Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
What we eat early in life really matters. A new study says allowing children to have snacks and junk food can cause lifelong problems. In particular, high-fat and high-sugar foods can affect the part of the brain that helps control hunger and energy.
The research was done at University College Cork in Ireland. It found that healthy eating shapes lifelong brain health. Dr Cristina Cuesta-Marti is the first author of the study. She said eating unhealthy foods as a baby and child might have hidden, long-term effects on how you eat.
She added that you might not see these effects right away.
The researchers found that fruits and vegetables have different types of helpful gut bacteria. The bacteria protect us from the harmful effects of unhealthy, sugary foods.
Foods with good gut bacteria include onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus and bananas. Some new studies also say that kids should eat more fish and nuts.
