Do children have to not eat sweets?

Rumor: Sweets are drugs and children must not eat them

Good children should avoid sweets. Sweets are bad for health and can easily cause dental caries and obesity.

Refusing rumors:

Does your baby like sweets, candies, chocolates, and drinks?

I believe the answer of many parents is yes.

The "sweet temptation" is irresistible to us adults, let alone children!

Today we will talk about whether children can eat candy? How much sugar can you eat in a day, and how to let your children eat "sweet" healthily!

To answer these questions, let us first take a look at the recommendations of authoritative organizations:

The 2016 version of the "Chinese Dietary Guidelines" recommends "control the intake of added sugars and consume No more than 50g should be added, preferably less than 25g. ”

Q: What is added sugar?

A: Added sugar refers to sugars artificially added to food. Common ones include sucrose, fructose, glucose, fructose syrup, etc.

The "Guidelines on Sugar Intake for Adults and Children" released by the World Health Organization in 2015 stated: "Reduce the intake of free sugars throughout the life course. The intake of free sugars for adults and children should be reduced. To less than 10% of the total energy intake. If it can be further reduced to less than 5% of the total energy intake, it will bring more health benefits.”

Q: What is free sugar?

A: Free sugar can be understood as added sugar + sugar in fruit juice.

That is to say, the scope of free sugar is wider, and even the sugar in freshly squeezed juice should be controlled. In other words, it is more recommended to eat fresh and complete fruits.

The added sugar intake in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents is actually calculated based on the average energy intake level of 2000kcal. 10 of 2000kcal is 200kcal. Each 1 gram of sugar provides 4kcal. Therefore, 200÷4=50g.

For babies aged 3 to 10 years old with moderate activity, the daily intake of free sugar should not exceed 30 to 50g after calculation based on different energy intake levels, and it is best to control it within Below 15~25g.

Excessive intake of added sugar (free sugar) will greatly increase the risk of dental caries, obesity, diabetes, etc.

Not only that, a latest study from Harvard University in the United States shows that regular consumption of sugary drinks may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, and even increase the risk of premature death!

Q: How much sugar is in sweets and drinks?

A: The sugar content of drinks is generally 10~15g/100ml, and fruit juices and probiotic drinks are no exception;

The amount of added sugar in various yogurts is often 7~10g /100ml;

Candy is basically 100% sugar;

The sugar content of chocolate is also 50~60g/100g.

So if you are not careful, your sugar intake will greatly exceed the standard!

It is worth mentioning that the latest General Principles for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (Draft for Comment) in 2019 intends to include sugar content as mandatory labeling content (previously, sugar content was often included in the total number of labels). carbohydrates), so it will be clearer how much extra sugar is added to packaged foods that contain natural sugars (such as lactose) or starches!

In fact, one of the ways children consume added sugar (free sugar) is through snacks.

Excessive or unreasonable snack consumption may increase the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases; while reasonable snack consumption can be a useful supplement to three meals.

The "Snack Guide for Chinese Children and Adolescents 2018" recommends: "Snacks should preferably be fruits, milk and nuts" and "no or less sugary drinks."

The "Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025)" issued by the National Health Commission in 2019 mentioned the launch of a special action on "sugar reduction":

"Integrated with the construction of a healthy campus , primary and secondary schools and kindergartens have restricted the sale of high-sugar drinks and snacks, and canteens have reduced the supply of sugary drinks and high-sugar foods.

Educate residents on healthy food choices and healthy cooking techniques, encourage companies to make ‘low-sugar’ or ‘sugar-free’ claims, and improve consumers’ ability to correctly read food nutrition labels for added sugar. ”

It can be said that “sugar control” has risen to the level of national health policy.

It is particularly important to guide children to choose snacks correctly, and this is by no means simply saying “no” to children , as a parent, you may want to ask yourself whether you provide your children with healthy alternative snacks?

Instead of buying flavored yogurt with jam, why not choose not to? Add sugar to the yogurt and mix it with some blueberries and strawberries!

Seriously, do you think the banana-flavored milk drinks in the supermarket taste good?

Me? It’s clear that the drink only has a strong flavor, why can’t you use a blender to make banana milk, mango milk, or dice the fruit to make milk and fruit juice?

Sugar only provides pure energy! , fresh fruits not only give us a sweet taste, but also provide various vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber necessary for the human body.

Research shows that through visual and tactile stimulation, children tend to be more sensitive to food. Children and adolescents are showing greater interest in food, and the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Children and Adolescents also specifically mention key recommendations such as “participating in food selection and preparation, and increasing awareness and love of food”.

So parents can try it. Children make fruit platters together, use their imagination to create novel shapes with fruits, let them fall in love with fruits and vegetables during the game, and guide them to eat a "rainbow" diet

Dietary Guidelines for Vegetables and Fruits. The recommended intake is >4 items per day and >10 items per week. Have you prepared everything for your child today?

Of course! Some people may say no drinks or candies. Life is incomplete, but the key is actually quantity control. Don’t we still have that 15~25g share? Let’s leave it to the one we love most!

References:

[1]WHO.Sugars intake for adults and children.2015

[2]Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents.2016

[3]U.S. Health Department of Public Health Services and United States Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for United States Residents 2015-2020.2015

[4]Malik VS1, Li Y2, Pan A3, et al.Long-Term Consumption of SugarSweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Mortality in US Adults. Circulation. 2019;139:0000.

[5] National Food Safety Standard General Principles for Prepackaged Food Labeling (Draft for Comment)

[6] Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Nutrition Society. Snack Guidelines for Chinese Children and Adolescents. 2018

[7] Notice from the General Office of the National Health Commission on the issuance of the Healthy Oral Action Plan (2019-2025). National Health Office Disease Control and Prevention Letter [2019] No. 118

Rumor-refuting expert: Wang Xiaochun New Century Medical Group

Review expert: Wang Zhixu, Chinese Nutrition Society Maternal and Child Nutrition Branch