Im wondering if warnings about kids and junk food are overstated. My uncertainty comes from the fact that many people who ate “poorly” as a kid are very healthy now, and that teens inherently need a ton of calories. Many teens have good info about nutrition, but still opt for high fat / sugar / sodium food. I’m wondering if there’s info about how real vs overblown the risks are. Thoughts about the warnings around teens, junk food, and normal appetite patterns?
> “My uncertainty comes from the fact that many people who ate “poorly” as a kid are very healthy now”
This is patently false:>Obese children and adolescents were around five times more likely to be obese in adulthood than those who were not obese. Around 55% of obese children go on to be obese in adolescence, around 80% of obese adolescents will still be obese in adulthood and around 70% will be obese over age 30. Therefore, action to reduce and prevent obesity in these adolescents is needed.
No, it’s not overblown. We have an obesity epidemic going on right now. That epidemic starts with the eating habits people learn when they’re younger. Just because some people change their eating habits down the road doesn’t mean that that is standard.
Feeding your kids a balanced and nutrient dense diet is a must if it’s affordable. Not everyone who ate poorly as a kid will end up obese but statistically speaking you are setting your kids up for failure by feeding them poorly. I think that this video explains this well : https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR4UKe5u/
It generally develops poor dietary habits and brain wiring.
Joel Twinnem in this video is well known on various platforms for disputing misinformation on nutrition and fitness, makes excellent content.
It is now commonly accepted that the first thousand days are critical to get good nutrition. Because in that period the brain and immune system goes through a key development phase. A growing body of research suggests that heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and behavioral health problems may have their origins in bad nutrition during this period and pregnancy. https://thousanddays.org/
The main thing is to teach kids how to recognise what a healthy/nutritious meal is and make their own.
I think we all know junk food is bad, but what do you replace it with? I say this as someone else who is still struggling with this as an adult. My sibling was taught about healthy food and how to make it, I was not. I spent many years surviving on takeaways to my health’s detriment.
The negatives of junk food are not overblown imo.
Where are you getting this idea that this is “overblown” from? Where are you from? You can’t possibly be from the United States…
In any case, teens don’t “inherently need a ton of calories”. It’s all about how active those teens are. Teens are often active, so quite often, they manage to burn their calories. But there’s plenty of obese teens as well, suggesting a difference in lifestyle factors at the very least.
​
>Many teens have good info about nutrition
… Where????
It’s not overblown at all. When you eat like shit, you feel like shit. Your body can’t work optimally. It will struggle as it will be vitamin deficient. Not to mention that highly processed foods are highly palatable and very easy to overeat, which can lead to easy weight gain leading to obesity.
In fact the typical Western diet leads to cognitive decline and mental health issues, I’m betting as a teen if you eat like this you could be stunting your brains growth and potential and setting yourself up for a life of mental health issues
There is not a single piece of literature out there that encourages this type of diet for anyone so I don’t see how it could be overblown
Not overblown. Obesity and diabetes is a very real thing and it’s caused by diet.
I don’t think having info on nutrition is enough. I think children need to have habits built when they are young so that their concept of a meal is naturally a nutritionally balanced one.
Similar to another comment here, I grew up eating mostly freshly cooked meals at home but occasionally got fast food or pizza and had an unlimited supply of junk food snacks (chips, fruit snacks, sodas, etc). I ate a lot of junk foods but they were mostly supplementary to the balanced meals. As an adult, my default meal is one I cook at home because that’s what I’m used to.
I think many children who are eating “poorly” are actually eating fast food for every meal and it’s too difficult to transition to eating “well” when you don’t have any experience with it, regardless of the info you have from documentaries or text books.
I was restricted from all junk food as a kid and had a REALLY hard time in early adulthood with over eating/shame cycles. I’d go to friends houses when young and pig out.
I think it’s equally bad to teach restriction or “good” vs bad food. Not to mention- kids are picky af, eating at all can be a challenge.
It’s all about balance.
I think as far as global obesity (and particularly American/Western) statistics are concerned, the problem may be understated. Not over.
Some camps are now even trying to demonize health and fitness, taking a twisted view of the “body positivity” trend that is currently popular in media.
I grew up eating fried chicken tenders and hamburgers. My mom would make me at least eat a few bites of vegetables. My mom, on the other hand, would eat salads, veggies, grilled chicken and fish. After college, the pounds started to increase so I knew I had to do something. I then began doing what was modeled for me and also joined Weight Watchers and learned a bit more. I lost 20 pounds and kept it off for 15 years. Would I have been better off eating more nutrious food when I was younger? Yep. That said, when it started making its mark, I knew which direction to go because of my mother. Now I eat 3 or more veggies a day. I almost always eat grilled over fried. I don’t eat much junk at all. I exercise 5 days a week. It matters, but I think the modeling for adult hood matters more… or at least it did for me.