Sugar And Children

Sugar Intake And Children

Children today are eating a large and irresponsible amounts of sugar. The food industry makes it very difficult for parents to identify and control this intake of sugar. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Americans consumes an average of 137.b lbs of sugar per year (Food Consumption, Prices and Expenditures, United States Department of Agriculture, 1991).

Sugar intake dramatically impacts children's behavior, particularly their energy levels and sleep patterns. Some children are able to burn the extra sugar calories with daily activity but many are not. Children should eat balanced meals which include wheat, protein, fiber and calcium to get their calories not sugar packed juices and sweets.

These sweets and juices are loaded with sugar/calories that do not provide the other essential components of a balanced meal. In addition, they are not filling up your child's stomach. Therefore, the child still eats meals in addition to these sugar loaded drinks and snacks. By doing this, the child is exceeding their needed calorie intake because they consumed many calories with the juices, drinks and snacks that are packed with sugar. This pattern of eating contributes to excessive weight gain in children. Furthermore as your child’s life cycle continues their activity will likely decrease but their cravings for sugars and eating patterns will not. This will contribute to excessive weight gain in the future.

Childhood obesity and adult obesity is a major health epidemic in our society today. Sugar is found in an abundance of food products so you must take the time to read the labels on all foods before giving them to your children. The food industry has come up with a lot of techniques to disguise sugar in foods these days. Here is a common list of disguises we came up that you should be cautious of if you are trying to monitor sugar intake in your children: Fructose Sucrose, Glucose, Dextrose, Sorbitol, Sugar and Corn Syrup. Now I know many critics out there will be saying that some sugar is healthy for you. We agree but it should come more from natural sources and even that should be monitored. Let me give you an example; a cup of chopped tomatoes has 2.5 grams of fructose, a can of regular (non-diet) soda supplies 23 grams, and a super-size soda has about 62 grams. Need we say more? Sugar is being used to create cravings and sell products. Sugar in moderation has some benifits but part of being a responsibile parent is monitoring your child eating habits and that includes sugar intake.

Dads Tips To Sugar Control

Water Not Juice Boxes:
Most fruit drinks and contain less than 10 percent real fruit juice and are often low in vitamins and high in sugar. Switch to water or find a low or no sugar substitute

Control The Snacking Choices:

Limit all empty calorie foods these are all the sugar packed sweets, cakes, and juices. Implement healthy alternative snacks such as fresh vegetables and fruits like pears, bananas, carrots, berries, grapes and low fat yogurt with no sugars added.

Include Your Child In Family Meal Planning And Preparation:
It is never too early to educate your child on how to make good food choices. While planning meals incorporate what you have learned on this page and teach it to your child. In addition, they can help with some chores that always need to be done during food preparation time.

Provide Consistent Family Dinners At Fixed Time:

Dictionary for Dads always advocates for families to eat meals together on a regular basis. This practice enables families to develop communication skills, deal with family issues, bond, and enjoy each others company. This task will help you create and reinforce a godd value; that the family is important and a priority to your children. In addition, family dinners create structure and consistent eating habits. This structure teaches children good nutrition, portion sizes, manners and prevents children from eating compulsively.

Provide Reinforcement For Making Good Food Choices:

As with any behavior you are trying to teach to your child you should be consistent in providing recognition and verbal praises to your child when they make good choices and exercise healthy behavior.

Modeling Behavior:

Parents are also responsible for providing consistent modeling of behavior. If they are teaching a child to eat responsibly they must incorporate these same principals into their own behavior. The "do as I say not as I do" line does not work so eat healthy.

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