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Sugar

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Sugar

Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate your child’s body uses for energy. It is naturally present in fruits, vegetables, and milk, but it’s often also processed and added artificially to sweeten food.

Unfortunately, many children are getting too much of their sugar from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, which can lead to the build-up of harmful fat.

Good vs bad sugars
While natural sugars present in foods, such as milk, fruit, and vegetables are good for Your Child, foods with a lot of processed ‘added sugar’ and sweeteners provide more calories with very little nutritional value.

How sugar affects a child’s brain
Throughout the body, excess sugar is harmful. Even a single instance of elevated glucose in a child’s bloodstream can be harmful to the child’s brain, resulting in slowed cognitive function and deficits in memory and attention. This is because sugar has drug-like effects in the reward center of the brain. Along with salty and fatty foods, sugar can produce addiction-like effects in the human brain, leading to loss of self-control, overeating, and subsequent weight gain.

Bad sugars with different names
These added sugars are often given different names on food labels, which you should be aware of. Some of those names include:

Common foods children eat that contain added sugar

Recommended sugar consumption for Your Child
The maximum daily amount of added sugar or other sweeteners for children are as follows:

Note that one can of Coca-Cola contains around 10 cubes alone.

The dangers of taking too much sugar
Eating a lot of foods with added sugars can cause health problems for children, and some of them include:

Tips to reduce added sugar

Limiting the amount of added sugar Your Child consumes not only helps to protect them from sugar-related health problems but also ensures that they get the nutrients they need without exceeding their calorie limit.

Verified:

Dr. Piyawut Kreetapirom, MD. (15 July 2021)

Sources:

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