How to Manage Your Kid’s Sugar Rush?
Does your child want all sweet candies, desserts and snacks in his/her mouth? As a young parent, you may encounter that scenario when your child starts consuming excess of sugar-related food.
Of course, it is important to eat sweet food stuff, but you should control the level of their sugar intake. Eating too much of these food will put your little one at greater risk of developing obesity, tooth decay and
type 2 diabetes.
According to paediatricians, Childhood obesity has been increasing across Australia on an epidemic proportion. This is the high time to look upon this issue and focus on tips to manage your child’s sugar rush or excess cravings.
1. Do not Stock Sugary Food Items
Easy availability of candies, sweets and other sugar-based snacks will make your kid crave for it more. The best thing you can do is to avoid stocking sugary food at home or just keep it away from their sight.
2. Eat Right
As a responsible parent, make sure you offer nutrient-dense food throughout the day. This will help kids feel full, energetic and satisfied. The best part is that their blood sugar levels are in control when consuming healthy and nutritionally balanced meals.
3. Include Healthy Fats, Fibre and Protein
These are the most important nutrients that will keep your kids satiated. Protein and fibre intake will slower down the effects of sugar and they won’t feel like eating sugary food.
Make sure their breakfast is protein and fibre rich. You can stick to:
- Eggs
- Vegetables and hummus
- Greek yogurt with almonds and raisins
- Fresh fruits
- Smoothies
- Milkshakes using natural sugar
It is important to understand
problems of childhood obesity and make changes to your kid’s diet and encourage them to follow on a regular basis.
4. Adopt Good Eating Habits
Many researchers and doctors in Australia found that children adopt habits from their parents. They tend to copy them. This means if you curb your sugar intake and eat healthy food, your kid will slowly follow them.
So, you should also eat clean and less sugary food if you are concerned about your kid’s health.
5. Look for Healthy Alternatives
If your little one asks for an ice-cream or ready-made fruit juices, you can make healthy recipes at home using fresh fruit. You can find hundreds and thousands of recipes on the internet or you can watch youtube videos to learn healthy sweet dishes from scratch for your kids.
It is good to use natural sugar from bananas, mangos and other sweet fruit to prepare your desserts. You can also look for websites where you can find
dietary guide for kids in Australia, to discover more about healthy food blogs and guide.
6. Do Not Stop Sugar Intake
Many parents completely stop sugary food from their kid’s diet. This can also be very risky. If your kid is feeling lethargic, low or sleepy throughout the day, consult a paediatrician immediately.
There is a possibility that you have cut down the required consumption of sugar. They will help you manage their blood sugar level and also offer you some tips so that they can eat healthy food all the time.
7. Increase the Intake of Water
Motivate your kids to drink water as much as possible instead of having flavoured milk and store-bought juices. Also, do not let kids to have energy drinks because they are loaded with only empty sugar. So, this is your responsibility to keep a close check on your kid’s eating habits on a daily basis.
8. Focus on Presentation of Food
Kids love to eat food if it is presented in a beautiful manner. Different colours and other elements appeal to kids and their mind will shift from sugary food. Use cucumbers, tomatoes, cherries, carrots and other raw vegetable to create interesting faces and decorate it over your food. Let them cherish good and healthy food items.
Conclusion
Excessive intake of sugary food can lead to various health hazards. Plus, this can also cause cough, cold, acid reflux and skin allergies. If you want to keep your kid stay active and adopt
healthy eating habits, keep these tips in mind and manage your kid’s sugar rush. Pay attention to your child’s sugar intake during holidays and festivals and encourage them to pick healthy alternatives.