Easy Steps to Reduce Your Child's Sugar Intake
By Donna Stark
Sugar this, sugar that. It seems like our days are filled with sweet temptations everywhere we look. And as bad as that is for us, it's worse for our children. Even foods that appear outwardly healthy are packed with gram after gram of sugar which, unfortunately, can lead to serious health issues down the road. Understandably, you want your children to like what they eat, but here's the real truth of the matter ... your children are sweet enough. They don't need that extra sugar.
Reducing Your Children's Sugar Intake
Childhood obesity, diabetes, poor sleep, and a lack of concentration during the day are just a few of the issues that excess sugar can create in your child's life. It's time to take a stand and reduce as much of their daily sugar intake as you can. Here are a few simple ways to start.
- Stop soda and energy drink consumption - On average, these two beverages contain about 10 teaspoons of sugar. That's a lot! But it can be worse if your children are constantly going back for seconds or thirds. The easiest way to stop their consumption of these drinks is to simply stop buying them. Try to find healthier alternatives at the store but keep in mind that nothing can beat water!
- Choose natural sugars - The natural sugars in fruit have enough sweetness that you should be able to replace refined sugar without your children complaining too much. So, instead of sprinkling sugar on their oatmeal or topping their yogurt with candy pieces, try adding some fresh fruit, such as berries or bananas instead.
- Substitute ingredients while baking - There are plenty of substitution tricks you can find online that will help reduce the amount of sugar while baking and cooking. The most common tricks are using unsweetened applesauce and certain spices in place of sugar. Check them out. You may be surprised by how many there are!
- Skip dessert - Do we really need dessert after every meal we eat? Probably not, so stop making it! If your children like to have a bite of something sweet to end the meal on though, offer a couple teaspoons of gelato, give them a bite or two of dark chocolate, or have them enjoy a piece of fruit.
Less Sugar, Better Health
One of the most important gifts you can give your children is good health, so take the steps now to reduce the amount of sugar they consume. Before you know it, their sweet tooth cravings will subside and they will be on the path to a long, healthy life!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Duluth, Ga.