How should you think about giving sugar to your children?
It is common knowledge that children should not eat too much sugar. But it is not easy to relate to when sugar is a large part of our society and is found in various forms in all kinds of food. We have invited Pediatric dietitian Sara Ask to answer common questions about children and sugar.
- Children need nutritious food
Growing and developing children require calories and nutrients. Foods and drinks high in added sugar are high in calories but low in nutrients. It simply leaves less room for nutritious foods.
- Hidden sugar
You may not realize that even some "regular" foods contain a lot of sugar. This often includes various types of fruit yogurt, yogurt drinks, cereals, juices, rice snacks, and the like. It is unnecessary to accustom children to the idea that everything should taste sweet and to focus primarily on breakfast, which can easily become a real sugar bomb.
- Limiting sweets completely can have a negative effect
The bigger goal is for the child to have a healthy and enjoyable relationship with food. Completely limiting sweets can create a sense of deprivation and can lead to an obsession in the child. "Indulging" every now and then can help children not see sugary foods as forbidden fruit or as a reward for a specific behavior. Children who are very rarely given sweets tend to eat more when the opportunity arises.
How long should children avoid sugar?
- Children 0-1 years
Avoid added sugar completely during the first year (e.g. candy, ice cream, soda and juice). - Children 1 year and up
Limit added sugar, but small amounts can be included in food and on selected occasions. - No need to avoid natural sugar
Natural sugar is found in things like fruit and dairy products. These foods contain other good nutrients, unlike sweets, which don't contain much nutrition at all.
Reference: "Good food for children" - Swedish National Food Administration
Sweet tastes and taste preferences
- Children's preference for sweet tastes is influenced by the degree of sweetness they are exposed to in food
- Even sweeteners can affect children's taste receptors and make them more likely to like sugar.
- Children have a natural taste preference for sweet (natural instinct)
Reference: Fidler Mis, N., Braegger, C., Bronsky, J., Campoy, C., Domellöf, et al. (2017). Sugar in Infants, Children and Adolescents.
This is how you as a parent can think about children and sugar
- It's not always best to avoid sweets completely
Limiting sweets completely can create a sense of deprivation and lead to obsession in children. "Indulging" occasionally can help children not see sweets as forbidden fruit, or as a big deal.
- Don't use sugar as a bribe or reward
Avoid offering sweets as a reward, or as part of a punishment. The problem is that interest in food can remain cool while the desire for sweets is reinforced.
- Teach your child to appreciate other flavors
Small amounts of added sugar can be included in children's food, but it is unnecessary to accustom children to everything tasting sweet. First, let them taste other flavors to learn to appreciate them.
- Limit access to sweets
Remember that you as a parent decide how often you want to buy desserts or sweets, for example. Your child cannot eat things you don't have at home.
References: "Good food for children" - Swedish National Food Agency and Sara Ask (child dietitian)
Pediatric dietitian Sara Ask answers questions about sugar and children
How does sugar affect children?"Partly it increases the risk of caries, partly it only provides "empty" energy, that is, no vitamins or minerals. A child who covers a large part of his energy needs with sugar risks either getting too little nutrition, or getting too much energy overall, resulting in obesity. This in turn can lead to health problems.
However, there is no research that supports that children are speeded up by sugar, but rather it seems to be the context (a children's party, for example) and the parents' expectations that come into play."
How much sugar can a child eat?
"According to nutritional recommendations, both children and adults should have a maximum of 10 percent of their energy needs covered by added sugar, i.e. the type of sugar that is not found naturally in, for example, fruit and berries but is added to make a product sweeter than it already is. For a preschool child, this corresponds to about 2 tablespoons of sugar a day, for a primary school child about 3 tablespoons and for middle school children 3–4 tablespoons a day."
What if my child eats more sugar than that sometimes?
"The recommendation is not set because we know that something terrible will happen if a child eats 3 tablespoons a day instead of 2 on some days, but because the chance that the child will get enough nutrition decreases if sugar constantly makes up a larger part of the energy intake. Research available today does not indicate that sugar in reasonable amounts in itself is dangerous to health. Health is neither created nor destroyed by a single nutrient, but by the many factors that contribute. It is important to look up and see the whole picture."
How can you think about natural sugar?
"Chemically and energetically, there is no difference between the sugar in, for example, an apple or in a spoonful of granulated sugar, but the body breaks down and uses the sugar in the same way regardless of where it comes from. However, the body benefits significantly more from the apple because, unlike granulated sugar, it also contributes vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other protective plant substances."
How can you think about hidden sugar?
"The important thing to achieve a reasonable sugar intake is to avoid the obvious sources of sugar - not to skim through ingredient lists for so-called hidden traps. It is not the sugar in the taco seasoning, herring marinade or bouillon cube that is the problem, but large amounts of candy, soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks. But breakfast can also become a trap if there are a lot of sugar-sweetened foods: sweet yogurt, sweet cereals, jam, sweet bread, sweet drinks, for example."
