On Average One Serving of Soda Contains 17 Teaspoons of Sugar- That's 34 Teaspoons in just One Can!
Why are Sugars a Health Concern for my Kids?
Sugars, like carbohydrates are needed in order for our bodies to maintain energy but too much sugar can have disasterous affects on the body. Studies done by Harvard and other respected institutions have concluded that we Americans take in in way too much sugar. High fructose corn syrup has run amuck in almost all of the processed foods we eat. This man-made sugar disables the digestive system from properly digesting other sugars that we intake when we eat causing them to spill over into the bloodstream and raising blood sugar levels. Over time these regular high peaks of sugar can cause receptors to loss their ability to function leading us down the path towards diabetes. This is not the only health concern of diets consisting of too much sugar. Weight gain and problems associated with diabetes as well as heart problems can also be linked to over consumption of sugars. It has been a well known fact that sugars increase levels of HDL, or the “bad cholesterol” that we hear causes heart disease and only recently has there been a call to Congress for change in the way processed foods advertise sugar levels in their foods.
Even if you don’t let your children drink sodas and other sugary drinks you may be surprised by how much sugar is hidden in many processed foods. Ketchups, dressings, yogurts, juices, and even bread crumbs all have sugar, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup, listed as a main ingredient. One of the problems is that sugar, like salt, hides in foods we eat and getting a clear picture of just how much sugar is in a can of soda and other foods we eat is hard to imagion.
What you can do...
Limiting sodas as well as other processed foods can help reduce the sugar intake of your child. In order to fullfull their sweet tooth cravings try instead providing them with fresh fruits and healthy alternatives to man made high fructose corn syrup. By carefully monitoring your childs intake of processed foods, including juices and other drinks with added sugar, you will be able to dramatically cut down on sugars in their diets.
For more healthy alternatives to processed foods and their high and/or hidden sugar content please see the helpful alternatives in the tips and recipe section as well as the website listed below.
Even if you don’t let your children drink sodas and other sugary drinks you may be surprised by how much sugar is hidden in many processed foods. Ketchups, dressings, yogurts, juices, and even bread crumbs all have sugar, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup, listed as a main ingredient. One of the problems is that sugar, like salt, hides in foods we eat and getting a clear picture of just how much sugar is in a can of soda and other foods we eat is hard to imagion.
What you can do...
Limiting sodas as well as other processed foods can help reduce the sugar intake of your child. In order to fullfull their sweet tooth cravings try instead providing them with fresh fruits and healthy alternatives to man made high fructose corn syrup. By carefully monitoring your childs intake of processed foods, including juices and other drinks with added sugar, you will be able to dramatically cut down on sugars in their diets.
For more healthy alternatives to processed foods and their high and/or hidden sugar content please see the helpful alternatives in the tips and recipe section as well as the website listed below.
Size up that Beverage!
JHSPH Department of Nutrition at Harvard University has come out with ratings for popular drinks to make it easier for us to size up our beverages in terms of sugar content.
Surprisingly 100% Welches grape juice, minute maid lemonade and snapple peach iced tea are all listed in the red zone alongside coca-cola. While it may be reasonable to believe sodas have high sugar content, most of us don't check the label for added sugars in our child's juice or lemonade and would never realize that a glass of Welches grape juice is as sugar loaded as that glass of pop. This is just one example of how sugars can quickly add up in our child's diet. Sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup, are not only in beverages. Start reading some of the processed food labels you have at home and you will be surprised. As mentioned above, ketchup, salad dressing, and even breadcrumbs list sugar as a main ingredient. Add all of this up for one day and the amount of sugar in your child's diet may surprise you/
For more information and to size up your beverages please visit :
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/how-sweet-is-it/index.html
and download a copy of Harvard's "how sweet is it?"
Surprisingly 100% Welches grape juice, minute maid lemonade and snapple peach iced tea are all listed in the red zone alongside coca-cola. While it may be reasonable to believe sodas have high sugar content, most of us don't check the label for added sugars in our child's juice or lemonade and would never realize that a glass of Welches grape juice is as sugar loaded as that glass of pop. This is just one example of how sugars can quickly add up in our child's diet. Sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup, are not only in beverages. Start reading some of the processed food labels you have at home and you will be surprised. As mentioned above, ketchup, salad dressing, and even breadcrumbs list sugar as a main ingredient. Add all of this up for one day and the amount of sugar in your child's diet may surprise you/
For more information and to size up your beverages please visit :
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/how-sweet-is-it/index.html
and download a copy of Harvard's "how sweet is it?"
Just a Few Facts on Sugar,
Provided by Harvard Public Health Review
Downing just one 12-ounce can of
a typical sweetened beverage daily
can add 15 pounds in a year.
• In children, one sweetened beverage
a day fuels a 60 percent increase in
the risk of obesity—and American
teenaged boys drink almost three
times that much.
• This April, an HSPH study linked
sugary drinks to increased risk of
heart disease in adults. Scientists
have long known that sugar
reduces the “good” HDL cholesterol
in the blood. Consistent with this
effect, the April study showed that
it wasn’t just weight gain that
raised heart disease risk, but sugar
itself—eating an otherwise healthy
diet or being at a healthy weight
only slightly diminished the risk.
• In 2004, the Nurses’ Health
Study found that women who had
one or more servings a day of a
sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit
punch were nearly twice as likely
to develop type 2 diabetes as those
who rarely imbibed these beverages
a typical sweetened beverage daily
can add 15 pounds in a year.
• In children, one sweetened beverage
a day fuels a 60 percent increase in
the risk of obesity—and American
teenaged boys drink almost three
times that much.
• This April, an HSPH study linked
sugary drinks to increased risk of
heart disease in adults. Scientists
have long known that sugar
reduces the “good” HDL cholesterol
in the blood. Consistent with this
effect, the April study showed that
it wasn’t just weight gain that
raised heart disease risk, but sugar
itself—eating an otherwise healthy
diet or being at a healthy weight
only slightly diminished the risk.
• In 2004, the Nurses’ Health
Study found that women who had
one or more servings a day of a
sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit
punch were nearly twice as likely
to develop type 2 diabetes as those
who rarely imbibed these beverages
Recipe for a Healthier
"Fruit Punch"
It is recomended that we drink at least 5 glasses of water a day. A fun and nutritious way to get our kids drinking more water is to make them a kiddie cocktail. This can be made with most fruits and even some vegetables that you keep around the house.
Preparation: 5 min
Pour ice cold water into a cup and add cut pieces of fruits that your child enjoys such as strawberries, melon, grapes, oranges, and berries. Allow mixture to chill in the frigerator 15-30 min.
After 15-30 min serve.
This is an easy and pretty low maintanence way to make a common glass of water more appealing to kids. The natural sugars of the fruits dissolve into the water providing a light flavor while ensuring your little one is keeping hydrated without the added sugars of sodas and processed juice drinks.
Preparation: 5 min
Pour ice cold water into a cup and add cut pieces of fruits that your child enjoys such as strawberries, melon, grapes, oranges, and berries. Allow mixture to chill in the frigerator 15-30 min.
After 15-30 min serve.
This is an easy and pretty low maintanence way to make a common glass of water more appealing to kids. The natural sugars of the fruits dissolve into the water providing a light flavor while ensuring your little one is keeping hydrated without the added sugars of sodas and processed juice drinks.
