Contents
Chocolate as a reward, a lot of candy on holidays or a bun as a snack – this is often the sin of most parents.
Why does a child eat a lot of sweets, is it necessary to forbid him, how much sugar is considered normal? We answer these and other burning questions together with an expert.
How many sweets can children of different ages eat
Children under three years of age are not recommended to give sweets at all, since it is still difficult for the baby’s body to digest them.
Sweets include not only sweets, cakes or pastries, but also other sweeteners – honey, molasses, fructose and others. The following amounts of sugar per day are considered safe:
| 3-6 years | 20 g |
| 7-11 years | 24 g |
| 11-18 years | 30 g |
It should be borne in mind that fruits and tea with sugar 一 are the same sweets. Therefore, adhering to the norm of 25 grams (2-3 sweets), you need to remove sugar from cereals or reduce the amount of muffin in the diet (1).
Reasons why a child eats a lot of sweets
A small amount of sugar in a child’s diet is considered normal. However, the abuse of sweets is highly undesirable. There are several reasons why a child eats a lot of sweets.
The child is “little”
In this case, the body does not have enough nutrients and energy for an active lifestyle. Normally, they come with food, but it is not always possible for children to sit down and feed normally. After all, it is much easier to have a snack with cookies or chocolate. Sweet gives a quick burst of energy and a feeling of fullness, but it has a negative effect on the body as a whole. Therefore, it is recommended to exclude such snacks and accustom the child to proper and timely nutrition.
Unbalanced Diet
Most often this happens if the child’s menu is low in complex carbohydrates (2). The best solution here is to add cereals to the diet, because they contain the necessary complex carbohydrates. In addition, they practically do not increase blood sugar levels, are rich in vitamins and trace elements, and provide a feeling of satiety for a long time. Therefore, porridge for breakfast is an excellent and safe source of energy for the body.
Flavor enhancers in sweet foods
Exciting effect on the central nervous system and cause chemical dependence. Such additives are put in most confectionery products, “planting” a person on them. The child’s body is less resistant to any addiction, so parents should control the quantity and quality of the child’s use of sweets. Better yet, replace various sweets with dried fruits or prepare desserts yourself.
Consequences of not eating healthy food
It should be understood that the abuse of sweets can lead to a number of pathologies.
- Caries. It has been proven that sucrose directly affects the occurrence of this disease (3).
- Obesity. Dangerous changes in the work of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, affects the psyche of the child, reducing his self-esteem.
- Diabetes. With the development of the disease, the child’s well-being worsens, appetite greatly increases, weight is lost sharply, constant thirst and bad breath appear.
You can prevent the occurrence of these diseases by adhering to proper nutrition and limiting the amount of sugar to the recommended values.
Nutritionist and nutrition expert Olga Matveeva adds:
– The consequences of refusing normal food, especially with a bias towards sweets, can be very sad. These are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis), kidney and liver diseases, and even mental disorders. Therefore, the question should be corrected not only by a nutritionist, but also by a psychologist, and he should work with parents too. Until the age of 7, a child is completely dependent on how correctly his closest person behaves in relation to food.
How to stabilize a child’s appetite
The process of stabilizing the child’s appetite is not always easy and fast. Especially if the diet is broken for a long time. But, with some effort, you can achieve your goal.
Stimulate your appetite
It is recommended to increase the physical activity of the child so that he quickly begins to feel hungry. Walking in the fresh air or playing sports always has a positive effect on appetite. Equally important is the presentation of the food. You can decorate food with various figures carved from vegetables or serve it in unusual dishes.
cook together
The child is much more interested in eating what he helped to cook. Therefore, older children can share responsibilities in the kitchen. Trust your child to, for example, stir vegetables for salad or grate carrots.
Offer a dish many times
This rule applies especially to very young children. Unfamiliar products can cause them fear and, accordingly, rejection. It takes some time to overcome this state. Therefore, offer the same dish repeatedly. For some children, 2-3 times is enough, others agree to eat at 10-15 attempts.
Down with food violence
The desire to feed a child by any means can lead to the development of an aversion to food. A short-term lack of appetite usually indicates that the accumulated energy from the previous meal has not yet been used up. Therefore, it is better to wait a bit and offer to eat a little later. If the child does not finish eating, do not scold him and do not force him to eat every last crumb. Maybe you just gave him too much.
Don’t allow snacks
They lead to a feeling of fullness, forcing the child to refuse the main meal. Remove various sandwiches, sweets and the like so that the child does not refuse normal food.
Remove distractions
Do not turn on cartoons or read books while eating. It is necessary that the child treats food consciously, feels its taste and understands that he has eaten.
Don’t use food to manipulate
Food is just a source of energy and strength. It should not be used as a reward or punishment. You also don’t need to show your child how important nutrition is to you. Do not praise him for eating something healthy or a few more spoonfuls. This behavior can lead to manipulation by the child. For example, begging for toys or chocolates in exchange for a plate of porridge eaten.
Start with yourself
It will not be possible to stabilize the nutrition of the child if the parents do not adhere to the rules and regulations. Therefore, try to establish proper nutrition not for a single baby, but for the whole family as a whole.
Popular questions and answers
In what cases, due to the lack of a normal appetite, you need to see a doctor?
What healthy sweets can be offered to a child?
You can eat regular sweets that do not contain trans fats. These are marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade. But in limited quantities and only after the main meal, explains nutritionist Olga Matveeva.
How to explain to a child that you can not eat only sweets?
Sources of
- Some aspects of nutrition of preschool children: the formation of food habits and their impact on health / Ukraintsev S.E. // 2009. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/nekotorye-aspekty-pitaniya-detey-doshkolnogo-vozrasta-formirovanie-pischevyh-privychek-i-ih-vliyanie-na-sostoyanie-zdorovya
- Decreased taste sensitivity as a cause of metabolic syndrome / Babkin A.P., Provolneva L.P. // 2016. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/snizhenie-vkusovoy-chuvstvitelnosti-kak-prichina-formirovaniya-metabolicheskogo-sindroma
- Basic principles for the prevention of dental caries in young children / Kiselnikova L.P., Kirillova E.V. // 2011. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/osnovnye-printsipy-profilaktiki-kariesa-zubov-u -children-rannego-vozrasta