9 hidden sources of sugar that are making your child fat

Honey, breakfast cereals and natural fruit juices are equally disastrous like chocolates and candies.

Are you vigilant about your child’s diet and don’t allow her to eat anything junk? Then sure chocolates and candies are off limits to her. You know the dangers excess sugar can do to your child — make her prone to obesity, diabetes and a host of other diseases that can be life-threatening. But do you know even with all that limitations your child is consuming an overdose of sugar, albeit unknowingly? Hereconsultant dietician Niti Desai, Cumbala Hills Hospital, Mumbai tells you about the other food sources which are like sugar bombs for your child. Here are 11 ways to help your child eat better.

Here goes the list

1. Aerated drinks: The favourite beverage of children — colas and artificial health drinks are loaded with sugar and have zero nutrient content. Even if you opt for the diet colas, remember still you are giving your child a high sugar drink. One can of cola has approximately six spoons of sugar, which is equivalent to 30 gm of sugar. Just visualise this next time you hand her a can of diet coke. Here are 12 foods that can boost immunity in your kid.

2. Packaged fruit juices and sorbets: All that rose syrup, maple syrup and packaged squashes that you give your child, especially during summers, will only raise her sugar level. These are high concentrated sugar solutions that do more harm to your child without even quenching her thirst.

3. Natural fruit juices: It is not to say that natural fruit juices are as dangerous as the packaged fruit juices and aerated drinks, but if you are in favour of giving your child natural fruit juice over whole fruit, remember, it is high in natural sugar and you are going to miss out on the goodness of fibre.

4. Biscuits and other savouries: There is nothing healthy in this category, no matter how much you read the label to justify your choice. Remember, most of these foods are made up of refined flour and carbohydrates, which are going to get converted into sugar after digestion. Read to know biscuit, bread, noodles – which is the most unhealthy food for your child.

5. Packaged foods: Noodles and other ready-to-eat foods are equally harmful as it gives a sugar rush. You ask why? Refined flour and carbohydrates are the culprits. Moreover, one packet of instant noodles might have around 440 calories; imagine that converting into glucose and entering your little one’s blood stream.

6. Honey: Yes, it has some health benefits and is better than sugar, but remember at the end of the day this is also sugar and giving your child just two spoons of honey each day means increasing her total sugar intake by 10 grams.

7. Canned fruits: You should first question yourself about not picking up a whole fruit instead? And if you think this is a healthier choice, remember canned fruits are dipped in sugar solutions that act as preservatives, and rob the real fruit’s vital nutrients.

8. Energy bars: As the name suggests, they are high in sugar which might give instant energy but can be dangerous if had regularly.

9. Breakfast cereals: They are marketed as healthy, but the child-friendly ones are loaded with added sugar to appeal to the taste buds of the little ones. And so it is a disastrous choice. Instead, look for the ones which say ‘no added sugar’ on their packet, the same rule applies for fruit juices too.