How to Reduce Sugar in Your Child’s Diet
When you have a fussy eater it’s easy to give in to what your child wants to eat. Here are some suggestions:
- Breakfast cereals
The last thing we all need is to argue about breakfast each morning, but giving your children sugary cereals will only start their day on a sugar high and result in a crash. Consider using oats for breakfast as they are very versatile. You can use oats to create porridge, overnight oats which can be kept in the fridge as well as healthy oat flapjacks and bars. - After school snacking
After a long day at daycare or preschool, children are often hungry and tired and looking for a sugary treat. The best option for after-school snacking is to have something that provides fat as well as protein. This will give your children a good energy boost and keep them going until dinner time. For example, pitta bread or vegetable sticks with hummus or sliced apple and some cheese. - Meals
One way of reducing sugar in your child’s diet is to make meals from scratch. Convenience meals and ready meals are loaded with sugar. It is far better to make your own sauce in large batches and store this in the freezer. - Drinks
Children should only really be having milk or water as a regular drink. Drinks such as fizzy drinks have no nutritional benefit and are just full of sugar and artificial sweeteners. If your child refuses to drink water, the only choice you have is to persevere. If your child will drink water with some juice in it, you could try reducing the amount of juice you put in their drink each day. - Biscuits
Rather than buying biscuits, it’s better to have an alternative option such as oatcakes which will kill any sugar cravings that your child may have. Another option would be to get creative in the kitchen and get your kids involved in making sugar-free cookies. - Ice Pops
When the weather is good, children love eating ice pops. The good news is that you can make your own ice pops at home and get your kids involved in making them. - Yoghurt
When it comes to choosing yoghurts for your children, make sure you choose full-fat yoghurts as fat is not a negative. Instead of purchasing yoghurts that are aimed at kids, introduce your children to full-fat Greek yoghurt which is also high in protein. Many yoghurt’s have very high sugar content, so be sure to read the label!