Sugar in Children's Diets – Information for Parents

1. The Importance of a Healthy Diet for Children's Development

2. Varieties of sugars

3. Medium addition of sugar

4. Naturally occurring sugars in foodstuffs

5. Impacts of excessive sugar intake

6. Adding Sugar to a Child's Diet - At What Age and Quantity?

7. How to effectively control sugar intake in children

8. Healthy dietary routines practiced since early childhood

9. Avoid beverages with a high sugar content

10. Evaluate the quantity of candy and snacks

11. Meticulously scrutinize the labels

12. Creation of meals in a home environment

13. Alternatives for healthy snacks

14. Control your intake of sweetened breakfast cereals

15. Serve as a role model

16. Speak with your child about sugar limitation and dietary choices that enhance health

17. What are the sugar substitutes?

18. Summary

1. The Importance of a Healthy Diet for Children's Development

Providing an appropriate, balanced amount of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fats is crucial for children's proper development and growth, tissue construction, bone reinforcement, and brain maturation. Children require the right amount of energy and nutrients to grow and develop correctly. Healthy eating also plays a significant role in preventing various diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dental problems, and many others. A balanced diet assists in maintaining a healthy body weight, managing blood sugar levels, and preserving dental health. Importantly, dietary habits are formed early in childhood and often continue throughout life. Therefore, it is vital to instill healthy eating habits in children from a young age, for instance, by consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, avoiding excessive sweets and carbonated drinks, and maintaining regular meal times.

2. Varieties of sugars

The European Food Safety Authority distinguishes between two types of sugars present in food products:

3. Medium addition of sugar

are consciously added to food products during the production process or while preparing meals. They can originate from natural sources (e.g. sucrose, i.e. common table sugar, or glucose) or can be derived from sugar syrups such as glucose-fructose syrup. Added sugars do not naturally occur in food products and are primarily used to improve taste, consistency, and increase the shelf life of the product. They can be found in sweetened beverages, confectionery, snacks, jams, ready meals, or breakfast foods;

4. Naturally occurring sugars in foodstuffs

are present in foodstuffs in their original form, they are not added by humans. Fructose found in fruit and honey, lactose and galactose present in milk and milk products, sucrose in sugar cane and sugar beets, and glucose and maltose in cereal products can be distinguished. Naturally occurring sugars in foodstuffs are often accompanied by other nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals (EFSA 2022).

5. Impacts of excessive sugar intake

Excessive consumption of sugar, especially artificially added sugar, can have negative impacts on the health of both children and adults. One of the most evident consequences of excessive sugar intake is weight gain, which is due to the fact that high-calorie products containing sugar provide a large amount of calories. Excessive body weight is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or heart disease. It is also important to note that sugar increases the risk of developing these diseases by directly affecting the metabolism of carbohydrates and blood vessels. Dental diseases, especially caries, are another negative consequence of excessive sugar intake. When there is too much sugar in the diet, bacteria in the mouth transform it into acids that attack the enamel. Excessive sugar consumption also leads to a decrease in the pH of the mouth, which further promotes the activity of acids. When the pH is too low, the enamel begins to dissolve, which leads to tooth decay, or caries. The first symptoms may include pain when eating hot or cold foods, and as caries progresses, more serious symptoms may occur, such as tooth nerve inflammation. Caries is a particularly important problem in children, as their teeth are more susceptible to damage than the teeth of adults. Excessive sugar supply can also lead to a sudden increase in blood glucose levels, which can lead to a short-term increase in energy and euphoria. However, after a short time, there is a sudden drop, which leads to fatigue, irritability, and concentration problems. In addition, excessive sugar consumption can have a negative impact on the body. The excess sugar that is not used immediately for energy production is converted into fat and stored in the body. This can lead to disturbances in lipid metabolism, such as elevated triglyceride or cholesterol levels, which in turn further increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

6. Adding Sugar to a Child's Diet - At What Age and Quantity?

According to their recommendations, later added sugar should be introduced into the baby's diet, the better, but it should definitely not be given to children under 1 year old. However, if sugar is added to the sweet taste from a young age, children may have difficulty accepting the flavours of other, less sweet products. If added sugar is introduced into a child's diets at an early age, there is a risk that it will be less likely to consume vegetables, fruits and other foods with a less salty taste. However, if milk is introduced from a young age, it should be difficult to consume too much milk. The maximum intake of fruits should not exceed 10% of the total energy intake of milk, and the greatest benefit is observed when this value does not exceed 5% (ESPGHAN 2018). For a 2-year-old child with a body weight of 12 kg, this corresponds to 4 teaspoons of sugar per day (including that contained in processed foods). Naturally occurring sugars, such as fructose in fruit and lactose in milk, can be introduced into the child's diet as soon as they start eating solid food. Fruits and dairy products are important components of the diet of infants and young children, but it is important to maintain variety and moderation. Fruit juices and sugar-sweetened beverages should be limited in the child's diet. It is recommended to avoid giving sweet drinks to infants and young children and instead encourage them to drink water. Sweets, cakes, ice cream and other sweet snacks should be treated as treats and given to the child occasionally, not as a regular part of the diet (C. Mameli, S. Mazzantini, G. V. Zuccotti 2016).

7. How to effectively control sugar intake in children

Effectively controlling the amount of sugar consumed by children is extremely important, though it often presents a challenge. Fortunately, there are methods that can aid in accomplishing this task.

8. Healthy dietary routines practiced since early childhood

Ensure healthy dietary routines are practiced from the start. Provide your child with healthy and varied meals that incorporate vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein, and dairy products. This teaches the child that a healthy diet is the standard.

9. Avoid beverages with a high sugar content

Restrict the consumption of fruit juices and other beverages abundant in sugar, such as carbonated drinks and energy drinks. Encourage your child to drink water as the primary beverage. Water is the best method to ensure adequate hydration and contains no added sugar.

10. Evaluate the quantity of candy and snacks

Candies, cookies, ice cream, and sugar-laden snacks should be given to your child occasionally, not daily. Parents are advised to limit the availability of sweets and snacks at home and monitor the quantity of consumed candies and snacks.

11. Meticulously scrutinize the labels

When filling up your shopping cart, devote special attention to examining product labels and investigate the added sugar content. Certain items that may seem to be healthy choices can in fact contain a substantial amount of sugar.

12. Creation of meals in a home environment

The creation of meals in a home environment allows for the supervision of the ingredients you add to your dishes. This way, you can limit the sugar amount in your meals and snacks.

13. Alternatives for healthy snacks

When your child needs a snack, choose healthy options such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and natural yogurt. These snacks are a source of many nutrients and simultaneously contain less sugar than processed products.

14. Control your intake of sweetened breakfast cereals

Choose breakfast cereals with a low sugar level and avoid those that have a lot of added sugar.

15. Serve as a role model

Children often look up to adults and adopt their behavior as a model. If you lead a healthy lifestyle and regulate your sugar consumption, your child is more likely to adopt the same patterns.

16. Speak with your child about sugar limitation and dietary choices that enhance health

Inform your child that sugar limitation is vital for supporting their health and well-being. Make your child aware of the consequences of consuming too much sugar and encourage them to choose healthier dietary options. Emphasize that a balanced diet enhances overall physical and mental resilience, thus being essential for good well-being and functioning. Help your child form proper eating habits that will benefit their health throughout their life.

17. What are the sugar substitutes?

Sugar in a child's diet can be replaced with artificial sweeteners as well as other natural sweetening substances. Long-term research and evaluations conducted by regulatory bodies such as the FDA in the United States and EFSA in Europe have shown that artificial sugar substitutes are considered safe for human health in quantities that fall within certain limits. However, studies are still ongoing on the long-term health effects of these artificial sweeteners. Nevertheless, studies continue to investigate their long-lasting effects on health. The use of artificial sweetener may, however, have to influence children's taste preferences and the preference of a more intense alternative to a full-fledged source of sweetener. This may lead to a reduction in the intake of natural products, such as sugar, but it is not necessary. In the case of sugar and sugar, there may be a number of other health effects (such as the use of sugar as a food additive in children, which may be linked to the consumption of other food products such as dietary supplements or dietary diets).

18. Summary

The control of the amount of sugar consumed by children is critical for their health and development. Exceeding the norms in sugar consumption, especially added sugar, can lead to serious health problems such as obesity, tooth decay, or heart disease. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to introduce healthy eating habits early in life - limiting drinks and snacks containing added sugar, promoting a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy protein sources. Sugar can be replaced with artificial sweeteners or natural sweetening agents, but it is important to exercise moderation. The most important aspect is diversity and awareness, as controlling sugar intake is investing in a healthy future for the child.