Easy ways to manage your child's sugar consumption

It’s only natural for children to go a little chocolate crazy over the Easter long weekend, but as their chocolate collection begins to run low, it might be a good time to rein down on their sugar intake.

Shocking statistics from the UK suggest that an increasing amount of children are exceeding the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year old by the time they are 10.

The survey – conducted by Public Health England – found that children are consuming an average of 52.2 grammes a day, which is only set to increase over the Easter weekend.

The recommended maximum amount of sugar for 10-year-olds is 20-24 grammes a day.

Nutritional therapist, Helen Drake believes this is a serious cause for concern.

“Sugar intake does not just have an effect on weight, it also impacts cognitive health, immunity and energy levels, all of which are important for growth and development as well as long term health and wellbeing.

“Many children within a healthy weight range are still consuming too much sugar,” she warns.

So what steps can you take to monitor your child’s sugar intake?

Watch out for hidden sugars

“There are many sources of sugar that are not obvious and therefore it can be a minefield for parents when considering their weekly shop and meal preparation,” explains Helen Drake.

“Many processed foods, ready meals and ‘free from’ products have added sugar to improve taste and to hide the excess salt used as a preservative. So foods do not have to taste sweet in order to contain sugar – most loaves of bread will have sugar added to them!”

Know your labels

Helen says that it is not always easy to identify whether a food product contains sugar as on the packaging it is not always labelled as sugar.

Some of the other names sugar goes by are: sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, malt extract/maltose, honey, corn syrup/rice syrup, rice extract.

Beware breakfast cereals, bread and pasta

“Highly refined or processed carbohydrates such as pasta, white bread and white rice are digested and absorbed so quickly by the body that the effect of eating them is very similar to consuming sugar itself,” Helen explains.

Common foods in children’s diets that contain high amounts of sugar or refined carbohydrates are:

• Breakfast cereals

• Soft drinks (including fruit juice)

• Cereal bars

• Fruit yoghurts

• Cakes/biscuits/confectionery

• Pizza

• White bread/pasta/rice

Helen suggests switching to whole foods, which contain very little refined sugar and carbohydrates.

“Fresh fruit, vegetables, lean protein and healthy fat can automatically help reduce sugar intake as well as stabilising and regulating blood sugar,” she explains.

Make some sugar swaps

• Include cucumber, carrot or pepper crudités with hummus as a snack

• Grate carrot, courgette and onion to add to soups, stews, curries or bolognese to increase vegetable intake

• Offer fruit with nuts/seeds or nut butters as a snack

• Homemade smoothies made with coconut milk as a base (avoid fruit juice), with fresh fruit and seeds. Small amounts of avocado work well and vegetables such as spinach and cucumber can be added.

• Try lower sugar bars such as Bounce balls or 9 bars

• Swap white pasta for wholegrain or buckwheat pasta and white rice for brown rice

• Swap soft drinks and squashes for water with fresh fruit in such as strawberries, kiwi, lemon or watermelon, can use sparkling water as a treat

• Swap breakfast cereals for whole oats, add cinnamon or nuts and seeds or berries

• Swap white or milk chocolate for dark 70% chocolate

• Soft drinks- try and just go for water can make more exciting with adding fruit to flavour

• Swap cereals for whole oats, buckwheat pancakes, eggs, omelettes, wholegrain toast with b=nut butters

• Cereal bars/biscuits – swap for raw fruit and nut bars i.e. Naked Bar, they are still sugary but contain nuts so are better.

• Avoid processed foods and ready meals- make your own meals, kids love to make own pizza.

• Have healthy snacks available to avoid reaching for more unhealthy ones.

• Don’t go sugar cold turkey – still ok to have it as a treat at a friend’s party etc…but this should be occasionally not everyday/week

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