Every sixth child in Germany is overweight or obese. In addition to the increasing lack of exercise, one of the causes is an unhealthy diet. Products advertised specifically for children often contain too much sugar, fat and artificial sweeteners. These foods for kids are anything but healthy.
Groceries that are specifically marketed to children and young people are usually attractive with bright colors, little pictures, mascots, toys or competitions. The commercials are full of funny cartoon characters and catchy songs. It’s not the children’s fault that such products appeal to them. As a result, however, there is a risk of overweight and the problem is that if you are already overweight or obese as a child or young person, you usually carry the pounds around with you as an adult. Therefore, take responsibility for your children and don’t let yourself be carried away into impulsive purchases even in the fussy zone at the supermarket checkout. The following foods contain too much sugar, fat, colourings, additives and sweeteners.
Table of Contents
5 surprisingly unhealthy foods for kids
- Dairy products such as pudding, yoghurt or quark:
little processed dairy products have their place in a balanced diet in moderation, both for adults and children. In a market study , however , Foodwatch found that special children’s yoghurts contained an average of 14 percent sugar . For comparison: natural yoghurt contains only 5 percent sugar. It is therefore better to use natural yoghurt and spice it up with low-sugar berries such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. - Mixed milk drinks :
The same applies to mixed milk drinks. They often contain twice as much sugar as normal whole milk and are therefore completely unsuitable for children. Milk is in no way suitable as a thirst quencher – water is always the drink of choice here. - Cornflakes : Cornflakes fared
even worse than dairy products in the Foodwatch market study. On average, cornflakes marketed to children are 24.4 percent sugar . A portion of cornflakes with milk easily achieves the maximum recommended daily dose of sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a sugar content of 15 percent as the absolute upper limit . - Juices :
As in adult diets, juices should not be present in a child’s diet in their undiluted form. Compared to whole fruit, fruit juices are not satiating and deliver huge portions of fructose in a very short time. Soft drinks specifically aimed at children, such as lemonades or fruit smoothies, fall into the same category. - Cured meats :
Whether it’s in the shape of a cute bear or with a funny fox on the packaging, cured meats marketed to children are no different than cured meat products for adults – apart from the price, as they are usually significantly more expensive. Due to the high degree of processing, many saturated fatty acids and a high salt content, sausage products are not recommended for either adults or children.
Conclusion: children’s food is unhealthy, expensive and unnecessary
Aside from infant formula, there is little legal regulation of foods that may be marketed to children. Therefore, food manufacturers continue to advertise with colorful packaging, mascots, toys or competitions, as well as “funny” advertisements to appeal to the younger target group. Since children are easily influenced, parents have full responsibility and must ensure that their little ones eat healthy. The following tips can help you:
- A healthy start to the day does not consist of sweet cornflakes or nut nougat rolls, but of oatmeal or wholemeal bread.
- To quench thirst there should only be water, unsweetened teas or heavily diluted fruit juice spritzers. Sweet “children’s drinks” or lemonades are actually sweets and should remain the absolute exception.
- Make sure that your children do not see too many advertisements for unnecessary children’s products.
- Dairy products for children usually contain extra portions of sugar and flavor enhancers. Stick to the natural variants.
- Special sausages for children are just as unhealthy as normal sausages and usually much more expensive.
- Don’t be tempted by added vitamins or minerals. This is window dressing and a balanced diet covers all nutrients, even for children.
- Portion sizes of just 30 grams are often indicated on the packaging . This easily creates the impression that the food is low in calories or low in sugar.
Healthier and cheaper alternatives to children’s food
Out of laziness, we like to resort to ready-made products . However, this does not have to be the case, as the following snack alternatives are quick to prepare and also much healthier:
- natural yoghurt with fresh fruit instead of ready-made yoghurt or pudding,
- heavily diluted fruit juice spritzer instead of Quetschie, smoothie or lemonade,
- muesli with nuts and fresh fruit instead of cornflakes,
- Vegetable sticks with herb quark instead of chips & Co,
- colorful fruit instead of colorful sweets.
