This is not a shocking fact at the moment, but rather worrying. And more: A new study dedicated to the issue by nutritionists from UCA’s Social Debt Observatory and the Sepia Study Center found that the minimum percentage of Argentine children and adolescents healthily meet the recommended daily food consumption: ” Barely 5% of minors eat the types and amounts of healthy daily foods recommended by the Food Guide,” Dr. Sergio Britos, director of Sepia and member of the group responsible for this report, summarized for the profile. On the other hand, 38% of boys consume very few protective and healthy foods. The rest – 57% – regularly mix a good and bad diet, but with some deficiencies in important food groups.
Among other startling statistics, the study highlights another finding: Legumes are low in intake, a group of foods that – according to experts – are “relatively” cheap and offer a very good nutritional profile. However, it is a commonly used option. According to experts, this is one of the food groups that will need to be promoted exclusively by specific educational policies.
Another fact that was highlighted is that 27% of boys consume sugary and carbonated drinks continuously. And one in six minors consumes an excess of baked goods. Both categories are important because they are “tracers” of the added sugar that makes up a children’s diet. On the other hand, this figure is compounded by remembering that – in both cases – the trend shows an increase in consumption as the socioeconomic status of households improves. Also, with the decline in the socio-economic status of households, the quality of food also deteriorates.
The report found a positive aspect: consumption of dairy products showed an acceptable pattern, particularly in the analysis of the quality of what was eaten for breakfast: 90% of boys ate dairy products in some way (alone, infusion or in yogurt). One-third of dairy intake comes from milk. Almost all (98%) breakfasts that combine dairy products with another food group usually include bread or cereal as the main accompaniment.
Britos concludes the Medium by explaining that “This report points to important data to be able to think of better policies and specific educational measures to improve the quality of food. It is that Argentine children and The low quality of the average teen’s diet is sometimes not due to excessive consumption of “negative” foods, but rather is based on low portions of healthy ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and low-fat dairy products. Are included.”
“The problem with the poor grades of diet our children eat is more imprinted in the low consumption of healthy ingredients than in the high consumption of foods of poor nutritional quality,” he concluded.
Discussion about this post