Even kids can fall prey to sugar
- By Team TDO
Do you know how sweet your child is? Confused? We are talking about sugar consumption. Nowadays, there are tons of sugary snacks available for kids. A favorite among most kids, they would readily and gladly skip a meal or two for them. But, this can come at a price, as eating too much sugar leads to various health problems, even in kids.
Sweets fill your child’s tummy and then he/she refuses to have dinner. This isn’t a good practice, even on a one-off basis, as sweets rarely contain the vitamins, minerals and other micro nutrients required by the body. If this becomes a habit, the child may actually end up becoming malnourished.
Additionally, sugar lodged in teeth for a long time attracts bacteria, which can cause damage to the enamel and cause a new problem, that of cavities.
An extreme consequence of excessive consumption of sugar is also known to cause childhood obesity. This in turn, increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance in adulthood. Eating sugar adds to calories, which gets stored as fat. This increase in fat deposits can cause heart diseases or hypercholesterolemia later in life.
Measures to control sugar intake:
- Limit or reduce sugary drinks for kids as much as possible.
- Avoid sports drinks. Water is best for kids participating in sports.
- Substitute sugary snacks with healthy snack options, such as fresh fruit juices (with no added sugar).
- Give your kid whole grains cereals such as oat meals. It doesn’t have added sugar. Garnish with fruits like strawberries, nuts or raisins.
- Check the ingredient list of snacks which comes in packets, and reconsider if it has sugar by any name in the list.
- Do not treat children with chocolates and pastries on their achievements. Instead, choose good books or nutritious meals.
