“We are what we eat”. Aren’t we? Same applies for our kids too!
Today in this post we will see the common junk foods preferred by kids and their healthy alternatives.
I am a mom and a homemaker. It’s my top most priority to get my daughter and family, eating healthy, wholesome and home cooked food. Like any mother, I discourage my daughter and family from eating ‘junk’.
Junk food is easily available in the market and to draw your kid’s attention, it comes in fancy and colorful packaging. To top it all the so very lucrative advertisements on the TV wherein they promote healthy snacking with these junk too!
The junk foods convert your body into junk by putting your body at the greater risk of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure due to their high content of fats, sugar and salt. However once in two weeks or on special occasions I let my daughter indulge her taste buds, but in limits
24 Healthy Alternatives to Unhealthy Foods Available in the Market:
Whether your kid eats junk food or not is in your hands. This is why it is important to give your toddler an early start to forgo junk food for more nutritious and equally tasty substitutes.
Here’s the list of unhealthy junk food preferred by toddlers and kids with their healthy alternatives.
#1. Packaged chips and french fries:
Extremely popular with kids, these are loaded with high levels of trans-fat and sodium.
Substitute these with:
- Homemade potato or banana chips
- Gujarati khakra
- Baked potato wedges
- Peanuts
- Boiled sweet corns
- Pop corns (not the instant butter pop-corn)
#2. Soft-drinks and tetra packed fruit juices:
They are something that many children seem to love! Many parents let their children drink it, in spite of the large amounts artificial sweeteners added.
Soft drinks hamper the bone development in kids.
In case of these packed juices there is not even a trace of real fruit but artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners and preservatives. Don’t be deceived by the advertisements! You can offer various healthy alternatives to these packaged juices.
Substitute this with:
- Fresh lime soda or water
- Best is coconut water
- Freshly squeezed fruit juices (though whole fruit is always better)
- Homemade Flavored milk
- Buttermilk
#3. Biscuits:
Biscuits are other culprits of healthy foods.
Loaded with refined flour, sugar and other artificial colors, sweeteners and preservatives, they make their position to an excellent unhealthy food!
Substitute these with:
- Home made whole wheat cookies ( add dry fruits for more nutrition)
- Fruit/vegetable pancakes
- Homemade snacks
#4. Chocolates and candies:
Sweet and colorful little enemy preferred by even toddlers! Loaded with tons of sugar and fat with zero nutrition, chocolates are a craving among many. Also one of the biggest reason for cavity in kids.
Substitute this with:
- Home-made chikki ( made with jaggery and sesame or peanuts)
- Home-made chocolates
- Freshly made smoothies (not packaged version)
- Dry fruits
- Fresh fruits
#5. Butters and ketchups:
Thought to be healthy but is certainly not. Again packed with overdose of salt, sugar and lots of preservatives.
Don’t believe me? Check the label next time you buy it.
Substitute these with:
- White butter
- Home-made butters (peanut or almond)
- Freshly made tomato or other chutneys
- Hung curd based dips
- Hummus
The list doesn’t end here.
There is hell lot of junk being sold to us.
As consumers, we want to believe that food manufacturers have our best interest at heart. The truth is, as we learn more about the foods in the grocery store, we realize these companies are more concerned with taste and shelf life than with our overall health.
- 20 healthy snacking options for toddlers
- 31 iron rich foods for babies and kids
- 7 Effective Ways to Stop Your Child Fussing and Start Eating
Thousands of chemicals are used to make our food taste better, look better and last longer. Most of these food additives, preservatives and colors are synthetic.
Even the term ‘natural food’, once used to describe whole fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains has now been expanded to include packaged, processed foods, many of which contain a wide array of chemicals.
So next time you want to shower your love by buying these junk items for your kids or family THINK AGAIN.
Hope you liked my article on the healthy alternatives for junk foods available in the market.
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