How Much Sugar Should Children Have?
Feeding the little ones in the house always raises questions for parents. The most common question is how much sugar should children have.
This component, if it is introduced to the daily diet in a natural way, will help keep the little ones in the house with an adequate energy rhythm. However, it is necessary to emphasize that excessive sugar intake can be harmful to health.
The natural sugar in fruits is not the same as soda. The latter is called added sugar. Children do not know how to control urges to eat; it is the duty of parents to monitor their diet.
Sugar in children’s daily meals
Glucose is a simple carbohydrate and is generally found in sucrose that is consumed daily. Once ingested, it remains in the bloodstream and travels to the liver to produce energy.
Meanwhile, the excess is stored and turns into fat. For this reason, it is very important to watch how much sugar children should take. In addition, consuming this substance in large quantities on a regular basis can increase insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes, according to a study published in 2016 . The recommended daily dose for little ones is 17 grams.
Good eating habits from a young age will accustom them to maintaining a balanced diet in nutrients and calories until adulthood. Similarly, a healthy menu is just what you need for your body to grow and develop in a healthy way.
For this reason, it is best to eat natural sugars that come from fruits or vegetables ; Industrialized foods, sweets, and carbonated beverages should be avoided as much as possible.
Sugar and food in children
Many times, you want to please children with food bought in the supermarket or stores. In general, parents do not know how much sugar children should take, so they allow them to consume these products without control.
These foods are usually loaded with saturated fat and have an excess of simple sugars ; While children love them, they are harmful to their health, according to an article published in the journal “Frontiers in Bioscience.”
The daily dose of sugar that children should take is easy to reach by consuming fruit juices or vegetable creams. A good option is to combine different types of fruits during the week, in this way we guarantee the contribution of vitamins and minerals.
Little ones cannot be prevented from consuming foods that contain added sugar. These provide the energy that the little one needs to carry out certain activities.
There is a series of foods that you have at home that have a high level of sugar and are very attractive to children. These can be incorporated into the daily diet as long as your portions are controlled.
An example of them are yogurts, cookies – you should eat a maximum of three a day -, sodas or soft drinks and formula milk.
Reducing your sugar intake is important
Excess sugar in the body is negative for the health of infants. Therefore, it is important to know how much sugar children should take.
Getting them used to eating foods low in sugar and salt from a young age will help them appreciate the natural flavor of the food. If a child consumes too much sugar, his level of ingested calories will be higher compared to what he uses for the day.
If the consumption is in hours of the night, it will probably be difficult for you to fall asleep. As a consequence, the next day you will wake up discouraged and wanting to continue sleeping; all this interrupts the normal unfolding of their daily work. In addition, it causes you to store fat and begin to gain weight.
On the other hand, the pancreas begins to produce more insulin than it should to absorb the amount of sugar stored in the blood. All of this can get complicated, producing hypoglycemia and, in a very extreme case, childhood diabetes.
There is also the risk of the infant suffering from cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and obesity in the medium term. The likelihood of developing these problems is increased by the abuse of sugar consumption.
In conclusion, the main thing is to maintain a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and natural sugars. In this way, the child’s growth will be strengthened without harming his health.
