Avoiding fruit & veg could cause blindness and dementia – the dangers of fussy eating
WORRYING about whether your child is getting enough food can be a natural concern for parents.
But it is totally normal for kids to be fussy and refuse to eat or try new foods.
Health experts say that as long as they are active, gaining weight and seem well, they they're probably getting enough to eat.
If they're not eating foods from any of the four main food groups - fruit and veg, starchy carbs, dairy and pulses - then that's when you need to be a bit more concerned.
The body needs lots of different vitamins and minerals, known as micronutrients, from our diet for development and to prevent disease.
Avoiding these causes nutritional deficiencies, which can lead to a variety of pretty unpleasant side-effects.
Here are just some of the health issues caused by poor nutrition and how to avoid them...
Blindness
Vitamin A is important for many bodily functions, including a strong immune system, reproduction and good skin health - but it's also vital for vision.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and can increase the risk of disease and even death, according to the World Health Organisation.
It comes after it was revealed two British teenagers had gone blind after years of only eating chips and crisps.
For newborn babies, the best source of vitamin A is breast milk, but for everyone else, it’s important to get it from food. These include:
- milk
- eggs
- green vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, and spinach
- orange vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes
- reddish-yellow fruits, such as apricots, peaches, and tomatoes
Dementia
Another common nutritional deficiency is thiamine, also known as vitamin B-1.
It's an important part of the nervous system and helps turn carbohydrates into energy as part of your metabolism.
Vitamin D is only found naturally in a few foods, including:
- oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
- red meat
- liver
- egg yolks
- fortified foods – such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals
The best source of vitamin D is sunlight.
From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.
But between October and early March we don't get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements.
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