Children and adolescents should eat less colored snacks

When we haven't entered the supermarket, we can smell the smell of popcorn from the nose, and then you will step up to find where the fragrance comes from? Just as our children like their own snacks, adults and children cannot resist the impact of smell, sight and taste that food brings. However, are we concerned about the health problems brought about while enjoying these snacks?

These colorful and varied flavors of candy are not only loved by children, but also become essential snacks for young people. So when we can't afford the delicious temptation, let yourself look at the label of food, and then decide whether to buy it or not!

A: Food ingredients list

If you want to see if a certain food has nutritional value, it depends on its raw materials and their proportions. According to regulations, the most abundant raw materials should be ranked first, and the least raw materials should be ranked last. Into this rainbow sugar ingredients are white sugar, glucose syrup, edible hydrogenated oil. One of the main raw materials is white sugar, followed by food additives! Let's look at the two important additives in this ingredient list:

1, acidity regulator (citric acid, sodium citrate): It can improve the taste of food, but also can play a role in anti-corrosion, extend the shelf life.

2. Colorants (titanium dioxide, temptation red and its aluminum lake, lemon yellow and its aluminum lake, sunset yellow and its aluminum lake, bright blue and its aluminum lake, indigo blue lake): what we see The color of candy is actually synthetic pigments rather than natural pigments (B-carotene, turmeric, amaranth, etc.). These food colors are indeed safe for adults, but for young children, they are growing. During development, the functions of internal organs are relatively fragile. The development of the nervous system is not yet sound. It is sensitive to chemical substances. If too long to eat foods containing synthetic pigments, it will affect the impulse conduction of the nervous system, stimulate the brain nerves and appear restless, and the mood is not Steady, inattention, poor self-control, ideological rebellion, excessive behavior and other symptoms.

British nutrition expert Patrick Holford, in his book The Nutrition Bible, which has been translated into 13 languages ​​and published in 25 best-selling books, also mentions: Lemon yellow can cause allergic reactions and hyperactivity in sensitive children. Dr. Neil Ward of Salisbury University and his team wanted to know why. They provided the two groups of children with two beverages that were identical in terms of packaging and taste, but one of them contained lemon yellow. They measured the mineral levels in their bodies after drinking these children. The results of the experiment showed that children who drank lemon yellow beverages became more active and showed a trend of lower zinc levels in the blood and increased zinc levels in the urine. Other studies have also found that lemon yellow is taking zinc away from children, and zinc deficiency is closely linked to behavioral disorders and immune system problems. At the same time there will be picky eaters, growth retardation, and severe dwarfism.

We have seen that there are hydrogenated vegetable oils. When intake of trans-fatty acids is too high, it can increase serum LDL, decrease high-density lipoprotein, and increase the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The 2 times, 3 times, and even 4 times the serious harm caused by trans fat can lead to an increase in the incidence of heart disease. Studies have also shown that trans fatty acids can interfere with fatty acid metabolism and may affect children's growth and nervous system health.

Second, the food composition table

When we know the substances contained in this food, we have to look at its nutrient composition table:

Each 100g contains 424kcal of energy, 7.2g of fat, 88.8g of carbohydrates, and 22mg of sodium. We convert each bag to contain 191kcal of energy and 3.2g of fat per 45g. Carbohydrates are what we call sugar. Sugar 40g, sodium 9.9mg, a small bag, with a variety of fruit flavors we will inadvertently chat or watch TV when finished eating, this will also extra intake of excessive sugar, will increase the chance of caries . Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that eating large amounts of sugar can affect the health of the brain, so our children and adolescents must pay special attention.

Although these additives are all used within the scope of national regulations, for children, "the less, the better, the farther the better."