Junk Food

Hi Ayushi! As rightly mentioned by you one of the ill effects of having junk food is obesity. Other could be diabetes, heart attack, lethargy thereby sedentary life style, high blood pressure, mood swings, poor concentration, hypertension, liver failure etc,. It is researched that children imitate what adults do. If right eating behavior is modeled wherein a balanced diet with all nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fat, Ca, sugars, etc. in recommended amounts appropriate for ur child's age is planned. If homemade food is made attractive by adding colour, variety and novelty child might get attracted n like it too. Nutritious diet is a must for children as they will be teenagers soon and their body would be requiring specific nutrients , deficiency of which will lead to poor functioning And poor performance in terms of growth and development.

Hey Ayushi, first step is not bringing any junk food home which also includes soft drinks and packaged fruit juices. They can be eaten occasionally but regular consumption of junk food leads to a whole lot of health issues (as mentioned by Shikha). Please nip this in the bud! Here are a few links to some intresting blogs related to junk and processed food. 1. https://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/a-fat-child-does-not-mean-a-healthy-child/172 2. https://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/did-you-know-about-the-top-10-additives-in-foods-that-you-might-want-to-avoid-in-your-childs-diet/317

Here is a blog with some interesting ideas to have home made snacks. I have tried a few and my kids loved them. Here is the link https://www.parentune.com/parent-blog/holiday-snacking-made-healthy/224

Hi Ayushi, we all know and understand the ill-effects of junk foods. But total elimination from the diet will only lead to craving. Instead reserve a meal or two for junk. And depending on the age of your child, talk her into the downfalls of unhealthy foods. You can seek help of her teacher to drive the message across. And yes, most important, ban all junkies from your kitchen. And from the meal table for everyone in the house. Adding variety and favoured flavour to routine meals will help stimulate the taste buds to home cuisine. You can browse online for various meal options. Good Luck to you in your endeavour against junk meals. - See more at: https://www.parentune.com/parent-talk/junk-food/703

Hi again! I second what Dr Neepa has suggested total elimination from the diet will lead to craving. U cud begin with allowing junk food only on weekends. And finally cutting it down to one day. Rest of the days homemade food with lot of nutrition, colour, cartoon character or shapes, or variety of taste would make the child get attracted to food and finally develop a liking for it.