How to reduce sugar in your child’s diet

 

By Haley Nelson

 

There’s no sugar-coating it: Eating too much sugar on a regular basis can lead to obesity, putting children at risk for developing high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children consume less than 25 grams of added sugar per day. That’s about six teaspoons. Contrary to the recommendations, American kids aged 2-19 are consuming 16 teaspoons of added sugar per day – that’s more than 53 pounds of added sugar per year, according to the American Heart Association.

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Studies have shown that nearly half of that added sugar comes from sugary beverages. (See sidebar for more info.)

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To be clear, we are talking about foods with added sugars, not those with naturally occurring sugars. It is not recommended to restrict foods with natural sugars, such as fruit and milk. Check the ingredient list for added sugar or other sweeteners such as corn syrup, cane juice, dextrose, malt syrup, and fructose. Thankfully, nutrition labels include the total grams of added sugar per serving.

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As a rule of thumb, a product with less than 5 percent added sugar makes a good choice. Products with more than 20 percent of added sugars should be limited or avoided.

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Sugar can affect a child’s body in many ways. “When our blood sugar goes up super high, like a tidal wave, it eventually crashes, making us hungry,” says registered dietitian Rainie Robinson. “So, the more sugar we eat, the more we want to eat. So, we are constantly on this cycle of being extra hungry all the time.”

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Once the sugar crash occurs, your child may appear agitated, tired or groggy. They may also have a hard time concentrating, and, at times, have mood swings.

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But kids love sweets, so how do you balance a child’s want for a sweet snack, while trying to maintain a healthy diet? Here are a few tips:

Swap out packaged sweets for home-baked treats. By baking treats from scratch, you can control the amount of sugar you use. Try reducing the amount of sugar that a recipe calls for by 1/3. Most times, you will not be able to tell the difference. Or try using a sugar substitute, such as pureed fruit, applesauce, or monk fruit.

Instead of sweets and desserts, serve fruit. Fruit is naturally sweet without containing any added sugar. Plus, it offers beneficial fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Add fruit instead of sugar to sweeten what you eat. Try switching to fruits like raspberries, blueberries or bananas to sweeten your breakfast cereal or oatmeal without adding processed sugar. Eating yogurt? Add berries. Making bars? Try pureed dates. These simple substitutions will add sweetness, as well as a boost of fiber and nutrients.

Need snack ideas? Here are some healthier alternatives that can help satisfy those sugar cravings:

• Applesauce with baked cinnamon pita triangles for dipping

• Toast topped with nut or seed butter, smashed banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon

• Fruit kabobs (try: sliced strawberries, kiwis, grapes and melons on skewers)

• Parfait made with alternating layers of non-fat yogurt, low-fat granola (or other heart-healthy cereal product), and fruit slices or whole berries

• Cut a banana in half and spread with peanut butter (or seed butter), then sprinkle with healthy toppings, such as oats, coconut shreds, raisins, sunflower seeds, or blueberries

 

Finding a sweet balance

Too much sugar can cause many negative symptoms. But trying to monitor or control every ounce of sugar your child consumes is stressful and restrictive – and may backfire. The more we make a big deal about it, the more they’ll want it.

Some experts in the field of feeding children advocate for sweets to be enjoyed along with a meal. Offering a small treat, such as a cookie, with dinner may help lessen food struggles over what is eaten and when. Research has shown that children will actually eat less dessert when it is served with the meal compared to children served dessert after the meal. It may also make eating sweets less of a big deal for kids. 

Another way to make sweets not such a big deal: Avoid using treats and sweets as a reward or encouragement to eat other foods on their plate. 

The goal is to help kids develop a healthy relationship with these foods, so they don’t go overboard when they do have them.

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Sugary Drinks: The main culprit

Sugar-sweetened drinks are the largest source of added sugar in the daily diets of US children.

A 12-oz soda can have 10 teaspoons of added sugar. A 16-ounce glass of a powdered orange drink has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar. A 20-ounce bottle of “traditional” Gatorade or Powerade sports drink, for example, contains 34 grams of added sugar (or 8 ½ teaspoons of sugar).

That means even one of these sugary drinks a day can be too much.

 “A few teaspoons of added sugar in one drink may not sound like much, but consuming that every day can add up to too much sugar for kids,” says Diane Peck, registered dietitian with Alaska’s Physical Activity and Nutrition program. “Over a year of drinking one sweetened drink a day, kids will have consumed a lot of added sugar and calories that can cause weight gain and health problems.”

What can you do? Alaska’s Play Every Day offers these recommendations for limiting added sugar:

• Cut back on buying sugary drinks. Limit them to special occasions.

• Look at the ingredients list on back of the bottle. New Nutrition Facts labels make it easier to spot the added sugar in foods and drinks. If a sweetener by any name is in the first three ingredients, the food or drink is likely loaded with added sugars.

• Choose water or low-fat milk instead of sugary drinks.

• Pack water. Make it easier to choose water by carrying a water bottle with you. Pack a water bottle in your child’s backpack or lunchbox.

• Make water tasty, and fun. Add lemon, lime or mint. Let your child drink water through a special straw, or in a fun cup or bottle. Freeze 100-percent fruit juice in small ice cube trays and toss a few cubes into a glass of water. Try unsweetened, sparkling, or carbonated water.

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Source: playeveryday.alaska.gov