B2 – Upper Intermediate
A study revealed that nearly half of toddlers’ daily calorie intake comes from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), raising concerns about long-term health impacts like obesity and poor nutritional habits.
Read the article to know more the most common UPFs consumed by the toddlers.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241003221629.htm
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “cohort study” mean? “The researchers analysed data from the Gemini twin cohort study, using the Nova classification to divide the food and drink consumed into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (eggs, milk, vegetables, fish and fruit); processed culinary ingredients (salt, butter and oil); processed foods (tinned fish, peanut butter and cheese); and UPFs (cereals, yoghurts, industrially made sliced bread, biscuits, sausages, crisps).” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “hyperpalatable” mean? “The research team said this may be partly attributable to the “hyperpalatable” nature of these UPFs, as they tend to be foods higher in fat, sugar and/or salt.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “redress” mean? “The researchers called for policies to redress the balance of children’s diets towards a lower proportion of UPFs, such as restricting the promotion of unhealthy foods marketed towards children, adding warning labels to products (e.g. those that are high in sugar), and subsidizing fresh and minimally processed food.” Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What types of ultra-processed foods contribute most to toddlers’ diets?
- How does the high consumption of ultra-processed foods affect toddlers’ long-term health?
- What are some demographic factors that influence toddlers’ consumption of ultra-processed foods?
- What strategies or recommendations does the study suggest to reduce ultra-processed food intake in young children?