Infant Nutrition: TEMPTATIONS and RISKS

The treats that children love to eat are increasingly posing health risks. There is no better or worse, they all have a high sodium content and saturated and trans fats. Now, if you think that fat is the privilege of salty foods, you are completely wrong. The biscuit, which seems so innocent, is beyond rich in saturated fats and sodium, almost as much as its salt-filled opponent, which wins the match because frying is usually part of the manufacturing process of most brands. In favor of the sweet biscuit are some (few) nutrients — vitamins, iron and calcium, which are added to the formula.

 The caloric value and the frying effect are factors that put both snacks in the sights of health experts. Many of them, by the way, advocate that these delicacies be banned from the menu, even those for children without problems with the scales. They carry the weight of trans, or hydrogenated, fat, often found in ice cream and fast-food fries, for example. This fat is capable of lowering levels of HDL, the good cholesterol, and raising levels of LDL, the bad version of the molecule. This circulates freely through the blood and thus increases the risk of plaque formation in the arteries, atherosclerosis. If you think that this disease only affects adults, you are wrong. There is evidence that the atherosclerotic process begins to develop in childhood. Fatty streaks, precursors of these plaques, can appear in the aorta as early as 3 years of age.

Paying attention to the sodium value of these treats is also worth it. Both snacks and stuffed cookies have high levels of sodium. This ingredient is not only included in the composition of the well-known table salt, but also in sodium bicarbonate and disodium pyrophosphate, used as chemical yeast in the food industry. Flavorings, which provide flavor, can also contain sodium in their composition. Like preservatives, these substances sometimes trigger allergic reactions in those who are already predisposed. At normal levels, sodium acts on the body's water balance and on the transmission of nerve signals. In excessive amounts, it is not completely eliminated by the kidneys and causes the body to retain fluids, directly contributing to increased blood pressure, among other harms. Again, this also has to do with children. So much so that the Brazilian Hypertension Society issues a warning: childhood arterial hypertension does not only occur in special situations, such as kidney or congenital diseases. Bad habits at the table contribute — a lot. This means eating dishes high in fat, sugar and salt, that is, everything that snacks and stuffed biscuits have in abundance. It is estimated that 5% of the child and adolescent population has high blood pressure.

Snacks and cookies wouldn't lose so many points if the hydrogenated fat was replaced by something else. Unfortunately this almost doesn't happen. The ideal is to limit your intake as much as possible and analyze the information on the label to identify the least harmful ingredients. Keep an eye on the manufacturing process — there are already baked snacks instead of fried ones. According to experts, one serving per week is not harmful to your health or weighs heavily on the scale.

 Source: Health Magazine