Experts say that over half of snacks that are sold as healthy are in fact high in fat, salt&nbsp;and sugar.

The assessment was undertaken by the group Action on Salt&nbsp;in the United Kingdom, which found that 119 snacks that include dried/roasted pulses, processed pulse-based snacks, chickpea chips actually turned out to be saltier than seawater.

Even though such foods are lower in fat, saturated fat, and calories on average, they are high in fibre. At least 43 per cent of such products had high levels of salt.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/nearly-a-fifth-of-all-food-reaching-consumers-wasted-un-368034" hreflang="en">Nearly a fifth of all food reaching consumers wasted: UN</a> 
 
Consuming salt in excessive quantities has caused thousands of cases of heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Action on Salt's campaign manager - Sonia Pombo told The Guardian newspaper that while people should be eating more beans and pulses, there may be better ways of achieving this. The survey has brought to light the unnecessary amounts of salt that is found in healthy snacks.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/lifestyle/news-package-labels-ingredient-lists-of-toddler-food-hard-to-navigate-study-362148" hreflang="en">Package labels, ingredient lists of toddler food hard to navigate: Study</a>

According to Action on Salt, the majority of the products in question were not carrying colour-coded information in terms of nutrition on the packaging, as is mandated by the government. 
 
The body added that it remains unclear whether snacks that were surveyed would fall within the government's plans to limit the promotion of unhealthy foods. It is not clear whether this would be limited to food items that fall under ongoing sugar and calorie reduction programmes.

Experts say that over half of snacks that are sold as healthy are in fact high in fat, salt and sugar. The assessment was undertaken by the group Action on Salt in the United Kingdom, which found that 119 snacks that include dried/roasted pulses, processed pulse-based snacks, chickpea chips actually turned out to be saltier than seawater.

Experts say that over half of snacks that are sold as healthy are in fact high in fat, salt and sugar. The assessment was undertaken by the group Action on Salt in the United Kingdom, which found that 119 snacks that include dried/roasted pulses, processed pulse-based snacks, chickpea chips actually turned out to be saltier than seawater. Even though such foods are lower in fat, saturated fat, and calories on average, they are high in fibre. At least 43 per cent of such products had high levels of salt. Also read: Nearly a fifth of all food reaching consumers wasted: UN Consuming salt in excessive quantities has caused thousands of cases of heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Action on Salt's campaign manager - Sonia Pombo told The Guardian newspaper that while people should be eating more beans and pulses, there may be better ways of achieving this. The survey has brought to light the unnecessary amounts of salt that is found in healthy snacks. Also read: Package labels, ingredient lists of toddler food hard to navigate: Study According to Action on Salt, the majority of the products in question were not carrying colour-coded information in terms of nutrition on the packaging, as is mandated by the government. The body added that it remains unclear whether snacks that were surveyed would fall within the government's plans to limit the promotion of unhealthy foods. It is not clear whether this would be limited to food items that fall under ongoing sugar and calorie reduction programmes.

More than half of snacks marketed as 'healthy' are actually very unhealthy

Your genes may play a role in determining your child`s unhealthy snacking habit, according to a study.

Researcher Elie Chamoun of the University of Guelph investigated whether genetic variants in taste receptors related to sweet preference, fat taste sensitivity, and aversion to bitter green leafy vegetables influence the snacks chosen by preschoolers.

He found that nearly 80 per cent of preschoolers in the study carried at least one of these potential at-risk genotypes that could predispose them to poor snacking habits.

&quot;Kids are eating a lot more snacks now than they used to, and we think to look at how genetics can be related to snacking behaviour is important to understanding increased obesity among kids,&quot; said Chamoun.

&quot;This new research could help parents understand how their kids taste and tailor their diet for better nutritional choices.&quot;

The study looked at connections between the genes of the three at-risk taste receptors and linked them to snacking patterns among preschoolers.

The study entailed tracking the day-to-day diets of nearly 50 preschoolers and found that one-third of the kids&#39;&nbsp;diets were made up of snacks.

Chamoun also tested the participants&#39; saliva to determine their genetic taste profile.

Chamoun discovered that kids with a sweet tooth, who have the gene related to sweet taste preference, ate snacks with significantly more calories from sugar. They also ate those snacks mostly in the evening.

&quot;It`s likely these kids snacked more in the evening because that`s when they are at home and have more access to foods with high sugar,&quot; said Chamoun.

The children with the genetic variant related to fat taste sensitivity were found to consume snacks with higher energy density.

People with this genetic variant may have low oral sensitivity to fat and therefore consume more fatty foods without sensing it, said Chamoun.

&quot;Higher-energy density snacks, such as cookies with lots of sugar and fat, have a higher number of calories for their weight. Those are snacks you want to avoid.&quot;

The children with the genetic variant related to avoiding bitter vegetables also consumed snacks with high energy density.

&quot;They might be replacing those healthy veggies with unhealthy snacks. This is why they may be consuming more energy-dense snacks, because they are avoiding the healthy ones.&quot;

This study is the first in an emerging area of nutrition research.

If researchers can establish a solid link between genetics and taste, then we can create tests that will help parents determine which genetic variants their children have, said Chamoun.

&quot;This could be a valuable tool for parents who might want to tailor their children`s diet accordingly. For example, if you know your child has a higher desire for sweet foods based on their genetics, you might be more likely to limit or reduce their accessibility to those foods in the home.&quot;

The findings have been published in the journal Nutrients.

Your genes may play a role in determining your child's unhealthy snacking habit, according to a study

Your genes may play a role in determining your child`s unhealthy snacking habit, according to a study. Researcher Elie Chamoun of the University of Guelph investigated whether genetic variants in taste receptors related to sweet preference, fat taste sensitivity, and aversion to bitter green leafy vegetables influence the snacks chosen by preschoolers. He found that nearly 80 per cent of preschoolers in the study carried at least one of these potential at-risk genotypes that could predispose them to poor snacking habits. "Kids are eating a lot more snacks now than they used to, and we think to look at how genetics can be related to snacking behaviour is important to understanding increased obesity among kids," said Chamoun. "This new research could help parents understand how their kids taste and tailor their diet for better nutritional choices." The study looked at connections between the genes of the three at-risk taste receptors and linked them to snacking patterns among preschoolers. The study entailed tracking the day-to-day diets of nearly 50 preschoolers and found that one-third of the kids' diets were made up of snacks. Chamoun also tested the participants' saliva to determine their genetic taste profile. Chamoun discovered that kids with a sweet tooth, who have the gene related to sweet taste preference, ate snacks with significantly more calories from sugar. They also ate those snacks mostly in the evening. "It`s likely these kids snacked more in the evening because that`s when they are at home and have more access to foods with high sugar," said Chamoun. The children with the genetic variant related to fat taste sensitivity were found to consume snacks with higher energy density. People with this genetic variant may have low oral sensitivity to fat and therefore consume more fatty foods without sensing it, said Chamoun. "Higher-energy density snacks, such as cookies with lots of sugar and fat, have a higher number of calories for their weight. Those are snacks you want to avoid." The children with the genetic variant related to avoiding bitter vegetables also consumed snacks with high energy density. "They might be replacing those healthy veggies with unhealthy snacks. This is why they may be consuming more energy-dense snacks, because they are avoiding the healthy ones." This study is the first in an emerging area of nutrition research. If researchers can establish a solid link between genetics and taste, then we can create tests that will help parents determine which genetic variants their children have, said Chamoun. "This could be a valuable tool for parents who might want to tailor their children`s diet accordingly. For example, if you know your child has a higher desire for sweet foods based on their genetics, you might be more likely to limit or reduce their accessibility to those foods in the home." The findings have been published in the journal Nutrients.

Your child's snacking pattern may be genetic

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