Poor nutrition in childhood can cause diabetes and high blood pressure

The poor diet of the developing child and adolescent can cause diseases that hinder their physical and mental development, in addition to causing more serious problems for adult life.

As it is still in development, the organism of children and adolescents is more susceptible to changes, and food is the main way to enhance healthy growth and learning. Therefore, here are the main diseases that the wrong diet can cause and what to do to avoid:

1. Obesity

Obesity is the main problem that leads to other diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular problems. In addition, being overweight, along with cigarettes, is a major cause of increased cancer risk.

To prevent obesity in childhood and adolescence, preference should be given to a more natural diet with less ready-made products, such as cookies, snacks, snacks, ice cream, sausage and sausage, for example. Encouraging children to take home-made snacks to school is a great way to create healthy habits and avoid the excess of dough, sugar and fried foods that are sold at school.

2. Anemia

Infantile anemia is common and usually occurs due to a lack of iron in the diet, which is present mainly in foods such as meats, liver, whole foods, beans and dark green vegetables, such as parsley, spinach and arugula.

To improve iron intake in the diet, one should encourage consumption of beef liver steaks once a week, and eat a citrus fruit every day after lunch, such as orange, pineapple or tangerine, as they are rich in vitamin C and increase the absorption of iron in the intestine. See the main symptoms and how is the treatment for anemia.

3. Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that is appearing more and more in children and adolescents due to overweight and lack of physical activity. In addition to the increase in sugar consumption, it is also linked to the large consumption of foods rich in flour, such as breads, cakes, pastas, pizzas, snacks and pies.

To prevent it, it is necessary to maintain an adequate weight and avoid excessive consumption of sugar and white flour, paying attention to foods that have large amounts of these ingredients, such as cookies, ready-made pasta for cakes, industrialized juices, soft drinks and snacks. Know the amount of sugar in the most consumed foods.

4. High cholesterol

High cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, stroke and atherosclerosis. This problem occurs mainly due to the consumption of foods rich in hydrogenated fats, such as cookies, snacks and processed products, and foods with a lot of sugar or flour.

To prevent and improve the levels of good cholesterol and reduce the bad, you should put 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over lunch and dinner, and include snacks such as chestnuts, almonds, peanuts, nuts and seeds such as chia in snacks. and flaxseed.

5. Hypertension

Childhood hypertension can be caused by other problems, such as kidney, heart or lung disease, but it is also closely linked to excess weight and excess salt consumption, especially when there is a family history of high blood pressure.

To prevent it, it is necessary to keep the weight under control, avoid the use of ready-made spices in cubes and add little salt to the preparations at home, giving preference to natural spices such as garlic, onions, pepper, peppers and parsley. In addition, you should avoid ready-made foods rich in salt, such as frozen lasagna, ready-made beans, bacon, sausage, sausage and ham. Find out which foods are highest in salt.

6. Insomnia and difficulty breathing

Insomnia often happens because being overweight makes it difficult to breathe due to the accumulation of fat in the neck and chest area. The increase in fat presses the flour, which is the channel through which the air passes, making breathing difficult and causing snoring and insomnia.

In this case, the solution is to lose weight through healthy eating. See tips for making your child eat everything.

7. Arthritis, osteoarthritis and joint pain

Arthritis can often be linked to being overweight and increasing inflammation in the body, caused by the accumulation of fat. To avoid it, it is necessary to investigate the main cause of the problem and control the weight, in addition to consuming anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruits, vegetables, tuna, sardines, nuts and seeds. Find out what anti-inflammatory foods are.

8. Eating disorders

Poor diet, excessive parental control and the great demand of current beauty standards put a lot of pressure on children and adolescents, and can serve as a trigger for the appearance of disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

It is necessary to be attentive to the behavior of young people to identify eating disorders, refusals to eat or moments of compulsion. Teaching how to eat well, without focusing on beauty standards or restrictive diets, is the best way to prevent this type of problem.

Here's how to make your child eat better: