All around the world, child obesity rates are rising. In the Americas, 31 per cent of children are now overweight or obese. In Europe, that number is closer to 40 per cent. Even in regions where obesity is less of an epidemic, it’s becoming more problematic.
And the trend, no doubt, has a lot to do with whatever it is that overweight kids and teenagers are eating. Is there a collection of popular things that parents should stop feeding their children so often?
Curious to find an answer, researchers at Duke National University of Singapore took a closer look at the types of food that were associated with overweight and obese children. Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, which recorded the diets and body mass index (BMI) of nearly 4,500 children in England in the 1990s, they tracked what the kids ate and what happened to their bodies over the course of three years. What they found was convincing evidence certain foods might be causing disproportionate harm.
Specifically, the kids who regularly ate potato chips tended to gain the most weight.
“We found potato chips to be one of the most obesity-promoting foods for youth to consume,” they wrote. “Potato chips are very high in energy density and have a low satiety index, yet they are commonly consumed as snacks.”
French fries, fried chicken and fish, processed meats, and fatty spreads (like butter) performed poorly, too. As did just about anything with added sugar – think desserts, sweets and sugary drinks. And refined grains, like bleached flour, which are found in most processed foods.