Sugar is notorious for being delicious yet harmful to your health. Sugar is an additive to all sorts of foods and is also found naturally in others, making it difficult to avoid. If you are looking for ways to reduce your child’s sugar intake, then consider continuing reading for tips that will not only help decrease sugar in your child’s diet, but may help you decrease sugar in your own diet.
And while some sugar is okay, as a parent, you are likely aware of the health and dental problems that sugar can cause your child. Cutting out some sugar will help your child have more energy and will decrease the likelihood of your child becoming overweight or developing tooth decay.
Limit Sugary Snacks
Your children eat based on what you give them. While it may be easier sometimes to give the kids a sugary snack, the best way to protect your child from tooth problems is to replace fruit snacks, Pop Tarts, and pudding packs with other snacks that will give your child better fuel and taste good as well. It may also be a good idea to have a certain limit on sugary desserts for your children as well as for yourself. When it comes to a limit, do your research on what is recommended, and make a personal assessment as to what you want for your child.
Eat Out Less
Another way to reduce your child’s sugar intake is to eat out less. When you choose to eat at home, you get to see exactly what is going into a meal, meaning that you can make decisions about how much sugar gets into your and your children’s food. Cooking your own food also means that you will likely be using fresher ingredients, especially if you are cooking your own food over going to a fast food restaurant.
Eliminate Sodas And Other Sugary Drinks
Sodas are infamously known for having a ton of sugar. Drinking soda, energy drinks, and sugary teas and coffees put your body and your teeth through the ringer. The best way to avoid dental health issues is to eliminate drinking soda entirely. However, if never drinking soda sounds like a death sentence, then try to switch to less sugary options or drink soda less often.
Reduce Sauces And Flavorings
Ketchup, barbecue sauce, syrup, and flavor packets that are added to food often are chock full of sugar. It can be hard to completely remove sauces from your child’s diet, as they add so much to food and can make it easier to eat less enjoyable foods, such as vegetables. But it may be a good idea to consider choosing sauce options that have less added sugar or make your own options for flavorings and sauces.
Buy Unprocessed Foods
Our last tip to help reduce your child’s sugar intake is to bring less processed foods into your home. This tip goes along with limiting eating out. Processed foods often have a lot of added sugars. If you choose to bring foods into your home that are less processed, then you will drastically reduce the amount of sugar your family consumes.
Need More Tips To Help Reduce Your Child’s Sugar Intake
We at Jenson Dental are big fans of helping our customers get the brightest and healthiest smiles possible. That is why we do our best to offer resources to help you keep your teeth in tip-top shape. We employ several experienced and knowledgeable individuals who can give you more information about how to reduce your child’s sugar intake and how to improve your oral health. Reach out to us for more information or to schedule an appointment.
