8 Worst Foods to Feed Your Children

Every good mom worries about their children’s health, but there are times when even the best-intentioned parents cave in and serve little Johnny a ‘treat.’ The occasional dinner of fish fingers and chips isn’t going to ruin his health forever, but giving your little one junk food every single night is setting him or her up for ill health in the long run.

Making the best food choices for kids can be tricky and can sometimes seem overwhelming, but help is at hand. Start by reading this shortlist of the top eight foods you should avoid feeding your children on a regular basis… then start thinking of some alternatives.

Chicken Nuggets

Everyone knows that deep fried fast foods are not the healthiest option for children’s health, but these are loaded with fat and sodium, which can create children’s health issues that continue into adulthood. In addition, the less sanitary parts of the chicken such as feet, legs, necks and beaks are usually ground to a paste and then thrown into the mix. Consuming these won’t hurt your child, but it only takes one salmonella bug to find its way into your child’s tummy, and then you have a serious or even life-threateningly sick child on your hands.

Donuts

In addition to an excess of saturated fat and trans fat acids, these little sugary monsters boast an average of 200-300 calories each, making them horrible for children’s health. Their addictive nature means that if they have a choice, they are unlikely to stop at eating just one.

Hot Dogs

Ever read what is actually in a hot dog? We don’t recommend it. If that wasn’t enough to convince you that they aren’t good for children’s health, keep in mind that they are high in fat and sodium, and the typically white-bread buns pack a huge dose of ’empty’ cabs with zero nutrients. Not an ideal menu item if you’re considered with your children’s health.

Chips

A few with lunch here and there is okay, just keep in mind that these are made up of mostly sodium, calories and fat making them bad for children’s health. One ‘family-sized’ bag can be consumed by a hungry child in under an hour, leading to a massive salt overdose by supplying four or five times the daily recommended levels of sodium – leading to kidney damage and high-blood pressure if consumed regularly in large quantities.

Soda

With nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounce can, sodas can impact your children’s health negatively by decaying teeth and packing on lots of calories. In addition, once the sugar-rush fades, it creates a drug-like feeling of withdrawal known as a ‘sugar crash’, which creates an artificial feeling of emptiness and hunger, including an acid tummy, burps or wind (caused by the carbonation), and an intense craving for another soda or more sugary foods. This vicious circle can lead to a child drinking soda after soda (if permitted to), with each binge and crash sapping the body of nutrients and usually causing grumpiness or bad moods. The caffeine contained in most colas can also cause sleep disorders or insomnia.

Prepackaged Lunches

Not only are most of these nutritionally unbalanced due to the lack of fruits and veggies, they’re also full of fat and sodium making them really bad for children’s health.

Fruit Flavored Beverages

Most "juices" are only about ten percent juice which strips out a lot of the essential vitamins you need to maintain your children’s health. the remaining ‘filler’ is usually sugar-water or corn syrup – both bad for your little one’s heath.

French Fries

America’s most popular vegetable dish is also one of the worst things for children’s health due to the high amount of fat and sodium they contain. Thick-cut steak fries are the best, as they are mainly potato. The thinner French fries served at most fast-food chains such as McDonalds are the worst, as the fry has 95% of its surface area exposed to the cooking oil, and sucks up the fat to replace water lost during cooking – yes, your child is basically munching cooking-oil sticks.