No, I don’t give sugar to my son. And here is why

I am now entering the second year of motherhood. As you see, I celebrate my motherhood anniversaries together with my son’s birthday. It makes sense, as I feel like I was reborn on the same day he came to this world. In these past 21 months, I’ve learned that caring for your child can be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to nutrition. While I am trying my best to be the perfect mom (knowing that this is impossible, but I try anyway), I also have to deal with the opinions of others - from family to friends to doctors. 

While most people will be very strict and tell me to avoid everything that could pose even the smallest threat, others condemn the way I may be too strict with Sam, mainly when it comes to sugar. 

Everybody agrees that kids need to eat vegetables and fruits to grow strong. And we mostly disagree on the need for animal protein and dairy - I could list 1000 reasons why kids don’t need one or the other, but I feel like this is a topic for another article. However, the thing that drives me nuts is when people try to convince me that a little bit of sugar won’t harm. Here is where I draw the line, because, yes it will harm, and I don’t want my boy to be harmed.

Why am so strict when it comes to sugar?

Even before the baby is born, sugar can impact its development. The amount of sugar the mother consumes can be fed to the baby even in the uterus. This can impact the growth of the fetus - many of which are born too big for their gestational age because of this. It also impacts the taste the baby will develop for solids. If you eat too much sugar during pregnancy, chances are that your baby will prefer sugary treats and to vegetables. 

Sugar also changes the flavor of breastmilk, making our milk sweeter. Since breastmilk is the only food breastfed babies taste when they are born, their palate will get used to that sweet flavor. And guess what, that can also impact their preferences for food in the future. 

But those are not the worst issues. Sugar exposure in early infancy is associated with attention disorders, ADHD, autism, asthma, food allergies, obesity and poor IQ, and many other issues. Even a small amount can impact the baby's development.

Learn and intellectual impacts


Too much sugar can impact memory retention by affecting the brain’s synaptic activity. Although it may be tempting to send a candy bar or sweets as school snacks, a fruit or homemade granola bar would be better choices. 

In addition, one study from UCLA concluded that rats on a high-sugar diet had lower learning and cognitive skills. That is because sugar disrupts the neurotransmitters pathways in the brain. They affirmed that sugar consumption “over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information.” 

If that wasn’t enough, sugar can cause anxiety and depression. Kids already go through a lot since they are born - can you imagine how scary and stressful it can be to learn pretty much everything that is involved with being a human in this world? Everything is new to babies and toddlers. The last thing they need is a substance that will mess up with their hormones and stress responses - and that is exactly what sugar does. Consuming too much sugar makes the brain releases serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for controlling our mood and emotions. Too much sugar can actually deplete serotonin reserves, leading to feelings of anxiety and depression. 

Health issues

Other health issues are diabetes, obesity, asthma, and food allergies. Sugar spikes blood sugar levels telling the body to release insulin. When these spikes happen constantly it leads to insulin resistance and thereafter diabetes. As kids are more exposed to sugary and processed foods, no wonder there are many more diabetic kids (even babies) now than in our grandparents' time.

Blood sugar levels associated with high-processed foods packed with saturated and trans fats also collaborate to the onset of weight gain, obesity, and cardiovascular problems in kids of very young age.

Adding to the list, sugar depletes the immune system increasing the chance of developing asthma and food allergies.


Hidden sugars

It took me a while to figure out how to completely avoid the sugar in many so-called ‘healthy foods’. Grocery stores are loaded with items that are deemed to be healthy and sugar-free but are actually packed with hidden sugars. So you need to learn to read the labels. The sugar-free sticker in the front of the packaging doesn’t mean anything, because most of the time it only means it doesn't have white sugar added to it. Here are some examples of other sugars that should be avoided: 

  • Brown-sugar

  • Coconut-sugar

  • Agave syrup or Maple syrup

  • Corn syrup

  • Honey

  • Aspartame

  • Saccharin 

  • Sucralose

  • Acesulfame K

Some items are sweetened with stevia, xylitol, or dates. I would prefer these ones, but would still only offer small amounts and only to kids over 18 months. Avoid these sugary treats altogether if your baby is under 18 months as you don’t want to interfere with his developing taste buds.

Alternative sugar-free treats to try

For more snack ideas for your little ones download the ebook Foods to take to school and daycare’ and don’t forget to register for the upcoming webinar. Just click the banner below!

Last thoughts

I know it feels overwhelming sometimes. There is always something that we need to pay attention to, change or avoid, especially when it comes to our children’s nutrition. Rest assured you are not alone, many parents out there (including myself) feel like that. The good thing about not being alone is that you can rely on other parents' experiences to help you navigate this ocean of information. And when you need extra help, myself and other fellow nutritionists are here to guide you and offer professional advice, so you can make the best choices for yourself and your family. After all, you have so much going on in your life, it is hard to also keep track of what is or is not a healthy diet and I get that :)

If you feel like you need some help figuring out your family’s meals, come chat. I am sure we can find out an easy and fun way to make meal prepping an easy and healthy process for you! 


You can book your FREE consultation here.

References

https://www.strong4life.com/en/feeding-and-nutrition/meal-planning-and-prep/why-added-sugar-should-be-avoided-before-age-2

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/15/health/dietary-advisory-guidelines-infants-wellness/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/dietary-guidelines-urge-no-added-sugar-babies-toddlers-under-age-n1252501

The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine - third edition, Michael T Murray, N.D, & Joseph Pizzorno, ND, pages 340 - 348

Optimum Nutrition for the Mind, Patrick Holford, pages 87 and 302

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sugar-how-bad-are-sweets-for-your-kids/

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133757/

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