Sugar is present in many of the foods that children eat on a regular basis, from sweet treats like candy or cookies, to yogurt, tomato sauce and salad dressing. In fact, lactose milk sugars occur naturally in milk, giving babies their first taste of sugar. Since many children are "hard-wired" to crave sugar, pediatrician William Sears suggests that the answer lies in satisfying your child's sugar cravings with healthy sugars like fruits and complex carbohydrates, instead of completely banning sugar from your child's diet.
Significance
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to control the sugar in their children's diets to help prevent tooth decay, childhood obesity and obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Although parents of younger children can control their children's sugar cravings and intake by keeping sugary sodas and sweets out of the house, those with school-aged kids or teens have a more difficult time limiting their children's access to sugary treats. Educating your older children about healthy sugars --- and finding alternative ways to satisfy their sweet tooth without resorting to over-processed table sugars --- can help them curb their cravings and make healthier dietary choices.
Considerations
Many parents inadvertently fuel their children's sugar cravings by using sugary foods as rewards for good behavior. Sugars can trigger the release of endorphins that can cause kids to feel relaxed and less stressed. Children might learn to associate sugar with the happiness they feel at these occasions, causing them to crave it whenever they want to replicate those feelings. Susan Fiore, M.S., R.D., a nutrition education coordinator at the Connecticut State Department of Education, also expresses concern that using sugary foods as rewards can increase children's preferences for sweet foods over non-sweet ones, which might cause them to crave unhealthy foods.
Misconceptions
Although some people associate all sugars with over-processed white sugar or corn syrup, refined, simple sugars are just one form of carbohydrates -- a group of nutrients that provide the fuel that helps your child's body run. Fruits and complex carbohydrates like whole-grain pastas, breads and cereals, are part of the same family of nutrients. According to Dr. Sears, fruits and complex carbohydrates are more nutritious than refined sugars because they contain vital nutrients in addition to sugar. They also take longer to digest than simple sugars, which minimizes the blood sugar fluctuations that can lead to behavioral problems in some children.
Prevention/Solution
Dr. Sears suggests that regular physical exercise and sound nutrition, including three well-balanced meals each day and two healthy snacks, can help banish your child's sugar cravings. He also recommends starting your child off with a healthy breakfast to minimize the potential of midmorning blood sugar dips that might lead children to crave donuts, sodas, candy bars and other unhealthy energy sources. When your child craves sugar, the KidsHealth website recommends to encourage her to eat a bowl of whole-grain pasta with low-fat sauce or a piece of fruit for a longer-lasting -- and healthier -- energy boost.
Potential
Expect some setbacks along the path to curbing your child's cravings. An occasional cookie or cupcake will generally not harm his overall health. You can also explore alternative ways to give your child's foods the sweet taste he craves without the sugar. Sweeten baked goods with fruit concentrates like pear or apple, or sweet spices like cinnamon. Instead of buying sugar-laden yogurt, sweeten plain yogurt at home by topping it with fruit.
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