Many children in the United States skip important meals and in turn replace lost calories with high-sugar, high-fat snacks. Although there is much research still to be done, it is believed that the consumption of junk food can have a negative effect on a child's behavior. One of the most important things you can do as a parent for your child's health is to teach her about sound nutrition and learning how to make healthy food choices.
Aggressive Behavior
Children with aggressive behavior may be irritable and prone to violence. Aggressive behavior may increase with the regular consumption of junk food in place of a healthy diet. Deficiencies in the B vitamins, zinc, iron and proteins have been associated with the incidence of aggressive behavior. Children who have these nutritional deficiencies have a 41% increase in aggressive behavior at the age of 8 years. At age 17 years, 51% of these kids exhibited violent and antisocial behavior.
Addictive Behavior
Eating junk food can also stimulate an addictive behavior in children. The incidence of addictive eating behaviors occurs when children are free to make their own food choices without any education about nutrition. The brain can react to junk food the same way it does to any addictive drug, such as heroin or cocaine. An addiction to junk food is extremely dangerous because it can cause overeating, leading to overweight and obesity, which poses another long list of problems.
Learning Disability
Learning disabilities vary from an inability to pay attention to learning disorders such as dyslexia and can be discouraging to a child trying to do well in school. A number of things are attributed to the development of a learning disability, such as genetic influences, brain development and certain environmental factors. However, it is believed that poor nutrition in a child's early life can contribute to the development of learning disabilities when he reaches school age.
Hyperactivity
Kids who are hyperactive usually have a hard time sitting still and paying attention for relatively short periods of time. It has been proposed that eating sugary foods can increase the incidence of hyperactivity in children. Evidence shows that eating less sugar-containing junk food will stabilize blood sugar levels, and prevent sudden bursts of energy. However, changes in diet tend to have a minimal effect on a child diagnosed from a hyperactivity disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
References
- MedlinePlus: Many Kids Skipping Meals, Snacking Instead
- Organic Consumers Association: Study Indicates Nutritional Deficiencies Lead to Aggression & Violence in Children
- NY Daily News: Fatty Foods May Be Just as Addictive as Heroin and Cocaine: Study
- Nemours Foundation: Learning Disabilities
- MedlinePlus: Hyperactivity and Sugar
