If Your Child Eats Too Much Sugar: 8 Ways To Cut Down On Added Sugar

Every parent has been in the situation when their child attends a birthday party or other gathering where sweets are served. They overindulge in sugar the next thing you know, and you have to cope with the consequences!

The fact that many youngsters behave more excitably after a party where they ate a lot of cake and punch is acknowledged by numerous specialists. However, this can reflect the enthusiasm of the occasion rather than a reaction to the sugar.

But how much sugar is too much, and how can you tell if your child is consuming too much? Here is a summary of sugar consumption and what you need know to prevent your child from going into a sugar coma.

Negative Effects of Sugar: Points to Consider

When you take the following into account, you can see why sugar is such a hard addiction to break:

• Sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine.
• The average American consumes 50+ pounds of hidden sugar every year.
• We believe sugar to be safe since many producers claim it is manufactured from “natural” ingredients like sugar cane and sugar beet. But opium and heroin manufactured from “natural” sources are also acceptable. And all of these “natural” ingredients are turned into something unhealthy.

We may believe that we are avoiding sugar, but the fact is that we have no idea how many foods we consume include hidden sugars. Since nearly everything we buy at the grocery store, from spaghetti sauce to plain yogurt, has some level of refined sugar, it becomes more difficult to limit our children’s sugar consumption.

How Bad Is Sugar For a Child?

Although sugar may taste oh-so-sweet when consumed, the real issue is what occurs later. Kids’ regular use of added sugar causes significant blood sugar rises over time. Although sugar surges are (thankfully) brief, your child may nonetheless have long-lasting repercussions. The outcome? a greater chance of prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance.

Your child’s mood, amount of activity, and level of hyperactivity can all be impacted by too much sugar. Kids’ conduct is impacted because their blood sugar fluctuates all day long like a roller coaster.

But remember that not all sugar is made equally. Despite the fact that they contain sugar, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products should not be avoided. They are organic sugars. The growth and development of a kid depend on natural sugars. The issue is with the extra sugars.

7 Ways to Reduce Your Child’s Sugar Intake

Added sugar often operates covertly, like most double agents. Therefore, several products promoted as nutritious snacks for youngsters may not actually be. Be aware of hidden sugars, especially considering the different forms that sugar can take. On the label, dextrose, sucrose, honey, agave, or molasses may be mentioned. All of those terms describe sugar.

So how can you stop your kid from eating too much candy? Here are a few pointers.

1. Put sugar-sweetened beverages on your no-no list.

Juice included, staying away from sugar-sweetened drinks has a significant influence. 100% fruit juice may not necessarily contain additional sugar, but even so, there is still a lot of sugar concentrated in one location. Avoid sugary tea and coffee beverages, especially as the youngsters become older, as well as lemonade, soda, and sports drinks.

2. Get food label literate.

A line indicating the quantity of added sugar is now being introduced to new food labels. A food label for an apple, which contains just natural sugar, would read as follows:

• Total sugars: 15 grams.
• Includes 0 grams of added sugars.

On the other hand, an applesauce jar may state:

• Total sugars: 24 grams.
• Includes 10 grams of added sugars.

You can choose more wisely if you look at the added sugar line. Given that 10 grams of added sugar is about half the amount that is advised for children, you may wish to pick another food item.

3. Choose foods with less sugar and more fiber.

Granola bars and cereals may be sugar minefields. Instead of outright forbidding them (and perhaps resulting in tears and meltdowns), search for goods with fewer than 10 grams of sugar and, if at all feasible, more than 5 grams of fiber.

Fiber has several advantages. It improves satiety, lowers cholesterol, and reduces the chance of developing diabetes and prediabetes. Many foods that contain natural sugars, such fruits and vegetables, are also high in fiber.

4. Make your own healthy snacks for kids.

Added sugar is frequently first discovered in processed foods. Therefore, it’s best if you can cook as much meals as you can at home.

Making small muffins from scratch rather than purchasing them from a supermarket has an impact. Even if your version could include sugar, you can pick a more natural variety or limit the amount.

To avoid using sugar, you may instead try creating homemade granola bars that are sweetened with dates. However, if being Susie Homemaker isn’t your thing, you may skip the processing and avoid using the oven. For instance, choose dry or fresh fruit instead of fruit snacks.

The one catch is that while though honey and maple syrup are frequently considered to be more natural sweeteners, they still count as added sugar. One advantage is that while they are sweeter than conventional sugar and also include certain nutrients, you usually don’t need to use as much of them.

5. Train your child’s taste buds.

Don’t start your children out on sugary meals when you’re introducing solid foods to them. Their taste receptors won’t be as drawn to such flavors if we don’t start off by adding too much sugar.

Just keep in mind that fruit is OK! but nothing that has been sweetened.

6. Reverse an already established sugar habit.

But what if your youngster has a sugar addiction already? By moving slowly, you can still bring them back on the right path. Don’t quit all at once. Instead, make modest adjustments.

7. Try including bitter foods.

The hardest advice is this: it’s simpler to say than to implement! However, bitter foods and plants encourage cleansing and digestion. You want to promote detoxification since the liver handles any type of excess in the body.

Bitter alternatives include:

• Rocket
• Parsley
• Nettle
• Coriander
• Radish
• Greens such as broccoli and kale
• Lemon and lime juice

While most youngsters dislike bitter foods, others do. Nettle is available as tea, and because of its somewhat grassy flavor, youngsters may be able to tolerate it. You may also mask the harsh qualities with other tastes. For example, try blending in a few greens or sprinkling a main dish with parsley pesto.

Bitters are also useful for resetting the palette after consuming too much sweetness. Since bitter is the antithesis of sweet in flavor, it resets the taste buds.

8. Focus on hydration.

Sugar can cause the body to become more acidic and dehydrated. So, following a sugar overdose, we want to rehydrate the body to alkalize the system.

If your children enjoy it, water with a little lemon or lime juice is a terrific option. Coconut water is another excellent choice; it is a little bit sweeter and has electrolytes to help with dehydration.

Make sure your youngster receives regular reminders to drink. Grab a glass of water for yourself as well while you’re at it!