Exclusive | Furious NYC moms rail against toxins in kid foods: Shouldnt be so hard to protect your family

Tara Ferrara’s 7-year-old daughter began suffering from a baffling mix of symptoms four years ago — nausea, stomach pain and sudden, intense panic that struck without warning.As dozens of doctors worked to pinpoint the cause, they put the girl on a strict diet low in highly processed foods and free of gluten, dairy, corn, soy and histamines.For Ferrara, 39, figuring out what her daughter could safely eat was like trying to understand a foreign language.“Sometimes I feel like I can’t work because I literally need to research food,” Ferrara, a speech and language pathologist from Brooklyn, told The Post.Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up nearly 70% of calories in American kids’ diets — and a jaw-dropping new White House report warns they may be fueling the nationwide rise in childhood chronic diseases.The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report marks the Trump administration’s first major push to confront what it calls a “crisis” affecting more than 40% of young people across the country.“We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development and future of every child first,” HHS Secretary Robert F.Kennedy, Jr., said Thursday.Two New York moms raising children with chronic health issues told The Post that it can be an uphill battle to keep their kids’ diets clean in a country where UPFs dominate supermarket shelves.While there’s no single, universally accepted definition, UPFs are generally packaged, ready-to-eat products that undergo extensive industrial processing to boost their flavor, texture and shelf life.They’re often loaded with added sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and refined grains — and packed with preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, emulsifiers and stabilizers not commonly used in home cooking.UPFs usually contain little to no fruits, vegetables or whole grains and are typically low in fiber and other essential nutrients. Researche...