According to Kids Health website, simple sugars are a type of carbohydrate that causes a quick rise of blood sugar and insulin in the blood stream. These simple sugars are found in fruits and vegetables, but are in higher quantity in highly-refined grains like white bread, white pasta and white rice. Eating a diet that is too high in simple sugars will cause repeated, rapid fluctuations of both sugars and insulin in the blood which may increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease. Finding foods for kids that are low in sugar as well as appetizing is an important part of serving them a well-balanced diet.
Low Sugar Breakfast Foods
Starting the day off right means eating a well-balanced breakfast. Look for cereals that are low in sugar and high in whole grain, fiber and protein. Kashi Good Friends cereal, according to the Fit Bit website, has 170 calories per 1-cup serving, 5 grams of protein, only 9 grams of sugar and 12 grams of fiber. Pairing a bowl of cereal with skim milk and topped with fruit makes for a great, low-sugar start to the day.
Low Sugar Lunch Choices
Sugar is often a hidden ingredient in many kids' lunch choices. According to the Fit Bit website, Pizza Stix Lunchables have 680 calories per serving and have 63 grams of sugar. A low sugar alternative would be a lean turkey roll up with mustard, apple slices and carrots dipped in low fat ranch dressing, yielding only 14.3 grams of sugar and only 414 calories.
Low Sugar Dinner Choices
Providing low sugar dinner choices can be as easy as serving well-balanced meals that are heavy in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and lean proteins. Choosing foods that have not been processed are less likely to be heavy in sugar. Read all labels before serving foods, paying close attention to the sugar content. Serving homemade pizza made with sauce that has no added sugars, low-fat skim milk mozzarella cheese and vegetables will be a healthier version of the Pizza Stix Lunchables with much fewer grams of sugar.
Member Comments