Having too much sugar in your children’s diet has always been a highlighted issue, mainly through the subject of the effect on teeth and subsequent decay.
However, despite us living in an era of easy access to information via the Internet and increased awareness of the world around us, tooth decay remains prevalent amongst the younger generation.
But it’s not all about sugar and the effect it has on teeth as sugar also has a negative effect on your child’s health in differing ways.
Obesity.
We live in a world where convenience matters with ever busy lives and as a result, the temptation can be to go for a quick and easy meal option.
Take a look on many food packets and the amount of hidden sugar in items can be a huge surprise, especially in items where you would expect there to be a minimal amount such as in savoury products.
Government initiatives mean that food labelling is now clear with the traffic light system, but still be tempted to look just how much sugar a food type contains. Cooking from fresh means you can control the amount of sugar but in modern times this isn’t always achievable so be wise. Obesity can lead not only to problems with health and mental health in childhood, but the effects can last long into adulthood too.
Behaviour.
Watch a child who has just had huge injection of sugar and the change in behaviour can be quite startling. Sugar provides energy so why wouldn’t a child have a sudden burst of hyperactivity associated with taking in a large amount of sugar?
Of course, just as in adulthood, it is all about the balance and so there is no need to simply deny sweets but make wise choices and limit the amount of times you let your child eat sugary treats.
Diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition that has long been associated with sugar as when blood sugar levels are too high, the body releases insulin to cope with the demand.
Whilst the threat of diabetes may not seem imminent in childhood, the effects of a sugary diet in early life are habit-forming and harder to break as an adult.