Junk Food rivals Tobacco Marketing
Today junk food rivals tobacco marketing. The current population of kids under the age of 14 in the U.S. is 61.5 million. These children alone spend $40 Billion a year on snacks, toys, electronics, the money they spend is given to them by their parents, friends, or other family members. Much of this money goes towards processed junk food, which is linked to the rising obesity and chronic disease rates in kids. Kids are drawn to these junk foods by marketing strategies such as: offering free toys, cartoon and super hero characters on the front of the packaging, and to make sure they are within arm’s reach at the checkout aisle.
What makes these foods worse for children? In a recent report from Time Magazine these highly processed foods can lead to signs of addiction such as loss of control, tolerance, and withdrawal. Another Time Magazine article also goes on to say that “obesity is a bigger global health threat than tobacco use”.
Marketing to kids seems to everywhere, from TV commercials, to billboards, to even the vending machines’ at schools. Worst being that they are not only exposed to these different advertisements but they are exposed multiple times a day. A 2013 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) children from the age of 2 to 11 are seeing an average of 10 commercials a day for processed foods.
The reason marketing to kids is a huge market is because once kids are hooked on these foods they become hooked for life. They become consistent consumers of these processed foods and they grow up eating them. This response is aiding to the obesity epidemic we are now facing in today’s kid here in the U.S.
We need to start taking back the diets of our youth. We need to focus on giving these kids the nutrition they need, vegetables need to be substituted for the high caloric, high fat, highly processed foods they are used to seeing on the TV. We need to cut down on the starch they are consuming everyday and be better at monitoring their diets and what is going into their bodies.
If we don’t then the trend of kids dying sooner than their parents do will continue. If you are looking for help with your kid’s nutrition give us a call at Reed Chiropractic 480-785-1355, we will do our best to guide you to the healthier options out there for you and your loved ones.
