As parents, we only want the best for our children. But nutritionists, dieticians and pediatricians agree that sugar alone is not the best nutritional choice in your kitchen cupboard. Nor are the packaged cookies and other junk food that contain processed and refined sugar.
However, despite popular opinion over the past decade—and wives' tales that have been around even longer—sugar in itself isn't harmful; it is not a poison that you have to ban from your household. In moderation, foods that contain sugar can be a reasonable addition to a well-rounded diet.
"Sugar per se is not bad for children," says Madeleine Sigman-Grant, PhD, RD, professor and maternal, child health and nutrition specialist at University of Nevada-Reno Cooperative Extension in Las Vegas.
Sugar, Sugar Everywhere
In fact, you would have a very difficult, if not impossible, time keeping your child away from sugar altogether. "Sugar is in virtually everything we eat," says Jessica Pellicciotta, RD, a registered dietician in Philadelphia. In addition to the obvious sweet and tempting treats such as candy and cookies, cakes and pies, sugar is found naturally in fruit and milk, and is an ingredient in many brands of yogurt, tomato sauce, and salad dressings.
Sugar not only adds sweetness to foods; it also plays a role in our ability to eat and enjoy food in many other ways. It creates texture and color to baked goods, adds body to yogurt, balances the acidity in tomato products, and increases the boiling point and reduces the freezing point in foods.
Some of the types of sugar that you will find on a food label include:
- Sucrose, which is common table or white sugar, is found naturally in sugar cane, sugar beets and, in smaller amounts, in some fruits.
- Fructose, the sweetest sugar, which combines with glucose to form sucrose.
- Glucose, which is slightly less sweet than sucrose.
- Lactose, or milk sugar.
Your child's body treats all of these sugars—natural sugars in fruits and honey or processed sugars in candy and ice cream—the same way. "Sugar is a carbohydrate, the body's main source of energy," says Pellicciotta. Which means that sugar helps give your child the ability to run and jump and play, just like bread or pretzels.
That's not to say that sugar causes too much energy. There are no scientific studies that show sugar causes hyperactivity. "We blame sugar for so many problems," adds Pellicciotta. "It gets a bad rap, but it's not a bad food." The problem emerges when sugar becomes a staple in a child's diet, replacing healthy foods that contain necessary nutrients.
The Need for Sweets
Mother Nature plays a dominant, inextricable role in the sugar attraction, and it starts from birth. "All babies are born with an innate preference for sweet," says Sigman-Grant. Breastmilk, which is the first, perfect food for children, is sweet, containing a perfect balance of fat, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and—the icing on the cake—sugar.
The first solid foods that naturally attract babies, including fruits and grains, are sweet, filled with natural sugars. The less sweet first foods, mostly vegetables such as green beans and peas, aren't as pleasing to a baby's palate. It's not a bad idea to sweeten nutritious foods that otherwise might not interest your sweet-eating baby.
The same theory applies to older children. "Yogurts, fortified cereals, fortified drinks and chocolate milk all have sugar added, as does catsup," points out Sigman-Grant. "Yet, I would not suggest to parents that these be eliminated just because of the sugar content. They each provide a variety of necessary nutrients to children. Many fortified foods, such as cereals, contain an array of nutrients, as well as sugar, which make them appealing and, therefore, children will eat them."
How to Curb a Sweet Tooth
Nutritionists and pediatricians recommend that parents know what is in the foods that they feed their children, but don't get too caught up on any one line item on the label. "Parents need to consider the balance between the need for nutrients and sugar content," says Sigman-Grant.
Pellicciotta offers a few easy-to-implement recommendations that will help you manage your child's sweet tooth:
- Offer 100 percent juice (you can even cut it with water), rather than soda or fruit drinks; the 100 percent juice contains sugar to please the sweet tooth, but also provides important vitamins and immunity-boosting antioxidants.
- Give fruit rather than candy when your child really wants something sweet.
- Offer sweet treats occasionally, but never use them as a reward.
- If your child loves Frosted Flakes or another high-sugar brand, pour out half the box, and replace it with a lower-sugar, more nutritious cereal such as some type of bran flakes. Keep the mixture in the Frosted Flakes box; image is everything!
