Halloween is here, the day children get the chance to enjoy their sugar rushes of all color, shape and taste but the aftermath hurts the most, excessive sugar intake on the short term leaves you with hyper-hyperactive children (consider it a warning, no parent can handle that!)
What parents should be more concerned about is the long term effects that follow recurrent intake of sugar.
,- Sugar gives your children the feeling of being full which stops them from having an appetite to other vital nutrients like proteins, vitamins and minerals.
- Tooth decay is majorly caused by the consumption of sugar. Make sure you teach your kids to rinse their mouths with water after eating dessert or sugary snacks and habituate them from a very young age to thoroughly brush their teeth at least twice a day (morning and night).
- Heavy intake of sugar is also a major cause of obesity, especially in children.
- And as a consequence, obesity is directly linked to diabetes (a metabolically related disease in which the body is incapable of producing little or even in some cases no insulin causing elevated levels of glucose in the blood)
- With time, sugar will eventually make your child more susceptible to contracting bacteria and numerous diseases and by doing so decreases your child’s immunity. And that is due to the fact that the intake of sugar causes an imbalance of the levels of good vs bad gut bacteria.
“What should we do then?” is the No. 1 question asked by almost all parents concerned of their children’s well-being and health. And this is why, we have come up with a very short, yet concise list of the measures parents should be taking to reduce sugar intake and by doing so promoting better health.
- Fruits, vegetables and dairy products are rich in carbohydrates that are just sufficient for the body’s need of sugar;
- Reduce your child’s intake of sugary-beverages and so called “freshly squeezed juice” and instead make your child a homemade fresh smoothie (the Internet is your best friend);
- Limit the number of times your child eats sweets during the day to one time by including in their diet some alternative sugary snacks like fruits;
- Most importantly, don’t force drastic changes on your child, take it slow, step by step and do so by educating them about healthy alternatives and habits of proper eating.
PS: It’s Halloween, don’t forbid your children from having sweets (they will hate you forever), instead teach them when enough is enough, this will be a great way to build good habits.
Our weekly installment from eTobb’s blog featuring health tips, medical information and valuable advice from medical professionals. For previous posts click here .