Our kid is a sugar fiend. So much so that she has taken to hoarding sugary foods/candy and sneaking it when she thinks we do not know about it. We ended up throwing out her Halloween candy because she got caught sneaking it. Pretty typical for a 9 year old from what I read but we definitely do not want it to become more of an issue than it already is.
I've decided that we are going to cut back on sugar in the house. I myself am not much of a sugar person; ha ha, I say that but I've been eating my wedding cake almost every night for the last 2 weeks.... shhhhh! Truthfully, I do not NEED dessert and most times I do not have it (the wedding cake is an exception). But Jeff and Ashley both have a sweet tooth. I think it's time for a life-style change. So I'm looking for some recipes and ideas that will help satisfy the sweet craving but still are healthy.
While doing research I found this
article, which I thought was to the point and had good information.
Cut That: Simple Ways to Slash Sugar
Your five-year-old asks for sugar on top of her already sweetened
cereal. Then your sleepy 10-year-old wants free-pouring rights with the
maple syrup. It doesn't take a degree in nutrition to know this is
sweet-stuff overkill. But because sugar isn't always that easy to spot,
your child can pack away an astonishing quantity before you can say,
"Want a juice box with your frosted granola bar?" after school.
What Is It?
Sugar is a carbohydrate that delivers energy to the body quickly.
Trouble is, it has zero nutritional value. And if you've hosted a
birthday party or witnessed a post-Halloween binge, you know its
energy-boost is short-lived, resulting in a sugar crash that can leave
your child hungrier than before.
There are two types of sugar:
- Natural sugar is found in many foods -- including fruit, certain vegetables, milk, and dairy products.
- Added sugar
is commonly found in most packaged products -- think cereals, candy,
ketchup, and salad dressing -- to boost flavor. Added sugar is often
called high-fructose syrup or super-concentrated sugar; fructose, fruit
pectin, and cane juice are other names.
Why Cut It?
While sugar is okay in moderation, most kids consume it in excess -- and
there's nothing sweet about the consequences. Research has linked
excess sugar to pediatric obesity and Type 2 diabetes in children.
Major Offenders: It's easy for kids to overdo sugar simply by
drinking sweetened beverages. OJ at breakfast, a juice box at snack, a
chocolate milk at lunch, a sports drink after soccer, and wham -- your
child has gulped down three times the daily recommended amount. Candy
and processed, packaged sweets and snacks are more obvious culprits,
along with syrup found in canned fruit and the maple variety that kids
love to drown waffles in.
How Much Is Too Much? It's best to keep your child's (and your own) sugar intake to less than 50 grams a day, advises
Jaimie Davis, Ph.D. and registered dietician. You'll find more than half that amount in one can of regular soda.
Seven Ways to Keep Sugar in Check:
- Try low-sugar drinks. Choose drinks with less than 5
grams of sugar per serving, like water, seltzer, and low-fat milk. For
more flavor, try these kid-approved low-sugar drink recipes.
- Dilute fruit juices with water or seltzer. Try a one-to-one ratio; kids often won't notice a difference.
- Diet trumps regular soda. If you can't avoid soda, go with its diet counterpart. In moderation, it's a better alternative to regular soda.
- Note serving size. In this super-sized world, many packaged
snacks and drinks contain multiple servings in one container. A typical
beverage serving is 8 ounces, but some individual bottles contain two or
more servings, which means double the sugar, too. Look for true
single-servings when you buy individually packaged food and drinks.
- Teach compromise. To tune kids into how much sugar they're
getting, teach them about making smart choices. For example, tell them
they can have the double-serving lemonade now or ice cream for dessert
later, but not both.
- Choose cereal wisely. Look for cereals with less than 10
grams of sugar per serving. Be on the lookout for buzzwords like "brown
sugar cinnamon," "honey," or "maple" in the name. They often indicate
that even an otherwise healthy cereal is loaded with sugar. If your
child can't find an appealing choice, try mixing half of her favorite
with half of a low-sugar/high-fiber variety. Get more tips on finding healthy foods for kids.
- Monitor portions on toppings. Given the choice, kids will
smother most any food in chocolate syrup, maple syrup, ketchup, and
other high-sugar add-ons. The recommended two-tablespoon serving for
maple syrup, for example, packs nearly 22 grams of sugar -- and most
kids will use far more. To give your child a sense of control, provide a
tablespoon and let him measure the right amount, or measure it into a
small dish for him to pour from.
A Word on Artificial Sweeteners: Though it's best to choose
sugars or sweeteners derived from natural sources such as honey whenever
possible, artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame can
help reduce sugar in a child's diet, says Davis. It's not clear that
artificial sweeteners cause harm to children, but there is solid
evidence that excess sugar plays a role in pediatric obesity and
diabetes.
