Children who eat a nutritious breakfast and more fruit and vegetables have better mental health, study claims
Experts described quality of some children's meals and snacks as 'concerning'
University of East Anglia nutritionists called for urgent action to improve them
They quizzed 10,853 pupils at 50 Norfolk schools on their diet and mental health

Children who eat a nutritious breakfast and more fruit and vegetables have better mental health, a study suggests.

A poor diet is potentially as detrimental to pupils' wellbeing as being exposed to violence and rows at home, researchers warn.

They described the quality of some children's meals and snacks as 'concerning' and called for urgent action to improve them.

A failure to act is also likely to impact on children's growth, development and education, by hampering their ability to concentrate in class, they add.

The nutritionists, from the University of East Anglia, quizzed 10,853 pupils at 50 Norfolk schools on their diet and mental health.

Only 25 per cent of secondary school pupils and 28.5 per cent of primary school pupils reported eating the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day.

Some 10 per cent and 9 per cent respectively ate none.

Further, 22.3 per cent of secondary school pupils and 10.2 per cent of primary consumed only a drink or nothing for breakfast.

The average mental health score was 46.6 out of 70 for secondary school pupils and 46 out of 60 for primary school pupils.

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Diet soda may actually lead to weight gain, food cravings for women and the obese

Diet soda is often a go-to beverage for many people trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, a new study finds drinks containing the artificial sweetener sucralose may be hurting the dieting efforts for both women and the obese. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC say diet sodas actually cause the brain to experience more food cravings than normal sugary beverages.

Study authors note this is the largest study to date examining how artificial sweeteners, or nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), influence brain activity and appetite. Over 40 percent of U.S. adults drink some variety of NNSs as a calorie-free alternative to regular soda. Although some dieters do lose weight while drinking diet soda, researchers say the health pros and cons of artificial sweeteners are still unclear. Scientists continue to debate how much of an impact these substances have on appetite, glucose metabolism, and body weight.

“There is controversy surrounding the use of artificial sweeteners because a lot of people are using them for weight loss,” says Kathleen Page, MD, the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, in a university release. “While some studies suggest they may be helpful, others show they may be contributing to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Our study looked at different population groups to tease out some of the reasons behind those conflicting results.”

Diet soda lowers the ‘I feel full’ signal in the brain
Researchers examined 74 participants during three experiments measuring their brain activity while drinking various beverages. The volunteers varied from healthy weight individuals, to overweight, to obese dieters. The group drank 300 milliliters of a drink containing sucrose (regular table sugar), a diet drink sweetened with the NNS sucralose, and water.

Two hours later, study authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to examine each person’s brain activity as they viewed pictures of high-calorie foods like a burger or donut. Specifically, researchers focused on brain regions responsible for appetite and food cravings as the group looked at these tasty images.

The team also measured each person’s blood sugar levels, insulin, other metabolic hormones in the blood, and the amount of food each person ate at a snack buffet following the brain scans. Results reveal that both women and obese participants experienced increased activity in the brain areas controlling food cravings and appetite after drinking diet soda-sucralose beverages. The activity was greater than when these individuals drank the real sugar beverage.

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1 in 5 parents says kids eating more junk since pandemic began eating at home more frequently as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns might lead one to believe children are eating healthier, but new research challenges that conclusion. According to a survey, one in five parents say their kids have been snacking away on more junk food since the start of the pandemic.

Although many moms and dads say their family has enjoyed healthier meals since the onset of coronavirus, 20% admit being “too stressed” to cook. And one in six say their child consumes fast-food at least twice a week. The survey of more than 2,000 parents of American children aged 3 to 18 was conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

“The pandemic disrupted many family routines, including where and what they eat. We know families’ lifestyles can impact children’s diets, and we looked to see how the pandemic may have changed their eating habits,” explains Dr. Gary Freed, poll co-director and Mott pediatrician, in a statement. He says that families’ views on fast-food consumption varied based on the parents’ perceptions of their child’s weight.

“Parents who said their kids are overweight were almost twice as likely to say their children have fast-food at least twice a week, compared to those who said their kids are at a normal weight. Parents also identified some barriers to home-cooked meals. Around 40% of parents reported being too busy to cook, and, one in five said they were too stressed. These challenges were also reported more commonly among parents with kids who were overweight,” says Dr. Freed.

Fast-food an acceptable ‘sometimes’ meal
While almost all parents agreed that fast food is unhealthy for their children, more than 80% feel it’s “okay” in moderation, according to the poll. Three out of four parents also agreed with the statement that when stressed for time, fast-food is a good family option. A third of parents say that fast-food is good value for the money, while almost 24% feel it is less expensive than making meals at home.

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About Nicolette M. Pace MS, RDN, CDE, CBC,CDN, CFCS ,FAND
Nicolette founded NutriSource Inc. ( www.nutrisource.org ) in 2002 to provide high quality education, counseling and nutrition services for a diverse community population. Prior to founding NutriSource Inc, she served as Director of Clinical Nutrition at the NYHQ/Silvercrest Center where she provided both administrative and direct care for sub-acute and chronically ill patients. Nicolette was a key member of performance improvement projects and as Chair of the Nutrition Committee; significant positive changes were made in the standard of care.

Nicolette has been featured in CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News, the New York Times, Seventeen, Fitness, Men’s Journal, More, Dr. Oz, Everyday Health, AOL, IVillage, Health, Shape and other magazines. She is also a contributing writer for Minerva Place, as well as an adjunct professor of Nutrition at CUNY and Touro Colleges. She believes in emphasizing a holistic approach toward food, nutrition and preventative healthcare.

Health, nutrition, dieting, natural eating, healthiest foods, weight loss, mental wellbeing, Nicolette Pace