Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta talked about malnutrition habits that threaten the heart in children, and gave important warnings and suggestions to parents. Unhealthy diet, inactivity, obesity, insufficient sleep and stress, heart diseases have become increasingly common in children in recent years. Acıbadem Altunizade Hospital Pediatric Cardiology Specialist Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta said, “Today, with the influence of parents' busy work schedule, the diet has moved away from naturalness and shifted to the consumption of packaged and processed foods that can be prepared easily and quickly, with artificial sweeteners and additives that increase their shelf life. This situation plays an important role in the fact that obesity, which threatens heart health, becomes the most common chronic disease in children. According to the International Obesity Commission report; that approximately 5-17 percent of children aged 20-25 worldwide are overweight or obese; Emphasizing that obesity directly paves the way for cardiovascular diseases, Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta says that parents have very important duties to protect the heart health of children, and that especially healthy eating habits and exercise habits play a critical role.
Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta stated that consuming refined and processed foods is quite harmful.
Industrial products facilitate the formation of obesity. For example; Packaged desserts, ice creams, carbonated drinks containing high levels of refined sugars, cold teas, colored and fruity milks, candies, biscuits and snacks such as crackers can facilitate the development of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent children from encouraging such foods. Again, consuming whole wheat bread instead of white bread, and bulgur instead of rice not only gives a feeling of satiety, but also supports against overweight and contributes to protecting heart health.
Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta said that fibrous foods are consumed less
According to some parents, it is more difficult to feed their children vegetables and legumes than 'digging a camel'! However, consumption of vegetables and legumes is very important for children's cardiovascular health. In addition to their low fat content, vegetables protect cardiovascular health thanks to their rich fiber content, dense fiber content, folic acid, calcium, potassium and vitamin C, which have a lowering effect on bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). It is recommended to consume legumes at least twice a week, as legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans are rich in fiber and have high nutritional values. For this reason, parents have a great responsibility to make their children love vegetables and legumes.
Fries threaten the cardiovascular health of children as well as adults. Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta made the following statement:
“Prefer boiled, self-cooked, grilled or oven-cooked methods rather than quick cooking methods, frying and roasting. In this way, you not only limit excessive fat intake, but also protect the cardiovascular health of children, while increasing the nutritional value of the food.
Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta said that foods containing saturated fatty acids should be avoided.
Saturated fatty acids increase the levels of LDL cholesterol, which is harmful for heart health, while facilitating the development of insulin resistance. Dr. According to Master Sinem Altunyuva; High-calorie, trans-fat-rich chips, packaged cakes and cookies, breakfast cereals, colored sweetened milks, fries, and flavored sugary yogurts consumed by children, especially while watching television and watching television in front of the computer, can be harmful to cardiovascular health. Oil seeds such as raw almonds, walnuts and raw hazelnuts that they consume instead of these contribute to the protection of heart health thanks to the healthy unsaturated fats and fibers they contain.
Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta drew attention to the excessive use of salt
Pointing out that the World Health Organization's daily salt consumption recommendation is 2 grams per day, Dr. Usta said, “However, in a study conducted on adults in Turkey; It is reported that daily salt consumption is about 18 grams. It is extremely important to reduce the amount of salt added during cooking, not adding additional salt to cooked foods, minimizing the consumption of refined and processed foods containing excess salt, reducing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and protecting the heart health of children. The fact that the salts used in preparing food are iodized is also important in regulating the thyroid gland and therefore the metabolic rate.
Usta emphasized that processed meat products should not be consumed
Consumption of processed and heat-treated meat products stands out as another wrong eating habit. Research conducted in recent years; shows that consumption of this type of meat is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease as well as an increased incidence of cancer. Dr. Sinem Altunyuva Usta says that for this reason, the consumption of bacon, sausage, sausage, salami should be reduced or even avoided.
Dr. Usta stated that not consuming enough fish affects child development.
Thanks to its rich omega-3 content, fish consumption plays an important role in child development. Increasing fish consumption reduces the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol and prevents the formation of plaque that causes congestion in the arteries, while providing great benefits in regulating heart rhythm. Therefore, it is necessary to consume fish at least twice a week. However, the way the fish is cooked is also very important. Since frying can cause harm instead of benefit, it is necessary to cook the fish by steaming or in the oven.
Be the first to comment