News Taffy

“The Children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.” Yes, the holidays are approaching and with them comes a feast of sweet treats to delight anyone, particularly children. Who can resist the allure of chocolates, candies, cookies and more? There are plenty of reasons to keep your children’s sugar intake to a reasonable level during the holidays, but just how much is reasonable with temptation everywhere?

Just as with adults, too much sugar leads to unhealthy weight gain in children plus it contributes to tooth decay and the development of diabetes. Though scientists can’t agree on whether sugar contributes to hyperactivity or ADD, many parents feel it does. Certainly eating a sugary diet and not getting enough nutrition makes children feel tired, grumpy and out of sorts. A poor diet often results in stomach troubles too, even for children. The recommended daily allowance of sugar from all sources is 3 to 4 teaspoons for preschoolers and elementary children and 5 to 8 teaspoons for older kids and teens. The sad truth is that children get as much as 4 to 7 times more sugar than recommended every day!

There are ways to control your children’s sugar consumption. First, make good nutrition a priority every day of the year. Serve plenty of fruits and vegetables plus lean meats and set a good example for your children yourself. During holidays, be strict about eating regular meals and eliminate foods like sugary cereals, granola bars, muffins and most types of yogurt which have plenty of added sugar. Instead of sugary beverages like soda, coffee drinks, fruit juices and sports drinks, serve water, unsweetened tea or milk. There is plenty of hidden sugar in store-bought foods like ketchup, soups, spaghetti sauces and salad dressings. Read food labels or make your own and don’t add sugar! Don’t skip meals before parties so everyone isn’t so hungry that they overeat, usually grabbing the worst foods first. Watch those hard candies as they wreck havoc with teeth since children often suck on them for awhile. Last, don’t keep too many treats in the house whether store bought or homemade; that’s an easy way to keep temptation under control.

Make some allowances during the holidays and accept that your child may have extra treats at a party or on Christmas day. However, set a limit on the number of sweets to be eaten at a party or a family gathering and discuss this limit in advance with your children. Perhaps they can have 3 cookies and a cup of punch at a party or a cinnamon roll at breakfast and a slice of cake with dinner on Christmas Day. Ask grandparents not to sabotage your kids’ diet by slipping them treats.

In a perfect world, we’d all eat right, all the time. Given our nation’s obesity epidemic and skyrocketing diabetes problem, parents need to take control of the situation. Don’t saddle your children with lifelong health problems, teach them how to live a healthier life.