Where are the hidden sugars?
Sugar hides in your child’s diet both at home and in nurseries. One example is the average little kids fromage frais contains as much as one teaspoon of sugar. That’s 1/3 of their recommended allowance.
Sugar affect’s:
- Brain function
- Blood sugar
- Weight
- Energy Levels
Sugar is ADDICTIVE, so starting on high sugar diets sets bad habits.
What is the right amount for your child?
Children under 2 shouldn’t be consuming any sugar.
Where is sugar hiding?
As an example here are a couple of commonly used early years foods and drinks that are high in sugar.
1 teaspoon = 5 grams
| SUGAR |
% RDA child over 2 years | |
|---|---|---|
| Fromage Frais | 6.1g SUGAR per pot | 
44% |
| Baby egg custard with rice | 8.8g SUGAR per 125g pot | 
58% |
| Custard | 11.5g SUGAR per 100g serving | 
76% |
| Cereal bar | 15g SUGAR per bar | 
100% |
| Blackberry squash | 30.24g SUGAR per 288ml carton |
200% |
| Coca Cola | 39g SUGAR per 355 ml can |
260% |
We cannot differentiate in every item, which types of sugars the ingredients contain. But have chosen foods in which sugar is one of the largest ingredients.
TOP TIP
Look at the label and where sugar comes, the higher it is the more sugar there is!
Reducing the sugar in your child’s diet
If you have a child who has a taste for highly processed, sugary foods they won’t want to give them up. So the earlier you start the better.
The key is to reduce the sugar slowly and over time so they get use to less sweetness without noticing.
