The number of obese children and adolescents in the world has multiplied by 10 in the last 40 years, and with it associated diseases such as diabetes or heart disease. According to the Organization of Consumers (OCU), in Spain one in four children is overweight and behind them are sedentary lifestyle habits, poor diet and high sugar consumption.
The return to school should never be linked to lunches or snacks full of pastries, saturated fats and sugars, but some ultra-processed products take advantage of the return to the classroom to impact their advertising on families. Chef Juan Llorca, an expert in nutrition and infant feeding, has highlighted this fact in his Twitter account, and many people have joined his public complaint.
I publicly ask that the advertising of @hipercor "How cool the back to school" be eliminated.
- Juan Llorca (@LlorcaJuan) September 13, 2018
Back to school should never be linked to pastries, cookies, processed or sugary products. It is an advertisement that goes against public and children's health. pic.twitter.com/i0ZbNle2uY
With these words and this image, the chef publicly asked Hipercor to withdraw his "back to school" advertising linked to the consumption of highly sugary products, such as biscuits or industrial pastries.
Quickly, his thread went viral with images published by other nutritionists and users, which revealed the serious problem that generally exists with the feeding of the smallest:
The school begins and the most aggressive advertisements focused on the smallest begin. Faithful reflection of this society is that within the SupermarketMAS this stand is located in these messages and online box give you brochures xa to collect super foods.We live in a contradiction. pic.twitter.com/kmwDtjqAhl
- Pablo Ojeda (@pabloojedaj) September 4, 2018
Then the reuse bins are like that. Neither a single fruit skin 😔 pic.twitter.com/6dqsrGiVI0
- Manuel G (@lologguerra) September 13, 2018
Advertising, a pending issue
There is no doubt that advertising infuses us all at the time of purchase, but especially children, who find it easy to attract with catchy songs, fun drawings, original gifts or colorful packaging.
In this sense, if a child who accompanies his parents to buy from the supermarket repairs the product shelves of the photographs above, it is logical that he is attracted to his colors and the message, and inevitably associates that "the return to school will be more fun if you consume this type of food. "
A few months ago, the OCU conducted a survey on how all these parameters influence children, and therefore on purchase decision of their parents. The results were really worrying, since almost 60 percent of families admitted to being carried away by their children when buying certain products.
Unfortunately, in many cases this translates into a consumption of ultra-processed and unhealthy foods, but that attract the attention of the little ones without being aware of whether they are consuming a product that is not suitable for their health.In Spain there are no laws that regulate children's advertising, so the Consumer Organization has been asking for a specific regulation for children's food advertising based on WHO recommendations.
The role of the family
However, parents are the ones who have the last word and a child should not have a negative influence on the shopping cart, much less when it comes to their food and health.
Therefore, regardless of advertising, We must know how to fill our pantry and what can we do to avoid unhealthy (or not at all) healthy products, as well as an excessive consumption of sugar in our children's diet and in our own.
It is important to inform us and know the amount of hidden sugar that is present in food, as well as those that are unhealthy because it contains large amounts of salt and trans fat.
And although it may be tempting, comfortable and fast to drop breakfasts, snacks and lunches based on ultra-processed foods (such as industrial pastries, packaged juices, cookies ...), we must be aware of the danger this has for the health of our children, and how really easy it is to offer them natural and healthy alternatives.
Some healthy proposals
If you need any ideas to prepare a healthy lunch for your little one to take to school, we leave you some proposals that can help you, although you can also ask your pediatrician or a nutritionist for advice:
Toasted whole wheat bread or sandwich that we can accompany with a drizzle of olive oil, scrambled eggs or tortilla, homemade cream made with avocado and milk, or vegetable pates such as the classic guacamole or hummus, for example.
Wholemeal bread toast with homemade cream based on pure soluble sugar-free cocoa, mixed with crushed bananas, dates and hazelnuts, or creams made exclusively from raw dried fruits.
If the child can already consume whole nuts, an assorted handful is an excellent snack. But if you do not have the age to consume them like this (remember that it is one of the main causes of choking in children under six years), we can offer them ground and sprinkled on cut fruit that we store in a tupper.
Whole fruit, certain vegetables (carrot sticks, tomatoes ...), or fruit skewers with cheese, are also fast and healthy alternatives.
Dairy products such as cheese, whole milk or plain yogurt without sugar that we can mix with nuts, chopped fruit or chocolate with more than 75% cocoa.
We can also prepare cookies or homemade sugar-free pastries.
Also, remember that good food should be framed within a healthy lifestyle, as well as the practice of physical exercise and daily outdoor play.
In Vitónica | Back to school: welcome to the wonderful world of sugar, oatmeal, banana and almond cookies. Healthy recipe
