American kids are eating more junk food

A new study reported by NPR It shows that children are consuming more and more ultra-processed junk foods. These foods are high in calories but lack nutrients. It’s also loaded with unhealthy synthetic ingredients that aren’t meant to be consumed in large amounts. .
According to a peer-reviewed study by Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), 67% of a child’s daily calories come from ultra-processed foods. Examples of ultra-processed foods include microwaveable pizzas and hamburgers. These cooked, ready-to-eat meals increased from his 2.2% of calories in 1999 to his 11.2% reported in his JAMA research article in 2018. 5 or more times.

Since children are still growing, they tend to need more calories for their size. According to the calorie calculator, American Cancer SocietyA light, active, 5-foot-10-inch, 130-pound, 15-year-old male needs 2658 calories a day to maintain his weight. If he were 25 with the same characteristics, he would need 2560 calories.

Foods supplying these calories must be healthy to provide the nutrients they need for growth. The amount of energy required to raise the degree. Calories in ultra-processed foods are mostly empty calories. Most of the energy comes from fats and sugars. They provide energy but do not contain the nutrients your body needs to function, such as vitamins. Empty calories are also digested quickly, leading to hunger and overeating.

Foods that contain empty calories include soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, fast foods, candies, cakes and donuts. All foods on this list can be identified as ultra-processed foods. JAMA research clearly shows an increase in young people’s consumption of ultra-processed foods. This is clearly a problem given the rising obesity rates in the United States.