Smarter snacking 'can reduce childhood obesity'

Tuesday, 4 October 2011 10:24 AM

Children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling, according to psychologists at the University of Bristol. This latest study into growing childhood obesity rates is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It suggests that those snacks that form a regular part of a child’s diet may be misinterpreted in terms of portion control and nutritional value.

Seventy 11- to 12-year-old children took part in the study. They used a specialised computer task in order to quantify the fullness that they expected from different snack food products. They also reported how frequently they ate the snacks.

Dr Charlotte Hardman, one of the authors from the Nutrition and Behaviour Unit in the University's School of Experimental Psychology, said: "Presenting children with a wide variety of different snack food products may make it difficult to predict their fullness. Our study suggests that if parents choose to give snack foods to their children, they may wish to stick to the same products."
 

A quarter of kids may be obese by 2050

Childhood obesity can lead to liver disease

British parents could be killing their kids with food, with new reports saying 500,000 children in England are at risk of developing life-threatening liver disease because they are overweight. 25% of UK kids will be clinically obese by 2050.

 Eat more fruit for a high-fibre diet

Low-fat, high-fibre diet 'should start in childhood'

Children who are encouraged to eat a low-fat, high-fibre diet have a reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease in adulthood. A study tested adult women, some of whom were given good healthy eating habits by their parents, for disease risk factors.
Children as young as three crave fast food

Tastebuds recognise salt, sugar and fat from childhood

Children as young as three years old can express a preference for salt, sugar and fat - and recognise fast food and fizzy drink brands, according to research from the University of Oregon.

 Children influenced by fast food advertising

Food adverts do influence children's eating habits

Food advertising DOES influence a child's food choices - but parents have the chance to step in and influence their final decision. Only a third of children asked for chips after shown a healthy food advert, with supervision of their parents.
Homemade milkshakes hide fruit

Top tactics to feed fussy eaters

Inventive mums are employing clever techniques to make sure their kids are eating well. Over 60% of mums admit their children play cunning tricks to avoid eating foods that are good for them, so one in four (21%) admitted bribing their kids.

 Think low-GI for diet success

Slowly digested carbs 'reduce signs of obesity'

Small changes add up to big differences and, if you change one thing this January, try looking at your intake of carbs. Researchers found low-GI foods, such as wholemeal bread, reduce inflammation that is associated with disease and obesity.
Salt can damage developing kidneys

Cow's milk 'adds to dangerous salt intake'

Researchers from Bristol have found that 70% of eight-month-old babies consume too much salt through processed foods including yeast extract, baked beans and, surprisingly, even cow’s milk. High levels of salt can damage developing kidney.

 Brits admit to keeping snacks hidden

A sinful snacks hidden under your bed?

Britain's secret snack stashers are going to extreme lengths to hide their bad food habits from their family - even resorting to hiding food under their bed! One in 10 polled by American Pistachio Growers admitted to a bedroom stash of sweets.

Free Newsletter

Sign up to foodnotes.co.uk's free newsletter.

Subject to terms of use and privacy policy

Broccoli helps kill cancer cells

Broccoli helps kill cancer cells

We have long been told about the health benefits of superfoods but now Sulforaphane, one of the primary phytochemicals in broccoli has been proved to selectively target and kill prostate cancer cells, leaving normal prostate cells healthy and unaffected.

Over half of Brits want to shed 'at least a stone'

weight loss

The study commissioned by diet aid manufacturer Slimsticks, also discovered that a worrying one in five people have followed an ‘eating is cheating’ starvation diet and one in ten have tried a liquid diet.

Headlines