Fast Foods – A Way to Childhood Obesity

Obesity has become one of the most common problems amongst children. Children are mostly attracted towards the food which in high in calories and fats. This diet includes junk food like pizzas, burgers, chowmein and many other fried items. The obesity rate in children is increasing drastically with the increases intake of fast foods by them. Let us know more about this problem with the help of this article.

Relation of Obesity and fast food

Obesity and fast food are closely related to each other. Nowadays parents need to be more concerned regarding the diet of their kids and avoid them from eating fast food in order to control the rate of increasing obesity in children. There is no doubt that children tend to eat more of the wrong food, but parents should make sure that they are into proper exercise regime. A simple walk of half an hour or one hour everyday can prove good for the children.

Extra Cheese ! Adds up

The ingredients present in fast foods contribute a lot towards the obesity of children. Nowadays many of the restaurants have come up with food with extra cheese and other fat increasing ingredients. Fast food not only increases the obesity but also contributes towards many other health problems.

Children should be prevented from having much fast food because many of the restaurants reuse the oils and sauces over and over again which are harmful for the health and they also tend to increase obesity. The oils used in fast food are stored for a long period of time which adds up to the fat content of the oil and as a result makes the overall fat of the body increase.

Kids getting obese with health risks

Fast food has become a fashion statement for children and this is one of the reasons why they are always attracted towards fast food. On top of that, they feel very lazy to get up and exercise everyday which in turn increases the stored fats and eventually children tend to put on weight.

Childhood obesity can cause severe health problems in future. Children who tend to be obese are more prone to heart problems in the near future and that too at a very young age. Many of the schools providing lunch for students have started including fast foods in their meals. This practice should be discontinued at once in order to maintain the proper health of the children and help them remain fit.

What studies show ?

Studies have shown that approximately 30 – 40 % of the diet of the children contain the fast foods. This in turn tends to increase the weight of the child by 6 pounds per year. According to these studies it is clearly proved that a child can gain up to 60 pounds during the age of 5 to 15 years. This way the rate of obesity in children can increase at a fast pace which will make them lead unhealthy life full of health problems. Therefore, it is always recommended to parents to avoid their children from eating fast foods, as much as possible so that 90 % of the risk related to obesity will be decreased.