Empty Calories Making US Kids Unhealthy

Empty calories are hurting the health of children and adolescent kids in the United States according to a new report from the American Dietetic Association. Experts say that the obesity epidemic among US kids has become one of the biggest public health problems. Many people that the solution will involve a combination of diet changes and physical exercise. But the biggest change that must be made now?

Stop the flow of empty calories into kids diets!

American children are simply consuming way too much energy in the form of empty calories, mainly from refined sugars and refined "white" grain products (like pizza and desserts). If your child is consuming large amounts of soda, chips, pizza, candies, and other junk food he or she is much more likely to be overweight and suffer from serious health problems later in life.

Another form of empty calories comes from low-quality fats like the trans-fats found in many processed foods. Many health experts believe that the combination of bad fats and bad carbs (especially simple sugars and refined flours) is especially dangerous because the carbs cause a spike in insulin production within the human body. This in turns causes the body to shuttle the empty calories from the fats and carbohydrates into the body fat cells, greatly increasing the amount of stored fat on a child

According to Dr. Rae-Ellen W. Kavey from the University of Rochester Medical Center:

"High added sugar consumption which occurs most commonly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors, both independently, and through the development of obesity. Multiple studies have shown that presence of these risk factors in childhood is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and early cardiovascular disease. Randomized trials of nutritionist-guided interventions show us that diet change can be accomplished and is associated with important cardiovascular benefits. This combined body of evidence suggests that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages should be considered a critical dietary approach to reducing cardiovascular risk in childhood."

Learn some mo': Flow of empty calories into children's food supply must be reduced