Even Nepalese two-year-olds live on a candied drink, chips

The two-year-old Nepalese children get a quarter of their daily calorie intake from unhealthy food - a survey by Helen Keller International, a global non-profit health organization, was written by The Guardian . The study in the Kathmandu Valley covered 754 children aged 12 and 23 months.

For the first time, the organization has been looking at the effects of fast-food consumption on children under two years of age in a poor country.

The study reveals that the spread of fast food dishes worldwide is not only linked to obesity, but also to the slow development of children.

All of the 754 children included in the research have potato diets, biscuits, instant noodles and other sugar-rich foods in their diets instead of growth, vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients.

However, children who ate more foods rich in salt, sugar or fat were lower than their counterparts. This is due to the inadequate intake of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A and zinc in their body.

According to a statement by Dr Alissa Pries, Senior Researcher at the Assessment and Research on Child Feeding Project, their aim is to raise awareness of this problem among other researchers and decision-makers.

The conclusions are only drawn on the basis of observation, so they cannot prove the causes or effects. That is why it would be important to initiate further research on this subject.

The co-author of the study, Dr Atul Upadhyay, is also calling for further steps, as he claims that there is increasing evidence that the consumption of unhealthy foods is increasing dramatically.

It also reminds us to pay more attention to the fact that we consume nutritious, locally available foods and reduce the purchase of snack products as much as possible.

(Source: marmalade.co.uk; hirado.com | Image: pixabay.com)