinks, tomato soup and tomato ketchup to name but a very few. Basically, any ingredient ending in “ose” is a sugar. Sometimes you will see three of four different types of ‘ose’ in one breakfast bar!
Salt
Salt is essential because of its sodium content (salt is made of sodium and chloride) which among other things, helps to control blood pressure. However, high levels of salt are added to all processed foods.
Children tend to eat foods like ketchup, bacon, pork sausages, instant noodles, cheesy snacks, corn flakes, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, – all of which contain added salt (it makes the food last longer).
For example, Kellogg’s All-Bran contains 2.25 grams of salt per 100 grams of cereal. Look at the labels. If a food label tells you that sodium is an ingredient, multiply the given number by 2.5 to work out exactly how much salt is contained within: 0.4g of sodium x 2.5 = 1g of salt.
Remember, recommended maximum daily salt intake for children is:
- 7 – 12 months, 1 gram
- 1 – 3 years old, 2 grams
- 4 -6 years old, 3 grams
- 7 – 10 years, 5 grams
- 11 years and adults, 6 grams
Fat
Fat is essential and provides us with energy. It comes from animals and plants. And while it is necessary, too much makes us overweight. A “low-fat” food can only be named as such if it contains 3 percent fat or less.
Hydrogenated and saturated fats are the most dangerous and the healthier fats are vegetable oils. But do try to avoid "hydrogenated" vegetable oils as these have been chemically changed to work with food, and may contain trans fats.
Hydrogenated fats are the fats in cakes, doughnuts, cereal bars, pork sausages, apple pie and chocolate, to name but a few. Lots of cereals contain hydrogenated fats.
Fats eaten at a fast food chain are usually high in saturated fat. For example, a regular sized meal with cheeseburger contains 15 grams of fat, the French fries contain 16 grams of fat, and the ice cream shake contains 6 grams of fat. This is considered high for a child up to 12 years.
Tips to avoid eating the wrong foods
- ALWAYS read labels carefully, especially if you are not sure what they mean. Know what is “a lot” and what is “a little” of added salt, sugar and fat.
- AVOID foods with “natural flavoring". This is really a food additive and has no nutritional value.
- A carton of juice which states, for example, “orange flavor” on the carton usually means “no real juice".
- A carton of juice which states for example “pure juice” is really PURE, but if it states “juice drink”, it is not real fruit – it will usually contain lots of sugar, water and colorings.
- Give your children snacks with LOW GI, for example, Cherries (14) Dried Apricots (31) Apples (38) Pears (38) Peaches (42) Oranges (44) Green Grapes (46) Banana (55) Sweet corn (55). These will have a slow, small effect on blood sugar and the snack will last longer.