Prevention Starts Years Before the First Diagnosis

Jun 20 , 2026
By Eden Sahle

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Healthy eating is frequently treated as an unusual lifestyle choice instead of a basic preventive measure. Research shows that the roots of many chronic diseases begin in childhood through repeated dietary habits. Ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks remain common despite mounting evidence of their risks. Parents introducing healthier diets often find themselves defending those decisions. Changing attitudes may be as important as changing menus.

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I often hear people say, “I’m only in my twenties,” or “I’m still in my thirties. I’ll think about healthy eating later.” They speak as though health suddenly becomes important at forty or fifty. Meanwhile, they regularly eat processed foods, drink sugary soft drinks, and dismiss decades of scientific evidence on the health consequences of those choices. Some even mock people who try to eat differently.

What amazes me most is how unhealthy habits are treated as normal while healthy ones are considered unusual. Choosing nutritious foods has become the exception, while consuming foods known to damage health is widely accepted.

People often tell me I am too picky because I carefully choose what I eat and drink. “Just eat what you’re given,” they say. Yet I have never understood why being selective about what enters my body should be considered a flaw.

I grew up learning about healthy living. The books I read as a child emphasised nutrition, exercise, and personal responsibility. By high school, I had given up sugar, refined foods, soft drinks, and reduced my sodium intake. Those choices were guided by scientific evidence showing how diet influences long-term health.

The same conversations arise when it comes to my daughter, Gabriella. People ask why I “deprive” her because she does not eat processed meals, cakes, cookies, candy, sugary drinks, or other highly processed foods. Some insist she should learn to enjoy these foods now or she never will.

I find that argument fascinating. It assumes these foods are essential childhood experiences. People speak as though Gabriella is missing out, rarely considering that she is gaining something more valuable: healthy habits from the beginning.

Thankfully, Gabriella often answers these questions herself. When someone offers her candy, cake, soft drinks, or processed food, she politely says, “That will make me sick,” or “That will damage my teeth.” Her response usually leaves adults speechless.

We began teaching Gabriella about healthy eating when she was six months old, using simple explanations. At two years old, she understands that water, dairy, protein, healthy carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables help her grow, while sugary drinks and sweets can damage her teeth and make her feel unwell.

Some people see this as unusual. I see it as education. We teach children not to touch a hot stove because it burns them and to wear seat belts because they keep them safe. Teaching healthy food choices should be no different.

Many people believe health problems begin in old age. Science says otherwise.

Medical researchers know that heart disease, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases do not suddenly appear at fifty. The biological processes leading to them often begin during childhood.

Research has shown that the earliest signs of artery damage linked to heart disease can appear in children. Elevated blood pressure is increasingly detected in young people, while childhood obesity has become a global public health concern. Poor dietary habits established early in life can shape health outcomes decades later. The body remembers.

Every sugary drink, every ultra-processed meal, and every unhealthy habit leaves its mark. The effects may not appear immediately, but they accumulate over time.

One of the greatest concerns is the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods. These products are typically high in added sugars, sodium, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients while providing little nutritional value. Numerous studies have linked diets high in ultra-processed foods to obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and premature death.

Soft drinks provide another clear example. Many contain astonishing amounts of added sugar, increasing the risk of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and dental decay. Tooth decay itself remains one of the world's most common chronic diseases. Each time sugary foods or drinks are consumed, bacteria produce acids that attack tooth enamel, eventually leading to cavities.

The evidence surrounding processed meats is equally concerning. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified processed meats, including bacon, sausages, hot dogs, and deli meats, as carcinogenic because of their link to colorectal cancer. Yet many people continue to dismiss these findings.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of these conversations is how easily scientific evidence is ignored when it conflicts with cultural habits. If doctors warned that a toy or household product increased disease risk, most people would listen. When the warning concerns popular foods and drinks, many simply look the other way.

Researchers studying centenarians have identified common patterns. People who live beyond one hundred typically eat diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole foods, healthy carbohydrates, protein, and water. They remain physically active throughout life and largely avoid processed foods and sugary beverages. Their longevity reflects decades of consistent choices.

The foods children learn to enjoy, the drinks they prefer, and the habits they develop early in life can influence their health for decades. Teaching children about nutrition is not depriving them. It is preparing them with knowledge that will serve them throughout their lives.

When I hear people say, “You can think about health when you’re older,” I think of Gabriella. At two years old, she already understands a truth that many adults spend a lifetime ignoring: every choice we make today becomes part of the health we carry into tomorrow. Every meal, every drink, and every habit leaves its mark. Modern science has repeatedly confirmed it.

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PUBLISHED ON Jun 20,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1364]

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