The data on the package is a temporary?
Nutrition and eating habits during infancy and early childhood play a role in shaping eating habits and health during adolescence and adulthood. Unfortunately, it is the products dedicated to the youngest consumers that are usually sweetened with both sugar and glucose-fructose syrup. What’s worse, it turns out that although the caloric values and amounts of sugars already declared on the packaging are terrifying, they do not necessarily have to be true! Research on the sugar content of infant formulas (yoghurts, cereals, packaged baked goods) in the United States has proven that, to a large extent, the reality may be even ‘sweeter’ than the data presented on the packaging. Many products that are frequently marketed and consumed by infants and young children contain simple sugars, often in excess of recommended daily levels.
How much fructose in the end?
We have already written about the effects of fructose in previous articles about GF syrup. While fructose can be a healthy source of energy when combined with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as is the case with fruit, it is difficult to isolate it in processed foods. The excess of free fructose may be associated with the occurrence of insulin resistance and hypertension and affect neuronal systems. Applying a high content of fructose may, on the one hand, affect the regulation of appetite, and on the other – change cognitive functions.
We will probably hear that the amount of fructose in both syrup and table sugar and honey is very similar. What’s more, we can find studies that show that a daily dose of 50 g of carbohydrates from honey, sucrose or glucose-fructose syrup for 14 days causes similar glucose levels and similar lipid metabolism and inflammation … completely unfounded? Perhaps it would be so, however, as research shows, firstly: we can meet with significant deviations in the amount of simple sugars in relation to the information provided by producers, and secondly, there is a tendency to use glucose-fructose syrup with the amount of fructose higher than 55 percent
What to do?
Of course, the research has not been conducted in Poland, but the lack of knowledge does not absolve us from doubts. After all, we will not test the product we want to give to a child every time. Therefore, it is best to avoid sweets, sweetened yoghurts and cereals, and prepare desserts with your child based on dried fruit, honey and nuts. Then we will be sure what we feed the family.
Picture 1 is from: TriggerHappyDave / Foter.com / CC BY
Photo 2 is from: treehouse1977 / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
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