You Are What You Eat Essay

Purpose: To persuade readers to that to stop feeding kids unhealthy food
Lens: Description

Healthy eating behavior and food intake of children are highly relevant topics. Understanding children’s eating attitudes and behaviors are important in terms of children’s health. It is important to know how eating healthy and unhealthy can alter a child’s eating habit. Knowing information on this topic will help make wise choices when deciding what foods to buy, resulting in better health. Although feeding kids unhealthy foods is easy, parents should control the amount of the child’s intake due to obesity and the negative impact of brain development.
The brains of children are still developing, and require the proper nutrition. A nutritious, well balanced diet will lead to better health, and this also holds true when it comes to the human brain. Children fed predominantly on processed food at an early age end up with lower IQ levels. On the other hand, children fed on healthy foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients have a higher IQ level. Ensuring a child has sufficient nutrients for optimal brain development during his or her early formative years may have long term consequences. Michael Brent states that at the onset of adolescence, the brain stops growing and begins to shrink, and a nutrient poor diet can cause this to start early and happen faster. Giving children occasional treats should not cause trouble, but feeding children unhealthy foods regularly not only results in poor brain development but causes obesity.
Childhood obesity has been labeled one of the most serious health issues of the 21st century. Obesity can cause diabetes, trouble sleeping, high blood pressure and breathing problems, as well as problems that last into adulthood, states Allison Boyer. Overweight and obese children typically grow into overweight and obese adults. Children should not experience such things at a young age. Families influence children’s dietary choices and risk of obesity in a number of ways, and children develop food preferences at home. On that note, one might say that feeding kids fast food/junk food results in a happier home. It is easy to say that parents will feed their kids fast food because it is the best way to keep their kid fed and happy. Studies show that parents start out with good intentions but at busy times of the day, they opt for an easier life and give in to their child even though the food isn’t healthy. It is easy to bribe kids with a delicious chocolate bar; it is easy to stop at a drive through for a quick burger. Everything has to do with time constraints and keeping kids happy. When a child cries, we offer them a treat in attempt to please them. And what is that treat? It is a cookie or a piece of candy. Besides the genetic and cultural factors that influence children’s food preferences and eating behavior, parents play a pivotal role. Even though it is easy to feed kids unhealthy foods, parental attitudes most certainly affects their children indirectly through the foods purchased for and served

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