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AMMAN — Nowadays, the proliferation of ever more processed foods consumption among children and adolescents in Jordan and around the world has led to exposing children to visible forms of malnutrition such as obesity, according to nutritionists.
Processed food includes food that has been cooked, canned, frozen and packaged, all of which can be quickly prepared and served. They are foods that are altered in certain ways, reducing and stripping out their nutritional contents, said Jordanian dietitian Shaima Amar on Saturday.
She added that “an overdose of calories, saturated and artificial trans fats, refined carbohydrates and grains, as well as energy dense foods may change children’s food desires and preferences”.
Processed foods increase the incidence of diabetes, overweight, as well as childhood obesity, in addition to causing long-term health issues, she noted.
Artificial ingredients inside processed foods can have many unnamed harmful chemicals, “thereby not revealing the whole story of processed food labels”, Amani Omar, who is a Jordanian nutritionist with a background in food production, told The Jordan Times on Saturday.
“Processed foods often have extra salt and contain a lot of fat and sugar,” according to Omar.
Artificial foods are attractive to many families given their lower prices and convenience, in addition to being an easy option, she said, noting that “the rise in consumption among kids is worrying and needs to be addressed properly”.
There are so many obstacles to finding the “best” foods nowadays, but some of the ways to “readjust the balance” and cut down processed foods are by avoiding mass-produced baked and frozen goods, as well as quick-prepared meals by eating more nutrient-dense portions and seasonal fruits and vegetables, added Omar.
“Processed food intake should be controlled in children. The statistics of bad health are very clear, diet-related diseases are soaring, therefore we must pass on positive food culture to our children,” she said.
