It should not come as a surprise to anyone that we are addicted to sugar! What might surprise you though is just how much added sugar we Americans consume every day. A whopping 22 teaspoons according to the news I covered in last week’s Five for Fridays. That comes to about 355 calories or nearly 20% of the recommended 2000 daily calories. Most of this added sugar comes from regular soft drinks, soda, candy and desserts such as cakes, cookies and pies. Consuming this much added sugar is really not necessary because it does not provide any added nutritional value, just empty calories.
It is true that there is no clear link between added sugar, weight gain and obesity. But common sense tells us that if we consume more calories than we can spend by physical activity and exercise, those extra calories will add up. Excessive sugar can also result in insulin resistance leading to Type 2 diabetes. In short, too much sugar is not good in the long run no matter how you look at it.
I think that it is important to tame your child’s sweet tooth by keeping a close eye on it early on. All children love sweet treats, some more than others. At times you may be tempted to give in and just accept that your child might be hardwired for a sweet tooth. But that is no reason for a child to be introduced to soda at a young age. In my opinion, that can count for child abuse! I can live with children enjoying desserts and candy in moderation, but when it comes to soda, I have to draw the line!
I have written about how to manage daily sugar for your child in the past. Recently I posed this question to some of my Twitter followers for their tips. Here is some of what I heard back.
@notdiyheather tweeted about how she does not keep sugar drinks and snacks at home:
She also tries to teach her child that sugary treats are for special occasions and prefers water over juice:
Dr. Taffy Wagner @moneyinmarriage, a mom of twins, has a little more strict approach to managing sugar:
@TheMommyChef suggested that you make your own homemade sweet treats with natural sugars and reduce the amount:
@mamahall offered an interesting formula to control how much candy the children get:
She also suggested to dilute sugary drinks with water when giving them to children on special occasions:
Registered Dietitian @MiltonStokes cautioned against too much control:
Bottom line: it is important to put some boundaries but not too many. I should add that there should not be a different set of rule for adults. As a parent, you have to be a role model and practice what you preach. We don’t drink soda in our household or while eating out – period.
What are your rules and tips for managing sugar for your child? Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!
Photo source – GlamourFood by suiker on Flickr via everystockphoto
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I introduced herbal teas to my daughter who is now 16 months old. I wanted to offer her something different than just water and milk. And I didn’t want to go with juice which is so sweet, even when diluted. So I have offered her some basic, caffeine-free herbal teas such as chamomile. You can add ice as a refreshing cool drink or serve warm or at room temperature.
Like any new foods, I had to offer it to her many many times before she actually drank it. I think that’s where some parents go wrong with juice — it’s sweet so the child will drink it right away. But I have founds my toddlers will eat non-sweet foods (or drinks), it just may take longer for them to like the taste. Also it really helps when they can see you drinking the same thing. And with tea, there is the fun part of preparing the tea…. adding the tea bag, waiting for it to steep, adding some ice, etc!
To any parents who would like to try offering tea in a sippy cup, make sure to read the label carefully because some herbal teas do contain caffeine or other “odd” ingredients.
wow i love this post and the fact you included the tweets very clever, i need to master that Rebecca
My son LOVES sparkling water because of the carbonation. When he asks for soda, he gets 3/4 sparkling water with 1/4 apple juice and loves it. It is a fun alternative to your regular diluted juice. I limit the sugar he gets at home, so that when there is a party or special occasion, I don’t feel bad when he gets some “junk.” The funny thing is, he really prefers good food and will take 2 bites of birthday cake and is done. The best way to limit sugar is to make food homemade, stave off sweet treats as long as you can and introduce lots of whole foods to children at a young age so they develop a taste for natural foods. When friends complain that their children eat junk or only want sugary, nutritionally bankrupt foods, I always say, “who is the parent here?”
Great post! Thanks so much for including my tweets! I like what Amber shared (in the comments) too. My hope is that by teaching my toddler what “real food” tastes like, that when given the choice, she makes wise choices. I do try to stay away from demonizing sugar or sugary treats, but treat them a such – they are treats. We had ice cream maybe 3 times this summer. I don’t feel bad about that. And we’re looking forward to a family birthday party this weekend. It’s a special occasion & I know we’ll enjoy the specialness of cake and ice cream.