7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Kid’s Diet

7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Kid’s Diet by Jane Grates:

I recently took a walk with my kids at a park. I couldn't help but notice that today's kids are unusually overweight as compared to when we were growing up. I mean my son probably doubles my weight while I was his age. According to Centre for Disease Control, 25% of the kid’s population is considered overweight. With many factors contributing to this menace, sugar consumption outweighs all the others.

Even more worrying is the fact that the culprit is not the natural sugars in fruits or milk. The actual culprit is the additive sugar in processed food and drinks.

If you are tired of your kid looking overweight and sluggish, you can turn all this around by cutting back the sweet stuff from your kids' diet.

Follow the following tips and thank me later.

One sweet or dessert per day policy:

Animal crackers, frozen yogurt or even vanilla ice cream are good choices. However, if your children love cookies, there is no need to eliminate them completely. Instead allow them to decide the amount they want to eat without creating a restrictive environment. Do not create a confrontational environment. That way you are setting them up to learn their internal satiety cues. All said and done you are helping them prevent eating disorders later in life.

Avoid Fizzy Drinks & Juices:

Milk and water should never lack in your house. These are the drinks that you should spoil your kids with. It’s important to note that fizzy drinks and juices are “bombarded” with additive sugars.

While some of these drinks come with and an endless dose of vitamins, they are stripped of fiber which makes them not only lacking in this aspect but also contain more sugar than the actual fruits they are extracted from.

But let’s be real, it's hard to trick your kid to choose water over a mango juice right? As a parent, you can incorporate fun ways of enticing your kids to drink water. You can choose to gradually dilute the juice with water or rewarding them for every extra glass of water or milk taken.

Cereals for Breakfast:

The last thing you want is stressing your kid in the morning over some stupid argument about what to have for breakfast. They have better things to worry about, like a nightmare they had at night or even a number they haven't been able to crack in their mathematics class. Use oats to create porridge or even flapjacks.

You can choose to engage the kids in coming up with these recipes or even preparing them. This way you make them feel like they are playing a part in coming up with the breakfast.

Pack snacks ahead of time:

Have you ever realized that snacks vending machines have a way of flying your way when you least expect them to? Even the corner you last left a shoeshine seems to have mutated into a snack haven. If you are headed for a picnic with your kids, it’s tempting to grab a snack for them on a snack counter or the vending machines. Packing in advance helps you counter such temptations.

Cook more at home:

You think that family business that has been handed over generations can easily give up on their recipes? Probably no. What you don't know is that these restaurants have one common denominator. To enhance the flavors, they add sugar, fats, and salts. However, when you cook at home, you have control over what you cook and eat.

Look out for hidden sweet offenders:

Before buying any product such as bread and sauces, thoroughly vet the ingredients list for common names like glucose, dextrose, malt syrup, and others. This will help you come up with a rough idea of how much sugar is in these products. Lucky enough, governments are beginning to compel manufacturers to lift the veil as these sugar quantities will be soon available on these commodities.

Talk About Food:

The fact that sugar is sweet makes it hard to convince your kids that sugar is not good for them. Even more detrimental is using words like "sugar will make you fat." Consider injecting positivity into the conversation like telling them that reduced sugar intake will make them more active in their favorite sport and result in stronger bones.

You can also consider using these natural sugar substitutes at home. We would also appreciate if you took part in sharing these tips to help parents out there to reduce sugar levels in their kid’s diets.

Writer’s Bio:

Jane Grates - Runner, Foodie, Guitarist. Health Practitioner. When not racing, she stays busy managing her websites about Home & Kitchens like Jane’s Kitchen Miracle and Monica’s Health Mag. 

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