How Much Sugar Is Too Much?

Hi,

In my daycare the kids get their sugars from fruit and catsup, and are not offered any extra sugar for cereal. I serve Cheerios and other non-sugared cereals (straight up). They get 2-4 ounces or juice 2 times a day. Other than that it is Milk with meals (no chocolate ever)and ice water throughout the day.

On Fridays they are offered an Otter Pop and if they have been exceptionally well behaved, cookies are served for snack.

I don't know what they eat at home but when they are here, they live a healthy lifestyle.

If he were mine, I would eliminate the ring pops and cut the chocolate milk done to 1 time a week. Make it a special treat.

Hope this helps

D.

My family has a history of high blood suger(aka hypoglyemia) & so does my daughter's father's family. From the beginning, we've been very aware of her sugar intake. She usually gets the bulk of her sugar when she's with other family members(mostly her father's family or her step-father's). My family doesn't seem to indulge nearly as much; nor do I. I let her have candy about 3-4 times a month(usually a piece or maye 10 m&m's, for example) and things like flavored milk twice a month or less. But when I do that, I dilute it by half. I'm VERY consciencious about it. It's really an individual decision. Every kid is different. But I would agree with the mom's above...it's up to us, the parents, to TEACH our kids how to eat healthy. Bad habits are LEARNED. :) It sounds like you and your husband BOTH have a valid concern. I hope this all helps. Best of luck to you & yours. :) ~M.

My Husband and I have the same arguement all the time. Well, I guess I should say used too. We finally decided to ask the pediatrician. We wrote down everything our daughter ate for a seven day period and then took it with us. Turns out we were both right. It was not as bad as he thought but I found areas I could cut back as well. With work and all it may seem hard but you could always have that question ready at his next well baby exam. PS: Children being different is a reason to have more. Plus my first was extremely easy going and very independent from day one. My second may not be independent but she is still easy going and by far the clown of the family. I have some health problems too which can make pregnancy diffucult but in the end both where worth it, and I would go it again. May God Bless you with better health and a second set of little feet.

D.
Mother to 2 daughters 5 & 1 1/2

I would eliminate the hard candy lollipops. I hear that sucking hard candy is one of the worst things for your teeth. Have you taken your son to the dentist lately? Im sure the dentist can give their opinion about his diet.

Every child is born with a "sweet tooth" - the taste buds prefer sweet. However, infants and toddlers do not serve themselves and it is up to parents to make healthy choices. A healthy diet is based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins with fats and sugars in very small amounts. The best way to achieve a healthy diet is to eat as close to nature as possible - fresh fruit instead of canned, chicken that you cook rather than precooked options, fresh fish, fresh vegetables, avoid packaged foods, etc. I grew up with candy only on special occasions, cookies only at Grandma's house, and no McDonalds until a birthday party at age 8. I still make healthy choices and my husband eats this way also. Our daughter has had a few licks of ice cream on vacation one time, but no other sweets aside from fresh fruit and that is how it will remain. I recommend you eliminate the candy and any fruit in syrup and instill healthy habits now that will last a lifetime. If your 2yo gets lolipops 3 times a week, when he is 5 or 6 he will probably ask for them daily. My sister has a rule in her house - dessert only on Sunday and Wednesday so the kids don't ask other days. Dessert is then a very small scoop of ice cream or a cookie, just a taste of something sweet. By the way, I am a physician and counsel my patients the same way (both adults and parents of children, especially starting as infants). Check www.mypyramid.gov for calorie and portion recommendations based on age for 6yo and up. I had a mother bring in a teenager and a 7yo one day saying the teenager wanted to be a vegetarian (which I told her was fine and helped with protein servings) and the teen said the food in the house was unhealthy, only sugary cereals, etc. I asked the mom why and she said the 7yo would only eat those cereals. I then remined her that she does the shopping and chooses the food and he will eat what is presented if there are no other options and she needed to be the parent and make healthy choices. She agreed. Good luck - the earlier you start with healthy choices, the easier it is. This goes for the whole family so you and your husband must set the example and make healthy choices everyday.

Any syrups, or products that are sweetened, have tons of hidden 'sugars' in it. Anything with "ose' at the end of it (ie: glucose, fructose etc.) has sugar in it. Corn syrup has been labeled as one of the worst of it, as it is a super sweetner used in many products. Bear in mind, we as Parents 'train' our children to eat certain things. Giving them sugar or candy treats teaches them to eat it, and of course like it. What kid doesn't like sugar? Remember, Diabetes of children is rampant in this country. It's all the junk in our foods, and the diet of children. Contrary to popular belief, 'sugar' doesn't cause 'hyper' kids... sugar actually makes one tired. It's a quick up-and-down 'high.' Parents are the one's who have to monitor what a child eats. They don't need all those sweeteners. "Sugar free' items are an alternative... unless your child is sensitive to the aspartame in it or the alternative artificial chemical sweeteners. But don't over do it either. Sweets are all around kids...they 'learn' to eat it especially as they get older, from peers. But you really have to monitor it. It's up to parents to dole it out. It's a 'habit' that is LEARNED. Your Husband is correct in questioning it... it's for a child's health. Sweets shouldn't be used to please them, or to 'bribe' a child. Healthy eating should be the goal. Every parent is different... but, remember, sugar and nutritionally empty foods are not to the child's benefit. Good luck.

Your husband is right. Any additional sugar for a toddler is too much. A toddler does not need ring pops or flavored milk... EVER. For us, juice is a treat. And homemade juice popsicles are a HUGE treat. Holidays and birthdays are the exception. My boys are almost 5 and they dont know what flavored milk is, heck milk is also a treat in our house. And my suggestion for getting even more sugar out of his diet, the oatmeal. Go with plain old oats with some fresh fruit, I know the packages are conveinient but even the reduced sugar is too much. The fruit cups as well, if you must buy canned fruit, get the stuff in its own juice no syrup EVER. Your son is a clean slate, why not try to set him up for a lifetime of healthy eating so we can stop this horrible cycle of poor eating habits, disease and obesity in this country.

This is just one opinion... however I would be more concerned about the use of artificial sweetener than I would about using real sugar. Any thing you consume should be researched. Try googling aspartame, nutrasweet, saccharin or Acesulfame-K sometime. It will scare you into reading every label at the store. I believe in keeping consumption of sugar at a minimum. Only because I feel that children that are used to stimulants could later seek stimulants that are not part of a healthy diet. Personally, I started reading up on sweeteners in the mid 80's when I discovered my oldest son was allergic to them. Stevia, fruit juice and honey are a few of the natural and safe sweeteners. Hope this helps. :0)
Many blessings, B. (mom to 4 awesome people)

N.,

In my opinion a two and a half year does not need to be eating junk food or sweets. The only exceptions might be a spcial event like birthday or holiday. I really think that we are setting our children up to have very unhealthy eating habits. A sugary or hight fat treat once a day as a small child becomes a regular dietary food for older children and teenagers who can "raid" the fride at will. It is our responsibility to teach our children good eating habits, they are habits that can last a lifetime. One eye opening thing for me was looking at how many grams of sugar are in a particular food and then converting that amount to teaspoons. Try this with the sugar cereal or ring pop, you might be surprised. 4.75 grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Those little tiny four ounce Mott's apple juice boxes have 14 grams of sugar that's almost three teaspoons of sugar. You can even keep track of what he eats each day for a few days then add up the amount of sugar in the whole day. Not to take your husbands side, but do it for your child. Even changing just one or two foods to a more healthy version can make a big difference.

That's hard to say. But you seem to have a running total in your head. What are your husbands reasons for saying this? I don't think sugar of any kind (unless it's from fresh fruit or real juices) is really good for a toddler on a daily basis, but a treat now and then is totally fine. WE give our daughter animal crackers and if I bake brownies or something sweet, she gets a nibble now and then. But other than that, it's just fresh fruit when it comes to sweets. I don't give her sugary items. It's a personal decision, and if you feel comfortable with the amount you let your son consume, your husband shouldn't worry. But maybe dropping a little sugar from his diet, to appease your husband, won't hurt anyone. Good Luck!