Don't Give Your Child This for Breakfast… Risk of Cancer and Inflammation

Breakfast replenishes energy lost during sleep and boosts metabolism, helping you start the day with energy. A balanced breakfast is especially important for growing children, as it significantly impacts their physical development and boosts their immune system. Leading British nutritionist Federica Amati shared with the Daily Mail the following: "Foods Children Should Never Eat for Breakfast, and Their Alternatives."

 

Processed meats increase the risk of cancer

 

Dr. Federica Amati advises against giving children processed meats like ham, sausages, and frozen chicken nuggets. She cites the fact that eating high-sodium processed meats in the morning can lead to excessive fluid retention, which increases blood pressure and dehydration, leaving children feeling tired and less focused as they start the day. Processed meat consumption also increases the risk of cancer. Salt and preservatives added during the manufacturing process can disrupt gut microbiota.

 

N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are produced during processing, damage DNA and generate oxidative stress, contributing to the development of cancer cells. A study by Oxford University in the UK found that consuming more than 70g of processed meat per day increases the risk of colon cancer by 5%. 70g of processed meat is equivalent to two slices of bacon or half a hamburger.

Ultra-processed foods that cause intestinal inflammation

 

You should also be careful of ultra-processed foods with high food additive content. Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been processed and modified multiple times, and are a general term for ▲frozen foods ▲fast foods ▲instant foods ▲processed beverages, etc. Dr. Amati said, "Because the body's metabolic rate is high in the morning, it is important to eat nutritious foods to kick-start metabolism efficiently," and "If you eat ultra-processed foods in the morning, your blood sugar rises and falls rapidly, which puts a burden on metabolism as it consumes energy quickly, increasing the risk of obesity and metabolic diseases."

 

Ultra-processed foods include not only artificial foods like ramen and snacks, but also plant-based foods like bread and cereals, so it's a good idea to carefully check the nutritional information on the back of the package. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines ultra-processed foods as those containing casein, lactose, gluten, maltodextrin, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and flavor enhancers. Ultra-processed foods are high in sugar and fat, but lack nutrients like fiber and vitamins, resulting in poor calorie quality and potentially causing intestinal inflammation during digestion.

 

◇You need to add protein to high-quality carbohydrates.

 

Dr. Amati said, "A suitable breakfast for children is a low-glycemic index (GI) carbohydrate food, which is a complex carbohydrate with three or more sugar molecules." He added, "Some parents are concerned about their children consuming carbohydrates, but since carbohydrates are quickly converted into energy in the body, it's important for children to consume plenty of high-quality carbohydrates in the morning when they need energy."

 

Achieving nutritional balance is achieved by adding protein foods appropriately to whole grains like multigrains or whole wheat. For protein, it's best to choose fish or chicken instead of processed meats. A Harvard University research team tracked the eating habits of 81,000 people for approximately eight years and found that replacing processed meat with fish reduced mortality by 25%, while replacing it with chicken reduced it by 17%.

 

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But children eat whole wheat and grains

I hate it so much

We ate beans and rice and mixed grains since we were young.

I still like it,

I made sure to bring kimchi too,

Luckily, I eat kimchi well too~