The Great Sugar Battle: 5 Ways To Manage Your Kids' Sugar Intake

If you’ve ever tasted your child’s cereal only to feel your sweet tooth shudder with sugar overload, then you already know the confectionery conundrum. Sugar can be found in so many foods aimed at children, and not only in foods you would expect to be sugar culprits. While it’s difficult to completely cut out sugar from your child’s diet, you can control their sugar intake and nurture good habits using the six strategies below.

Note – you should take your child to the dentist regularly to check for decay. NHS dentistry is free for children up to the age of 18, and you can search for NHS dentists online that are accepting new patients.

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Try the Sugar-Free Approach

The only thing better than cutting sugar from your child’s diet is doing it without them knowing. With all the concerns about diabetes and childhood obesity, more food manufacturers are coming out with sugar-free sweets and other foods that taste just like the real (sugary) thing. Whether your kid loves bubblegum, hard sweets, or movie theatre snacks, just about every variety of sweets now has a sugar-free version. Also look out for juices and breads that specifically state that no additional sugar has been added.

Also try a little dessert management by baking with sugar-free ingredients. If brownies are a household favourite, try using unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar-free sweeteners in the granular form – it’s highly unlikely anyone will know the difference. Another great option is the half-and-half approach, which uses half sugar-free sweetener and half organic cane sugar. It’s all the sweetness with only half the sugar.

A Little Sugar Goes a Long Way

Take the saying “a little goes a long way” and apply it to giving sweets to your kids. Sugar isn’t the end of the world as long as it’s within moderation. If it’s Easter, or Christmas, or just a sunny day when everyone is having ice cream – give you kids a smaller portion of whatever is on offer and encourage them to make the sweets last. Likewise, sugary sodas are the downfall of a healthy diet, but pop is easy to moderate. Instead of letting your kids drink a big bottle of soda, give them half a cup. The sugary sensation will satisfy their thirst without sending them into a sugar coma.

Ease Them Off Slowly

Cold turkey is no way to go about moderating the sugars in your child’s diet. Just like an adult with coffee, an absence of sugar all at once will cause an energy breakdown for your kids. Try starting their low or no sugar diets by easing them off the sweet stuff a little at a time. The “little goes a long way” approach above is a good way to start, but there are other ways to go about it like replacing sugary snacks with fresh fruits.

Offer Alternatives

With child obesity and diabetes on the rise, there’s no better time to cut sugars from your child’s diet. In addition, this infographic with dentistry advice for kids of all ages emphasises that sugar is also the leading cause of tooth decay. Although sugar free options are helpful, your ultimate goal should be to offer alternatives that are naturally low in sugar, and you’re your kids will start to prefer over time.

Replacing sugary cereals with oat and grain cereals that contain dried fruit and nuts for sweetness is a great place to start. From there, you can take lunchtime desserts out of the equation and replace them with fresh fruits. As for dinner, keep the meal itself sugar-free by cooking with all-natural ingredients and try one of the sugar-free dessert options mentioned above. Over time, your child’s sensitivity to sugar will increase (as they have less of it) and they will start to prefer foods with less sugar.

Make Them Work for It

Sugary sweets are fine every once in a while, but they should be considered a reward. In order to receive the reward of sweets, have your kids work for it by playing hard and exercising. Kids need exercise and strenuous activity just as much as adults do, and when your kids burn calories and raise their heart rates on a regular basis, a little sugar here and there will have almost no effect on their overall health. By keeping in mind the dietary tips above, you’ll have a happy, healthy, sugar-free family.