There’s no free lunch, Moms and Dads. Â That trip through the drive-thru may be easy and convenient, saving you the hassle of preparing dinner at home, but it is having lifetime implications for your children.
A study conducted by an academic at the University of London reports that children who consume more fast food grow up to have a lower IQ than those who regularly eat freshly-cooked meals.
4,000 Scottish children aged 3-5 years old were examined to compare the intelligence dampening effects of fast food consumption versus  “from scratch”  fare prepared with only fresh ingredients.
Dr. Sophie von Stumm of the Department of Psychology at the University of London said:
“It’s common sense that the type of food we eat will affect brain development, but previous research has only looked at the effects of specific food groups on children’s IQ rather than at generic types of meals.”
Higher fast food consumption by the children was linked with lower intelligence and this was even after adjustments for wealth and social status were taken into account.
The conclusions of this study confirm previous research which shows long lasting effects on IQ from a child’s diet. An Australian study from the University of Adelaide published in August 2012 showed that toddlers who consume junk food grow less smart as they get older.   In that study, 7000 children were examined at the age of 6 months, 15 months, 2 years to examine their diet.
When the children were examined again at age 8, children who were consuming the most unhealthy food had IQs up to 2 points lower than children eating a wholesome diet.
Tips for Keeping Kids off Processed Food
How to keep your children from eating fast food and nutrient poor processed foods? Â Just don’t buy it or bring it into the house. Â If it’s not in the pantry, your kids won’t be eating it and neither will you. Â Simple as that.
Keep a few containers of healthy snacks like additive and MSG free jerky (here’s the one I buy) and nuts with you in the car for when the family is ravenous and tempted by the drive thru or other unhealthy snacks.
If your kids don’t want the healthy snacks and only are asking for junk food, they aren’t really hungry. It’s either boredom or emotional eating so just say no and wait until you get home to prepare them a decent meal.
For a crazy and extreme video clip of how I taught my kids to hate fast food, click here. Â Trust me, your kids will thank you later when they have an easier time with school and life in general as a result of your efforts!
If you have drawn a line in the sand about fast food at your house too and have tips to share, please tell us about it in the comments section!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I’m very new to this type of eating, but very happy with what I have learned here. One comment in particular I have kept in my mind was; your child would be better off actually missing a meal than eating at a fast food restaurant. After I thought about it I decided this was true and have embraced it. I dont think mine have missed one, but it was important for me to remove fast food as an option totally to force myself to be more creative when plans change or we are extra busy.
Below is an actual comment I overheard one kid tell another a long while back:
“My grades went up when I stopped eating at McDonalds”
**Also, for those who’ve never seen the time-lasp video of McDonald’s french fries – well, nobody would ever consider THOSE THINGS food fit for humans consumption after viewing it: weeks and weeks and the fries never rot.
I would love an article on how your stomach and mind is stimulated by the preparation (and smell) of food. It does change your bodies chemistry and teaches focus and patience in kids, which has a lot to do with learning!
The chemicals and vegetable oils used in fast food are bad for the brain, bad for the body, bad for everything. Fast food is all about profit, and only the cheapest ingredients are used, with the taste coming form chemical flavor enhancers that are addictive.
In fact, wild animals and insects will not touch fast food when it was left outside, and many people have done this experifment.
This study is no surprise, only confirming what common sense has told us for a very long time.
The old saying is true, We are what we eat. It is much better for us to be made of real food, not chemical soaked garbage.
I don’t think the food us the problem. It’s the parenting. Running life at full speed keeps the kids from interacting with adults. The same is also true if the parent is too lazy. Opportunities to learn are in every moment of every day. Children are so receptive to all that is around them. Teaching them that fast, greasy food is a treat, dinner every Friday, or when mom is tired, engraves the wrong ideals into their life.
ha ha while the lower IQ is eating their McDonalds, the higher IQ is owning their stocks.