It is natural for children to like to eat snacks. It would be great if children could eat healthy snacks at the proper time, so not only will they enjoy the taste, but add to their nutrition, Hu Xiaoqi, director of students nutrition at the Nutrition and Food Security Institute of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a recent seminar.
A survey showed that 98 percent of children aged 3 to 17 were in the habit of eating snacks and more than 60 percent ate snacks every day. Pastries and deep-fried food, which are categorized as junk food by the WHO, were children s favorites.
Too much unhealthy snacking leads to obesity and overweight and was also the cause of high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic adult diseases appearing at a young age.
These have become alarming problems jeopardizing children s health. We should supervise children to choose healthy snacks to make sure they have balanced nutrition while enjoying snacks, Hu said.
Healthy snacks can be put into four main categories such as milk products, nuts, fresh fruit and other natural dry fruit like raisins, which are rich in fructose, glucose and antioxidants but without fat or cholesterol, said Hu.
Facing the deteriorating problem of child obesity, overweight and chronic adult diseases, Hu said children should be have a balanced diet with proper exercise.
Han Ximin, Fang Sheng
