Popping in unhealthy bites

It’s hard to resist the temptation to dig into a pack of potato wafers, bite into a juicy burger or a pizza. Add to these, the many alluring advertisements for junk food and it is no wonder that children get carried away. This leaves parents to tackle their demands without losing the balance between healthy and junk food.

Junk food is easily available off the counter but making a healthy snack is indeed a time-consuming affair but certainly worth all the trouble given the long-term health benefits. Excess consumption of junk food can affect one’s digestion, memory and make one lethargic, warns Dr Sandhya Singh S, head, Nutrition and Dietetics, Apollo Speciality Hospital. She points out that processed food contains lots of ‘taste-active solutes,’ including salt and sugar. “Seasonings create a high salivation response. Eatables like chips melt quickly in one’s mouth, enhancing dynamic contrast and evoked quality— two parameters that contribute to pleasurable sensations. They are calorie dense, which make one feel good and content,” says Sandhya. She suggests that one of the easiest ways to get children and sometimes even adults to follow healthy eating habits, is to not stock junk food at home. “Cultivating healthy eating habits from childhood and not stocking junk food at home is an initiative parents must take to ensure their children stay away from these food items,” adds Sandhya.  

While experts are quick to point out the harmful effects of junk food, parents are always faced with the challenge of ensuring that their child is on a healthy route. Hectic schedules make it difficult for them to make time to pack a healthy snack but there are people like Shilpa Mathani, an IT professional and mother of two boys Aryaman and Aryav, who feels educating children about the importance of attaining a balance between eating healthy and those categorised as ‘junk’ is imperative. “Educating the children early about the harmful effects of regular consumption of junk food and why fruits and vegetables should be an indispensable part of one’s diet helps them distinguish good from bad food,” says Shilpa. She makes it a point to include dry fruits, vegetables and fruits into her children’s diet. “We stick to a healthy diet through the week and on some weekends, I let them have burgers and pizzas,” adds Shilpa. Echoing Shilpa’s view is J Somashekar Reddy, an interior designer, who says his seven-year-old son is allowed to indulge in his favourite foods on the weekend. “My son sticks to a healthy diet through the week and we allow him to give into his craving for junk food once in a while. He plays badminton and good physical activity also ensures that he stays healthy,” adds Somashekar.

There are also a few parents like Nivedita Gapapathy, a consultant, who works from home and mother of two boys Anirudh and Vikram, who feels children must be given an understanding of what comprises healthy food and why consuming junk food on a regular basis is not good. Nivedita says, “It’s okay to let children have their favourite snack once in a while. As long as they are eating right and are healthy. My children have their breakfast and lunch at school and come home to have a wholesome snack,” she opines.  

Experts suggest that people must reserve junk food, in moderation, for special occasions. Dr Chittaranjan Andrade of NIMHANS feels it is better to use fruit in place of junk food for regular consumption. He feels it is important to draw people’s attention to the long-term health concerns associated with junk food intake. “Junk food is a popular pick because it is readily available. Healthy food takes more time to prepare, is less convenient to carry and eat, and is more difficult to make a child eat,” says Chittaranjan.
 
He warns that it is better to reduce the consumption of junk food early or it becomes a challenge to deal with the health issues later on. Chittaranjan says, “Overweight and obesity are the earliest consequences, occurring as early as during childhood. They increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint disease, cancer and other conditions in later life.”