By Urvashi Khade

Food Addiction in Children – Is It Really Possible?

When we talk about addiction, we usually think about alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. But have you ever thought that children can develop an addiction to food?

You might wonder “Our children throw tantrums to avoid food. How can they be addicted to it?” But here, we are not talking about healthy home-cooked food. We are talking about chocolates, chips, biscuits, sugary drinks, and other packaged snacks.

Today, it is very common to see children happily eating a packet of chips or chocolates while refusing the dal-chawal or roti-sabji lovingly prepared at home. Despite doctors and dieticians advising parents not to introduce such foods early in life, these items have become a regular part of children’s diets.

This is because many parents may not fully understand the reasoning behind this advice. The most common concern they are aware of is that chocolates can damage their child’s teeth.

But there is a much deeper question we need to ask:

• Why do children love chocolates so instantly?
• How does a child start liking chocolate in just one bite?
• Why do they ask for it again and again but refuse the dal-rice lovingly prepared at home?
• What makes a packet of chips taste so irresistible?

The answer lies in how these foods are made.

Packaged foods such as chocolates, biscuits, chips, and sugary drinks are carefully designed using combinations of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats in a way that makes them extremely appealing to our taste buds.

These combinations stimulate the brain’s reward system by releasing a chemical called dopamine, which is responsible for feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. This is the same pathway that gets activated in other forms of addiction.

So, if we say that children can get addicted to chocolates or junk food, we may not be entirely wrong.

Today, many children are developing a dependency not on substances, but on packaged foods, chocolates, biscuits, sugary drinks, and junk snacks. The worrying part is we often encourage it without even realizing it.

We very casually say things like: “Finish your homework and I’ll give you a chocolate.”“Roti nahi kha raha? At least biscuit toh khaya ,ye hi de deti hu.”

Chocolates after vaccination, biscuits when the child refuses meals, or sweets as a reward for good behaviour may seem harmless. However, when children are frequently given such foods, their brain slowly begins to associate them with comfort, happiness, and reward and not hunger.

The more they eat them, the more dopamine is released  and the more their brain begins to crave that same feeling again.

Over time, their taste buds get used to high-salt and high-sugar foods. As a result, the normal dal-chawal or roti-sabji made at home may start feeling tasteless to them, leading to frequent demands for sweet or salty snacks. Food slowly becomes linked to emotions rather than hunger. Children’s brains  begin to understand that: chocolate means comfort, chips mean happiness, sweets mean reward.

Regular consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in childhood significantly increases the risk of pediatric obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. Studies indicate these foods alter gut microbiomes, cause nutritional deficiencies, and are linked to poorer cognitive performance, lower verbal ability, and mental health issues like anxiety in youth.

Most packaged foods are low in important nutrients. When children eat these foods regularly, they eat less healthy home-cooked meals like dal, vegetables, fruits, and pulses.

This leads to:

• Iron deficiency
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Weakness
• Frequent illness
• Anemia
  

Research shows that regularly consuming sugary drinks and junk food from an early age affect:

• Concentration
• Memory
• Learning ability
• Mood

Long-Term Effects

Eating habits developed in childhood often continue into adulthood.

More importantly, it shapes eating patterns that continue into adolescence and adulthood.

What can we do to avoid this?
So Parents first should be educated enough on what should they have and what is right for the child to have.

Here are a few simple steps parents can try:

• Avoid using chocolates or junk food as rewards
• Encourage regular family meals
• Keep packaged snacks as occasional treats rather than daily habits
• Offer healthier snack options at home
• Help children understand the difference between hunger and craving
• Lead by example through your own eating habits

Developing healthy eating habits in children should begin early in life — it cannot be suddenly taught later on. It is similar to giving a mobile phone to a child from a young age and then complaining or shouting at them for always being on it.

Therefore, the foundation of healthy eating must be laid in early childhood itself.