I remember sitting in front of my 9-month-old daughter, who was sitting in a high chair 10 years ago, trying to feed her pureed green vegetables with a spoon. The results were the same, so it didn’t matter if it was peas, green beans, or anything else: I spooned it into her mouth, and it came back soon. ..
Compare this to giving her applesauce. Every time she eats a bite, she opens her mouth and is happy to bounce off her chair. I almost danced with her. This was easy! Let’s continue this! But as a nutrition epidemiologist, I knew that satisfying her desire for sweetness would not benefit her health in the long run.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is studying the effects of malnutrition on the health of mothers and children. I recently joined a committee of the National Academy of Science and Technology Medicine to develop guidelines for feeding infants and children up to 2 years of age. As part of the committee, we helped prepare a report on feeding with added sugar and sugared beverages to young children. .. And-be careful of spoilers! -Experts advise not to add sugar to babies and to add little or no sugar to children 12 to 24 months old.
Also read: Why do we like sugar so much?This is a genetic connection
Additive sugar is sugar or syrup that is added to food at the table during processing, cooking, or later. They can be natural sugars like honey, or artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. Yogurt, baby snacks, fruit drinks, desserts and sweet bakery products are the most common sources of sugar added to infants’ diets.
Unlike sugar naturally found in grains such as fruits, dairy products, vegetables and bread, natural sugars and artificial sweeteners added to foods need to be eliminated or restricted in the infant’s diet. but why?
From birth to 24 months, proper growth and development requires calories and nutrients. Foods and beverages that are high in sugar provide many calories, called “empty calories,” but not many nutrients. Providing sugared foods to children from birth to 24 months is problematic because they eat relatively small amounts of food at this stage.
To ensure healthy nutrition, the foods they eat must be rich in nutrients. When young children are filled with high-calorie, sugar-containing foods and drinks, there is less room for nutritious foods.
Children fed a high-sugar diet are more likely to have many adverse health effects as they develop, such as childhood obesity, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay, than children with low sugar intake.
Diets from birth to 24 months also shape long-term dietary preferences. People are obsessed with sugar because sugar has created a store of fat and prevented our ancestors from starving when food is scarce.
However, if provided repeatedly in early childhood, children can learn to accept nutritious and bitter foods such as vegetables.
Setting a healthy diet pattern early in life helps children maintain a healthy weight and avoid chronic illness.
Here are some practical tips for parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers to eliminate or limit sugar consumption.
1. Look at the food labeling
Before you buy, check the amount of sugar added on the nutrition label of your food or beverage. The label contains the amount of “total sugar” and the amount of “additional sugar” below it. For example, a glass of 8 ounces of chocolate milk has 15 grams of sugar added, but regular cow milk has no added sugar.
2. Switch to a healthier drink
Replace sweet drinks with water or milk (breast milk, infant formula, or other milk, depending on the age of the child). Eliminate or limit regular sodas, flavored milk, cool aids, fruit drinks, juices containing less than 100% fruit, sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweet drinks such as sweet water and tea.
3. Discard sugar while preparing food
Prepare food for young children at home without adding sugar.
4. Note the different names of sugar
Some packaged foods, such as sweetened apple sauce and sweetened peaches, have literally “sweetened” names. However, sugar is not always easy to find. It is often found in foods that do not expect to add sugar, such as yogurt. Additive sugar is called by various names such as high fructose corn syrup, concentrated juice, sugar cane sugar, corn sweetener, lactose, glucose, sucrose, and maple syrup. Therefore, always check the ingredient list.
5. Beware of sugar lurking in packaged foods or foods made in stores
When providing children with packaged or over-the-counter cooked foods and beverages, such as dry cereals, fruit pouches, and bottles of baby food, they should be sugar-free with little or no sugar.
6. Retry frequently
We provide children with bitter foods like vegetables many times. Young children need to touch food about 30 times before they like it.
Reducing the amount of sugar added is not as easy as we often see in our experts. In fact, it may not be feasible for many due to limited access to health foods or high prices. Some people have an urgent need that may be prioritized over a healthy diet. And it seems that fast food stores and convenience stores are everywhere.
Therefore, do not make all these changes with your child at once. Choose the one that seems most feasible and try it first. Gradually add another one. It is normal to get out of a healthy habit. The important thing is to go back to the horse and try again.
(This article is syndicated by PTI of The Conversation)
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