Childhood obesity has been on the rise for the last two decades, and there are a number of factors that play into this increase. However, new research suggests that the rise in childhood obesity may be tied to the fact that ultra-processed foods are becoming more common in everyday diets, and these foods directly contribute to weight gain.
These “ultra-processed” foods contain additives like high-fructose corn syrup, emsulfiers and flavoring agents that are unnatural and harder for our bodies to digest properly. Foods like sodas, sweetened drinks, breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat meals are examples of these highly processed options, and unfortunately they are starting to make up a larger portion of the average child’s diet.
Youth Diet Study
To get a better understanding of how the average diet could be contributing to juvenile obesity, researchers looked at information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collected dietary data on nearly 34,000 kids aged 2 to 19 over the course of two decades from 1999 to 2018. Food and beverage choices were grouped into four categories:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed
- Processed culinary ingredients (like plant oils)
- Processed foods
- Ultra-Processed foods
Researchers examined the changes in the proportion of calories coming from ultra-processed foods over the last 20 years, and they were surprised to find that the proportion of calories in youths’ diets that came from ultra-processed foods rose from 61% to 67% by 2018. During that same time, the proportion of calories from whole, unprocessed foods dropped from nearly 29% to 23.5%. Other findings from the study include:
- The biggest increase in ultra-processed food consumption came from ready-to-heat and -eat dishes, which accounted for 2% of calories in 1999 and 11% of daily calories in 2018.
- The percentage of calories that came from sweets and sweet snacks also rose from about 10% to almost 13% over the same time period.
- Ultra-processed foods accounted for greater increases in calories for non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American youths compared with non-Hispanic White youths. No differences were seen based on education or income levels.
Lead researcher Dr. Fang Fang Zhang from Tufts University said that although processed foods can have a longer shelf life, those preservatives can contribute to weight gain if we aren’t careful about how many calories we’re getting from these ultra-processed options.
“Some whole grain breads and dairy foods are ultra-processed, and they’re healthier than other ultra-processed foods. Processing can keep food fresher longer, allows for food fortification and enrichment, and enhances consumer convenience,” Zhang says. “But many ultra-processed foods are less healthy, with more sugar and salt, and less fiber, than unprocessed and minimally processed foods, and the increase in their consumption by children and teenagers is concerning.”
So with your kids set to head back to school soon, make sure you’re doing your part to get healthy and unprocessed foods on their plate or in their lunchbox. It may be easy to throw a Lunchables or Cheetos in their lunchbox, but you really want to make sure the bulk of their calories come from unprocessed options.