If we were glossing over it before now, the best time to sound the alarm was yesterday. Next best time? Today. As we celebrate our ‘future’ on this special ‘Children’s day’ in Nigeria, it’s important that we have conversations around their diet, health and wellness too.
Today more than ever, there is an alarming increase in our children’s consumption of junk food like sugary drinks, sweets, and fast foods over nutritious, healthy and homemade meals. The dangerous impact of such shows in the rise of diet-related health conditions like childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney diseases, and even behavioral issues to mention a few. What’s even worse are future projections by the experts, with the already alarming figures expected to more than double in the next 10-20 years.
In Nigeria alone, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled in recent decades. This surge is largely attributed to the increasing consumption of junk food, which is high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and empty calories. Such poor dietary habits affect not just their health for today, but also sets the unhealthy stage for chronic illnesses later in life.
Furthermore, considering the many other peculiar challenges in Nigeria outside of our locus of control (insecurity, inflation, etc), wisdom submits that we take absolute control over the diet and health of our children. Indeed, such unhealthy foods are pervasive due to factors like convenience especially in light of the increas.
