Wed, Jul-25-18, 03:32
|
 |
|
|
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
|
|
Gluten-free kids' foods loaded with sugar
Quote:
From Reuters
23 July, 2018
Gluten-free kids' foods loaded with sugar
Children’s foods that are promoted as gluten-free tend to be lacking in nutritional value and loaded with sugar just like other packaged kids’ products on grocery store shelves, a U.S. study suggests.
Four in five children’s snacks and treats had at least 10 percent of calories from sugars - gluten-free or not - the study found.
And 88 percent of gluten-free packaged foods for kids had poor nutritional quality because they contained too much sugar, salt, total fat, saturated fat and trans-fatty acids - as did 97 percent of items that made no claims about lacking gluten.
“The problem is NOT the gluten free label per se, it is the processed foods aimed at children,” said study author Charlene Elliott, a food marketing and children’s health researcher at the University of Calgary in Canada.
In fact, when researchers compared gluten-free products to similar items containing gluten, the nutritional content was similarly poor, Elliott said. Gluten-free versions of boxed macaroni and cheese, for example, had sky-high levels of sugars and unhealthy fats just like the box without a gluten-free label.
“Some parents opt for a gluten-free diet as they believe it will be healthier for their children,” Elliott said by email. “But when you look at the nutritional profile of packaged gluten-free foods, this is not the case.”
About one in 100 children and adults have celiac disease, in which consumption of gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients. Avoiding foods that contain gluten from grains such as barley, malt, rye and wheat, or their derivatives, can ease symptoms and help minimize the risk of complications like malnutrition and brittle bones.
A growing number of families are going gluten-free even when nobody in the household has celiac disease or gluten intolerance out of a mistaken belief that this is a healthier way to eat, researchers note in Pediatrics.
For the study, researchers examined the nutritional content of 66 packaged children’s foods labeled as gluten free and 308 processed products that didn’t make this claim.
Where possible, they made apples-to-apples comparisons to match similar products like instant oatmeal, ice cream, granola bars, peanut butter, and applesauce or fruit snacks.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how gluten-free products might be healthier than other processed foods. Another limitation is that researchers only looked at items available for sale at two large grocery chains.
|
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-idUSKBN1KD2CP |
Linear Mode
