Sugar free dessert for kids? Why even worry about what they eat… they’re just kids! What’s the harm? Well, there’s plenty of harm.
Right from birth, babies are lured by the smell and taste of sugar. Breast milk itself is extremely sweet. For infants who are formula fed, the number one ingredient on most labels is high fructose corn syrup…essentially sugar. While sugar for infants isn’t necessarily harmful, it gives them a taste for something sweet very early in life that may lead to more powerful cravings or even sugar addictions as they grow.
WHY DO KIDS NEED SUGAR ANYWAY?
Considering sugar free dessert can help because what often happens is that sugar-filled snacks become more desirable than healthier foods with good nutrition. The baby prefers sweet-tasting food and drinks first. This causes the baby to crave more sweets to try to keep blood sugar levels from spiking then dropping, and creates a vicious cycle that is very difficult to break.
It’s gotten much harder for parents to find good food for their children that’s not filled with sugar. It’s everywhere. The use of excessive amounts of sugar is harmful to children just as it is to adults. Too much sugar can lead to obesity, hyperactivity, early onset of diabetes and sometimes even cardiovascular problems. None of these are good nor lead to a healthful life.
For these reasons, it’s extremely important for parents to encourage healthful eating habits. There are a lot of great ideas for easy sugar free dessert that taste great, yet have fewer harmful health effects.
Sugar Free Dessert For Kids…Some Tips
As a parent, you may find that it’s pretty easy to serve your child sugar free meals, but dessert is still a big problem. Developing ideas for sugar free dessert for kids will take some effort, but the pay off in improved health for your children is worth it.
If you’re wondering how or where to start, here are some helpful tips for starting this healthier way of life:
1. Sugar is everywhere…
Don’t just aim for sugar free dessert for kids, aim to reduce the amount of unhealthful sugar that your child consumes in total. If you begin reading ingredient labels, you will quickly discover that sugar is everywhere. Become an educated consumer for your child’s health.
2. Get your child involved…
You can make finding the best sugar free dessert recipes interesting for both you and your children. Get them involved in making their own desserts. It can be lots of fun. If you include them, these new desserts will be more readily accepted.
3. Sugar free dessert does not mean bad tasting…
Finding sugar free dessert for kids doesn’t mean that the taste of your child’s dessert will change for the worse, it only means that you are replacing harmful table sugar with more healthful alternatives. Since your child is helping, it’s important that they understand this so that they’re just as eager to try these new desserts as before. It’s important that you talk the change with your children in ways that they can understand. The first thing they will want to know is why sugar is bad for them. Give them examples by explaining and using diagrams.
Sugar Free Dessert For Kids…Are There Healthful Sweeteners?
Find a good sugar substitute…
Once you decide on a sugar free alternative, stick to it. Kids are sensitive to many tastes and may reject some. If you choose a healthful one and stay with it, they will get used to it and your search for delicious and quick sugar free desserts will be successful.
THE ALTERNATIVES FROM ASPARTAME TO STEVIA
Make it a family affair…
Children learn by example. They will imitate what they see older people doing. If you have a sweet tooth, your child is likely to see you enjoying sugary foods and want them as well.
It’s extremely important for parents to set a good example for healthful eating habits. Firstly, it’s a lot easier to get a child to choose a snack of carrot sticks over a cake if there are no snack cakes in the house, but more importantly, if children see parents enjoying foods with little to no sugar, they are likely to enjoy them as well. Make finding sugar free dessert for kids a family affair, with everyone in the family using alternatives.
Be Well Armed With Sugar Free Dessert For Kids
Have sugar free dessert snack alternatives ready…
Always have sugar free alternatives on hand. It makes no sense to work on reducing your children’s sugar intake and then give them sugar-laden snacks in between meals. Research shows that almost 80% of the sugars that children consume come from snacks. Think through snacks. Sugar free ice cream and cookies are available in supermarkets now.
Some great ideas for a easy sugar free desserts include fresh fruit topped with sugar-free yogurt or sugar free pudding. Bananas glazed with honey or cinnamon are another great sugar free dessert for kids. The possibilities are endless, but they do take some thought. In the summer, popsicles made out of frozen fruit juice or even frozen sugar-free applesauce are great alternatives to ice cream.
The trick is to introduce your kids to foods with low or no sugar as early in their lives as possible. When children are introduced early to healthful alternatives, they are more likely to adapt better to a good, balanced diet low in sugar.
MORE IDEAS FOR GREAT TASTING DESSERTS
Try yogurt…
If your children have no problems with dairy, yogurt is one of the healthiest foods and a great choice for a sugar free dessert. Buy it fresh and unsweetened, then add some ripe fruit or sweeten with honey. Blend the mixture of yogurt, fruit and sweetener to get a smoothie. You can also freeze yogurt into cubes that your child can enjoy later.
Yogurt is loaded with essential nutrients, good for the digestive tract and is filling enough to keep your child from snacking between meals. Pureed with fruit…its a mini-meal.
As you can see, there are many possibilities for sugar free dessert for kids. With a little creativity and by setting a good example, parents can encourage their children to make healthier eating choices and kick the sugar habit for good.
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