Abstract:
Changes in eating habits are leading to eating ever more processed and industrialized foods. People no longer have sufficient daily time to prepare foods in the traditional manners due to changes in their routines, it being common to eat meals out of the home. This rapid change has become a theme of interest for papers of scientific investigation. Studies show the ever earlier emergence of illnesses related to eating habits, including in children. Adequate eating habits have an important role in the physiological responses to the growth and development of the organism as a whole. Some nutrients bring in their composition indispensable elements to the formation of bones, muscles, teeth and brain for each phase of life. Many times, the substitution of traditional foods with industrialized foods leads to consuming foods with less nutritional value. This paper sought to investigate the main motives which lead children, in present times, to eat in an inadequate way and at the same time to know the impacts generated on their health. Thus, we carried out a bibliographic research in books, electronic journals and scientific works, seeking answers to the problems observed. The results obtained show that the main factors which contribute to bad eating habits in children are acquired in family relations, in the inadequate criteria used by them and in the lack of care of the parents as to the choice of the foods, and also due to the facilitated access to industrialized products and to those offered by the media. There is consensus as to the understanding of the determining factors, to propose effective educational processes with regard to the eating patterns of the child.
