Child Development Junk Food - Essay Example

Increasing rate of obesity, lower IQ, excessive use of artificial flavours, and the increasing rate of heart diseases, excessive blood pressure, and diabetes and cholesterol variations among the children give warning about the dangers of junk foods and it underlines the fact that junk foods have an effect on natural growth of children and it creates barriers in development process. Excessive use of junk foods affect development process and some studies endow with evidence that a considerable rate of difference in IQ level between children who practiced fast foods and children consumed vegetables and fruits.

Jenny Hope rightly remarks; “Children who eat more chips, crisps, biscuits and pizza before the age of three have a lower IQ five years later, a study showed” (Hope, 2011). Young children who followed junk foods forced to accept more fat in their body and they get few vitamins and nutrients. Consequently, their brain never develops to optimum level. Children having lower IQ level show poor academic performance in their learning activities. Sooner or later, they feel practical problems in acquiring various skills like critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, listening, speaking, reading and writing.

In case of physical health, junk foods put in severe health problems such as, obesity, depression, diabetes, and heart diseases. Generally, fast foods contain excessive amount of artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and other chemicals. All the above mentioned chemicals are not useful for human body. In addition, a child’s body is not capable to handle these chemicals. Development in scientific technology provides new facilities for cooking and these technological changes often forced the people to create a new food habit.

“These innovations contributed to a shift away from home-cooked meals toward processed food, thus increasing obesity” (Paxon, 2006, p.71). Healthcare officials and doctors have forced to practice improved diet through consuming fresh fruits, vegetables and grains. Obesity and related overweight problems create critical health problems in a child’s life. It negatively affects child’s academic performances as well as physical growth. A recent study reports that approximately 30 percent of North American children are obese.

The report also mentions that “In general, children eat too much, and much of what they eat is unhealthy” (Health in Motion, 2008). Unlike North American children, immigrant children consume few processed foods and eat more fresh foods and vegetables. As a result, immigrant children always keep better performance in their health than other children. Another significant problem is that junk foods have been connected to cholesterol and it paves the way for high blood pressure because of excessive sodium content.

High blood pressure increases the possibility of heart strokes and related heart diseases. Overwhelming use of processed foods creates barriers in the process of digestion and human body always forced to spend maximum energy for digestion. Discussions about the value of junk foods have acquired serious attention among the doctors as well as in media. Consumers are not aware about the quality of these processed foods and often used worst items. Producers of fast foods used high amount of sugar content which gives unusual fat in human body.

The online article entitled; Eating Junk Food