Emirati children as young as five months old are being fed an unhealthy diet of fries, cake, packaged juices and biscuits, a new study has found.
The survey of 1,000 UAE national parents revealed that one in five infants aged between five months and two snack on biscuits, while nearly one in ten infants aged between one and two are fed fries.
Five toddlers aged between one and two even consumed pizza, parents admitted.
Doctors said the snacking habits uncovered in the study, titled Meal and Snack Patterns of Infants and Toddlers in the United Arab Emirates: The UAE Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study, could have worrying implications for children's health.
Although a minority of babies were being fed such foods, studies show about one in three children in the UAE are either obese or overweight, which experts said emphasises the need for a healthier start in life.
A junk food diet can lead to brain development being affected, while immediate side effects can include acidity, gastritis and colic, experts concluded.
Consuming unhealthy food at a young age may pave the way for the future development of diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
The study of parents of infants under the age of one and toddlers under two-years-old was conducted by researchers at UAE University and doctors in Dubai and Al Ain and has been published in the Dubai Medical Journal.
Yousef Abdulrazzaq Albastaki, Emeritus professor of paediatrics and neonatology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at UAE University, the lead author of the study, warned parents against feeding children items such as chips and juices.
“The first two years of a child’s life are critical in the development of cognitive, social, physical and emotional development. It's very important to give them the right nutrition in this two-year period," said Professor Albastaki.
“We do have several people being underfed or overfed. Their food lacks iron and could lead to iron deficiency which may affect brain development.
“Chips and juices are not necessary and shouldn’t be given. I don’t think it's healthy for any age as it contains sodium and is toxic. Juices just contain sugar and are not helpful."
He said there were positive findings in the study, with nearly seven out of ten infants and toddlers being fed vegetables.
The most common fruits eaten by the children included bananas, apples, dates, mangoes, and oranges. Also, seven out of 10 infants and nine out of 10 toddlers eat rice.
Juice was consumed by seven per cent of the infants before the American Academy of Paediatrics-recommended age of six months.
Chicken is the most commonly fed meat for children, consumed by 19.6 per cent of infants and 57.2 per cent of toddlers, the study found.
Dr Mohamed Embabi, a specialist paediatrician at Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi, said it is dangerous for a child under the age of one to have juice and chips as part of their diet.
“We should start with other items which are necessary for the growth and development of the child," Dr Embabi said.
"I see children coming to my clinic who less than a year-old holding fries, chocolate and juice. I talk to the parents and tell them these snacks are not healthy for their children but they tell me they only have these when they are going out. I believe they are using these on a daily basis."
He said that there is a lack of awareness of the benefits of healthy eating.
"We should push authorities as well as parents who need to learn about the benefits of eating healthy.
"They are giving unhealthy food because they see unhealthy foods advertised.
"Most mothers are working and many stop breastfeeding early as they might go to work."
The study found that 54.2 per cent of infants were fed breast milk between the ages of five and 12 months, but this number dropped to 25 per cent for toddlers aged between 12 and 24 months.
"Once the child has chips and juice, he or she loses appetite for regular meals. We invite the parents to buy fruits for children," Dr Embabi said.
He said that parents need to be educated about the benefits of eating healthy at this age for neurological growth.
Antenatal classes may be helpful as mothers can be made aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and healthy eating habits, suggested the doctor.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education banned parents from packing junk foods such as doughnuts and fizzy drinks in their child's lunches in the hope of promoting a healthier lifestyle.
Schools in Dubai are also not allowed to serve unhealthy food on their menus.
Last year, the cabinet banned the advertising of formula milk and introduced mandatory labels that specify it is not a substitute for breastfeeding, in a bid to promote breastfeeding.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
England 12-man squad for second Test
v West Indies which starts Thursday: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
