Added Sugar Vs. Naturally Occurring Sugars For Kids

Added sugar is any type of sugar that is added to foods and beverages during processing or by the consumer. Naturally occurring sugars are sugars already present in healthy, unprocessed foods like fruit, dairy products and some vegetables. Kids should freely eat foods with naturally occurring sugars but need to limit their intake of added sugars.

Perils of Added Sugar

Consuming too much added sugar puts kids at a greater risk of health problems. Sugar contributes to obesity, inflammation and tooth decay and can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Since added sugar contains calories but is largely lacking in vital nutrients, eating too much added sugar also makes it difficult for kids to consume all of the healthy, nutrient-dense foods they need to nourish their growing bodies.

Added Sugar Limits

In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended that all Americans limit added sugar to less than half of their discretionary calories. For adults, this works out to 6 tsp. daily for most women and 9 tsp. daily for most men. Since the guidelines are based on your daily calorie intake, limits for kids can be determined based on how many calories they eat each day. For instance, 1,200 and 1,400 calorie diets correlate to a 4 tsp. limit; 1,600 calories to a 3 tsp. limit; 1,800 calories to a 5 tsp. limit; and 2,000 calories to a 8 tsp. limit.

Embracing Natural Sugars

Unlike added sugars, naturally occurring sugars are an essential part of child's healthy diet. Foods with natural sugars, like fruits, sweeter vegetables, milk and other dairy products, are packed full of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber and provide unrefined carbohydrates that kids need. Naturally occurring sugars can also be an excellent tool in limiting your kids' added sugar without completely denying their cravings for sweets. Serve fresh, ripe fruits for desserts and offer milk, yogurt and cut-up sweet vegetables like carrots, beets, tomatoes or sugar snap peas for snacks.

Controlling Added Sugars

Take some time to identify all of the sources of added sugar in your kids' diets. It's not necessary to completely eliminate added sugar but staying below the recommended limits does take some dedication. One 12-oz soda, for instance, contains about 8 tsp. of sugar, far more than the limit for most kids. To keep kids' added sugar low, only permit sugary treats like cakes, cookies, ice cream, soda and candy on an occasional basis. Think beyond desserts, too; added sugar is present in many non-dessert foods like yogurt, peanut butter, bread, ketchup, salad dressing and breakfast cereal. Read ingredient labels for everything you purchase and try to buy varieties without added sugar or with only small amounts of added sugar. In addition to sugar itself, look for ingredients using alternative names for added sugar, like corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, honey and molasses. While small amounts of sugar can make healthy foods like yogurt and whole grain cereals more appealing to kids, avoid options that list sugar as a main ingredient.