How do you control sugar intake in your baby’s diet?
First and foremost, you need to eliminate all artificial sweeteners from their diet. If your baby is younger than the age of 2, any form of sugar can prove to be extremely harmful.
Sugar is just empty calories. It’ll fill your little one up but without any nutrients. This is a big red flag because babies that young have small appetites anyway… so you need to be cautious of what you’re feeding them. Make sure they have enough room for their fruits and veggies.
Did you know that the first 24 months shape a human’s long-term food preferences?
So, if you give your babies a lot of fruits, they’ll have a craving for fruits even in their teenage years/adulthood.
However, if you are giving them refined sugar, that’s the kind of food they are going to end up eating as they grow up.
Here’s a little fun fact: Humans are hard-wired to crave sugar. Why? Because sugar builds up fat storage and prevents people from starving during times of scarcity, and that’s why our ancestors sought it in times of need.
And what’s even more bizarre?
If kids are repeatedly fed bitter foods in their early childhood, they learn to accept and enjoy them in adulthood.
Your child needs to eat a new type of food about 30-odd times before they begin to welcome it to their diet.
That’s why it is important to control sugar intake in a baby’s diet and be extra cautious about what you are giving the little one at this tender age.
Keep an eye out for a few things:
Firstly, don’t be fooled by the different names manufacturers give sugar
Not all brands mention “added sweeteners” in their packaging.
They use fancy terms such as fruit juice concentrates, corn sweetener, and plain old maple syrup.
Always, always check the ingredients list before buying a new product!
Secondly, check the food label properly
Even harmless foods such as fruit juices or store-bought milk contain high amounts of sugar.
Most brands separate “total sugars” from “added sugars”, and it’s just a gimmick to confuse you!
If you want to control sugar intake in baby’s diet, you’ve got to keep a vigilant eye out.
Most importantly, find alternatives
And by alternatives, we mean naturally occurring sweeteners.
Or just sweet ingredients your baby can enjoy without having to worry.
Fruits, homemade fruit juices, jaggery, apricots, etc are all healthy foods that make for a delicious after-meal snack.
Even as a sweetener, consider replacing sugar with date syrups or organic maple syrup in fruit shakes and smoothies.
To sum up, it’s safe to say that when you want to control sugar intake in baby’s diet, you need to put in that little bit of extra effort. But, the result is rewarding because a balanced diet and minimal intake of sugar reduce the risk of ailments such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Sugar sure is sweet, but a happy and healthy baby is even sweeter!
