Why do we crave sweet foods even if they're bad for us? Why do we have to eat vegetables? Why does junk food taste so good? We answer all of your nutrition questions with Wesley Delbridge of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Other questions in this episode include: Why does eating salty food make you be thirsty? Why do foods have vitamins? Why is breakfast so important? Why do children get hungry at night? Why is fast food so popular?
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"Why is sugar bad for you?" - Leo, 8, New York
"It gives you energy but not much else," says Wesley Delbridge, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "For example, sugar-sweetened beverages (like soda) or candy, all [they have] is sugar. When you eat that, your body absorbs it very quickly and your blood sugar jumps up, and you get that shot of energy and you feel good and you're a little hyper, but then the body gets rid of that energy very quickly and we get what we call low blood sugar. That's where you feel really tired, really sluggish; you don't want to do anything; you can't concentrate."
Delbridge says those foods may taste and feel good at first, but they ultimately leave you feeling down. "That's why we want to have a healthy diet with those "sometimes foods." But if you only eat high sugar items you're not going to feel good at all. You're not going to get the nutrients you need to do well in school or play at the playground. You're not going to feel good even though the things that you're eating taste good."
"Why do you have to eat vegetables?" - Michael, 4, Manitoba
"Vegetables are superfoods, meaning they have so many great things inside of them that our bodies need. Vegetables grow naturally; they have vitamins; they give you energy. They also have fiber. Fiber is kind of like a brush inside your body that keeps it clean and keeps it moving well," Delbridge describes. "Vegetables have all of these amazing super powers and we don't even know everything that they do. That's why we tell you to eat those superfoods, not because we're trying to give you things you don't like but because we're trying to give you the best foods possible."
