A survey report from a provincial cancer hospital shows that in recent years, not only has the incidence of common childhood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia increased, but cancers more prevalent in middle-aged and elderly people, such as nasopharyngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer, have also become increasingly common in children under 14. However, medical experts have found that the onset of these diseases in children is closely related to their diet.
I. Food Pollution
The reasons for today's situation are multifaceted, including environmental degradation, radiation from home appliances, changes in children's living habits, and high-protein, high-fat diets. Experts have particularly noted the harm caused by food pollution, with nitrites, aflatoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium being major culprits.
Analysis reveals that nitrates in food can be converted into carcinogenic nitrites in the body. Aflatoxin is a major "culprit" in inducing tumors (especially liver cancer); when some people fed small animals with moldy feed (rich in aflatoxin), they developed liver cancer in just three months. Residual pesticides in food can enter the human body and accumulate, causing mild damage to organs like the liver, brain, and kidneys, and in severe cases, can lead to acute poisoning and death. You see, the harm of food pollution is truly terrifying.…Hot Topic: Seven Foods Unsuitable for Babies
Solutions: The most important step is to carefully choose your child's food, opting for those that are free from pesticide contamination, not moldy, low in nitrates, and fresh and clean, such as rice, flour, beans, celery, onions, garlic, chives, potatoes, radishes, and sweet potatoes. For vegetables suspected of pesticide contamination, you can use an ozone detoxification machine, or soak them in a vegetable cleanser or baking soda before rinsing thoroughly with plenty of water. For root vegetables and fruits, always peel them before cooking or eating them directly to protect your child's health. II. Tonic Supplements
Lingling had just turned 5 and was lively and cute, but the only drawback was that she was on the thin side. Her parents went to great lengths to find a secret to help her gain weight. Later, they saw an advertisement in the newspaper claiming that pollen supplements not only nourished the body but also improved brain function and intelligence. Overjoyed, they bought it and gave it to their child according to the instructions on the label. Unexpectedly, after 20 days, the child's breasts began to develop... Frightened, the parents rushed their daughter to the hospital. The expert's diagnosis was precocious puberty, and the culprit was the pollen supplement.
Solutions: Maintain a normal attitude towards supplements and be misled by advertisements. Experts suggest that children under 5 should not take supplements, and those over 5 should only do so based on their specific condition and under a doctor's guidance. III. Western Fast Food
In recent years, Western fast food has been all the rage in China. Due to its pleasant dining environment, novel dining methods, and tempting flavors, it is very popular with children. And some parents, in order to cater to their children's tastes, are willing to spend generously to satisfy their requests. But problems arise; many children become overweight, turning into "little fatties." These "little fatties" are also prone to "civilized diseases" such as high blood pressure, diabetes, fatty liver, and obesity-related brain issues, seriously harming their physical and intellectual development.
IV. Sweets
Sweets taste good, and with exquisite packaging and exquisite craftsmanship, all kinds of pastries and snacks are everywhere, becoming another "irresistible temptation" for children. However, long-term indulgence in sweets can bring children mental health problems, causing emotional instability,表现为 agitation, crying, tearing books and destroying things, having a bad temper, and fighting. In medicine, this is called "sugar-induced mental irritability." Research shows that excessive sugar consumption leads to the depletion of large amounts of vitamin B, which is needed to help metabolize sugar, causing a deficiency of vitamin B1 in the nervous system and the aforementioned symptoms.…Diet: What Types of Sugar Are Suitable for Children
Solutions: Limit sweets and reduce snacks. The ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in the three daily meals should be maintained at 1:3:6. V. Acidic Foods
Autism is a psychological disorder characterized by being solitary, unsociable, and having a particularly poor ability to adapt to the environment. Why have experts linked it to acidic foods? To understand the mystery, one must first understand what acidic foods are.
The acidic foods mentioned here do not refer to their taste but to their nature, such as various meats, eggs, and sugars. These foods are precisely the "high-nutrition foods" that people value, and are often the first choice for parents and included in children's diets. However, their final metabolic products in the human body are acidic, which can make the blood acidic, changing its normal weakly alkaline state and leading to an acidic constitution. This, in turn, causes a large consumption of elements like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, which are essential for normal brain development and function, leading to disordered thinking and causing children to develop autism.
Solutions: Adjust the structure of your three meals, appropriately reduce the proportion of so-called "nutritious foods" like protein, fat, and sugar, and increase foods rich in vitamins and minerals such as vegetables and fruits. VI. Refined Foods
Nowadays, many families pursue "refining food," considering the consumption of refined rice and white flour a fashion. Medical experts, however, do not see it this way. They believe that long-term consumption of overly refined foods not only reduces the intake of B vitamins, affecting the development of the nervous system, but also affects vision due to the loss of excessive chromium. It is now confirmed that a lack of chromium is a major cause of myopia.
It turns out that chromium is a cofactor for an important hormone in the human body—insulin. A deficiency can reduce the activity of insulin and decrease its ability to regulate blood sugar, causing sugar in food to not be metabolized normally and to remain in the blood. This leads to changes in the eye's refractive power and eventually forms myopia.
Solutions: Appropriately arrange a certain amount of coarse grains and brown rice for your child to provide an adequate amount of chromium. VII. Instant Noodles
Instant noodles are one of the popular fast foods today, and their production method is also imported from abroad. To distinguish them from Western fast food like McDonald's and KFC, let's call them "local fast food." This "local fast food" consists of fried noodles with salt and monosodium glutamate. Its biggest drawback is the lack of protein, fat, vitamins, and trace elements, which are essential nutrients for children's growth and development.
Solutions: Instant noodles should not become a child's staple food, as it can lead to malnutrition and harm their physical and intellectual development. VIII. Chocolate
Although chocolate has a long history, it has gradually become a fashionable food as more of its health benefits (such as protecting the heart, preventing cancer, aiding weight loss, and boosting mood) have been discovered and promoted by health experts. However, it should be noted that children should limit their intake, as it can easily lead to enuresis (bedwetting).
An American medical doctor explained that chocolate can cause allergic reactions in children's bodies, causing the bladder wall to expand and its capacity to decrease, and the smooth muscle to become rough and go into spasms. At the same time, this allergic reaction causes the child to sleep too deeply, preventing them from waking up in time when the bladder is full, thus causing bedwetting. As children enter puberty, chocolate no longer causes this allergic reaction, and the bedwetting disappears.
Solutions: During childhood, children should eat little or no chocolate before bedtime. IX. Coffee
Coffee contains a relatively high amount of caffeine, which has the adverse effect of hindering infant bone development. Therefore, children who often drink coffee or eat coffee-flavored candies or cookies are at risk of becoming "stunted," a matter parents should not take lightly.
Solutions: It is recommended that children drink more plain water and have less contact with or avoid coffee. X. Dried Fish Fillets
Dried fish fillets are made from processed sea fish and are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients. Because they are delicious, parents are happy to buy them and children are happy to eat them. But be aware that dried fish fillets often contain an excessive amount of an element called fluorine. According to measurements, the fluorine content in dried fish fillets is more than 2,400 times that in beef, mutton, and pork, and more than 4,800 times that in fruits and vegetables. The human body's daily physiological requirement for fluorine is only 1-1.5 mg, so the safe limit for daily intake from food and other sources should not exceed 4-6 mg. If this limit is exceeded, fluorine will accumulate in the body. Over time, it can cause chronic fluorine poisoning, making teeth rough and dull.
Solutions: For your child to have a set of clean, straight, and "jade-like" teeth, dried fish fillets must be limited in quantity. It is absolutely not allowed for children to consume large amounts of them year-round. XI. Soy Milk
For many years, soy milk has been unquestioned as the best alternative for infant feeding. However, in recent years, research reports have emerged pointing out the drawbacks of infants drinking soy milk. First, researchers in the United States who study genetically modified agricultural products and human health found that children who grow up drinking soy milk have an increased risk coefficient for developing thyroid and reproductive system diseases as adults. The reason is that an infant's reaction to the high levels of phytoestrogens in soy is different from an adult's. Only 5% of the plant hormones ingested by an infant can bind to estrogen receptors, while the remaining phytoestrogens accumulate in the body, potentially laying the groundwork for future sexual development problems. Some data shows that children who grow up drinking soy milk have a 2-3 times higher probability of developing breast cancer later in life. Subsequently, another report pointed out that the manganese content in soy milk and soy-based milk substitutes is 50 times higher than in breast milk. Excessive manganese absorption will affect the brain development of infants under 6 months old, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and violent impulses during puberty.
Solutions: Breastfeeding is recommended, and infants, especially those under 6 months old, should not drink soy milk. XII. Cold Drinks
Once summer arrives, many children can't live without cold drinks, such as popsicles and ice cream. Little do they know that a child's intestines are relatively longer and thinner than an adult's, with a mesentery that is loose and has poor fixation ability. Once stimulated by cold drinks, it can cause spasms and increased peristalsis in the intestinal smooth muscle, which in turn can induce intussusception, causing intestinal obstruction and endangering life.
Solutions: Children should be cautious about eating cold drinks in the summer and should not be allowed to overindulge to prevent accidents. If symptoms such as abdominal pain and vomiting appear, seek medical attention immediately.
Finally, although our living conditions and nutritional status have improved greatly compared to 10 years ago, the nutritional status of some children has not improved accordingly, and even some "high-class junk foods" have emerged. Therefore, parents must be very careful when choosing food for their children in their daily lives.