Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Child’s Diet

In order to reduce sugar in your child’s diet, you need to know what to look for. What kinds of common foods have added sugars? They are found in many foods, which at first glance we may think of as being healthy. Yogurts, smoothies, granola bars, dried fruit, granola, and cereals are some that often contain a lot of added sugar. Just to clarify, when talking about added sugar I mean any sugar that isn’t naturally occurring. Naturally occurring sugars would come from fruit and dairy products.

When you’re reading a food ingredient list, keep an eye out for the many different forms of sugar.

Here’s a list of commonly used forms of sugar:

– Fruit juice concentrates– Maltose– Corn sweetener

– Molasses– High fructose corn syrup– Raw sugar

– Honey– Beet sugar– Agave

– Sucrose– Cane sugar– Brown rice syrup

Do the math and shop for lower sugar options

Let’s say you’ve read the ingredients list for the multi-grain granola bars you’re thinking of purchasing for your children’s lunches, and you’ve determined that there are some added sugars. When just looking at the grams of sugar it may be hard to visualize just how much sugar is actually in a product, but if you do a little math, you can learn to visualize how many teaspoons of sugar are in a product. It can be quite an eye-opener! Here’s where the math comes in. Every 4 grams of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Divide the grams of sugar by 4 to find the teaspoons sugar. If these granola bars you were thinking of buying have 16 grams of sugar, that is equal to 4 teaspoons. When you think about eating 1 granola bar topped with 4 teaspoons of sugar it will make you think twice about that particular brand of granola bar! It’s usually possible to find lower sugar options.

How much sugar is too much?

The answer to that depends on the number of calories you take in each day. For most children and adolescents the recommended amount of added sugars is quite low. For children and adolescents 4-13 years old who follow a 1200-1800 calorie diet the recommended maximum for added sugars daily is between 5-6 teaspoons. For a teenage boy who follows a 2200 calorie diet, the recommended amount is 144 calories or about 9 teaspoons of sugar. That’s not much!

When shopping for foods always read the nutrition label and ingredients list before purchasing an item. If you convert grams of sugar to teaspoons of sugar and visualize how much sugar is in each serving it’ll increase your awareness of how much sugar is really in that product. You may find yourself thinking of certain things that your family eats all the time more like dessert items to be eaten occasionally. Remember, we don’t need added sugars but if we have them it’s best to keep them as low as possible. Keep your eye out for lower sugar alternatives, or ditch the added sugar all together and go all natural!

There are many alternatives to processed sugar!

• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Sucanat
• Dates or Date sugar
• Coconut Palm Sugar (our favorite because of its low glycemic index)
• Turbinado Sugar
• Pureed bananas (great for baking!)
• Sorghum Syrup
• Unsulphured Molasses

Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Child’s Diet

• Choose lower sugar options.
• Avoid sugary drinks, provide healthier beverage choices.
• Provide nutritious lunch box meals at school.
• Get the kids involved in cooking their own meals. Children tend to like what they cook themselves.
• Sneak in vegetables whenever you can.

• Super Crunchy Spiced  roasted pumpkin seeds
• Healthy Apple Crisp Yogurt Parfaits
• Whole Grain Honey Peach Mini Muffins
• Cauliflower Popcorn– a fun and healthy snack
• Homemade Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers Recipe
• FUN AND HEALTHY SNACKS THAT WILL PUT A SMILE ON KIDS' FACES

Games That Teach Children About Nutrition and How to Make Healthy Food Choices

• Every kid can have a MyPlate adventure! Make your way through all the food groups with these fun games.
• Free online learning games about nutrition and healthy eating. 
• Nourish Interactive - the fun place to learn about nutrition!

About the Author:

Amber is a California native who, after working in administrative jobs for 9 years, decided to pursue a degree in nutrition. Healthy living, cooking, and eating had been an interest for her since her teenage years, so she wanted to work in a field that would allow her to help others live healthfully. She is a registered dietitian who earned her B.S. degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 2010 and completed her supervised practice in 2013.