The Effects Of Unbalanced Diets In Children

Nutritious foods are one of the best ways to help boost your child's health, prevent illness and disease and teach healthy eating habits that will last his entire life. In his book, "Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being," Asher Ben-Arieh reports a direct relationship between how well your child eats and how well he feels on a daily basis. An unbalanced diet can increase your child's risk for several different health problems and will also prevent him from consuming adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals he needs to grow.

Increases Risk of Health Problems

Nutritious foods are an important part of your child's everyday diet because they supply the nutrients she needs to grow normally, and prevent serious health conditions. Joel Fuhrman, author of "Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right," notes that an unbalanced diet can put your child at an increased risk of illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. If your child does not eat enough variety of food or if her diet focuses on junk food, she is not getting the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants her body needs to be healthy. A lack of nutrients can cause physical changes that lead to lifelong and potentially life-threatening health problems.

Causes Unhealthy Weight Gain

A diet high in unsaturated fats and calories from foods like French fries, packaged baked goods and fast food causes your child to take in far more calories than she can burn off. These extra calories are converted to extra pounds and may lead to an unhealthy weight gain and even obesity. Ben-Arieh notes that your child needs access to a variety of healthy foods to get the nutrition she needs and keep her calorie intake at a healthy number. Provide your child with many food options, including lean chicken, whole grain bread and cereal and fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods will help keep her weight normal and will maintain good health as well.

Teaches Poor Eating Habits

The way your child learns to eat while young will influence the food decisions he makes when he becomes an adult. Offering your child foods with plenty of nutrients will help teach him the difference between good food choices and poor ones, Fuhrman reports. If your child learns these lessons now, he is more likely to continue to use them as he makes his own food choices in the future. Allowing your child to eat low-nutrition foods, such as donuts, cookies and potato chips, will teach him that these are acceptable snack foods, and he will continue putting his health in jeopardy as he grows up.