Sugar is not always bad for child development, as long as parents know the limits & bull; hello healthy

Sweet or sugar-containing foods are often viewed as bad by many people, because they are said to make you fat and diabetes. That's why many parents forbid their children to eat sweet foods, to the point of choosing sugar-free products for them. In fact, sugar does not always have a negative impact on children. The human body basically needs sugar for energy. Your job as a parent is only to limit your child's intake so that you don't overdo it. Indeed, what are the benefits of sugar intake for children, and what is the safe limit for sugar for children?

Overview of the function of sugar in the body

Sugar or carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the body. Without enough sugar, the body will use fat or protein as energy. And, this is certainly not good, it can disturb the metabolic balance in the body. So however, you as a parent still need to provide sugar for children. Sugar still needs to be consumed by children, but also pay attention to the amount.

Sugar that enters the body will be directly used by the body and some are stored by the body as energy reserves. Sugar is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Glycogen will be used if needed by the body. For example, when the blood sugar reserves are low in the body, glycogen will be used as an energy source by the brain.

Not only that, sugar can also be converted into amino acids or fatty acids. This depends on the needs of your body. For example, if the sugar needs are fulfilled, the excess sugar in the body can be converted into fatty acids so that they can be stored in fatty tissue. Excess sugar is also used to break down amino acids according to the body's needs.

Parents must be wiser in choosing sources of sugar for children

Indeed, sugar is needed by the body as a source of energy, but most sugar consumption is also not good for children. Too much consumption of sugar or sweet foods can cause children to become obese. This is because sugary foods tend to be high in calories and low in nutrients. Besides being able to cause obesity, consuming too often sweet or sugar foods can also cause cavities in children.

For that, you need to choose the right source of sugar for your child. This helps meet their energy needs and prevents weight gain and cavities in children. Then, what sources of sugar are good for children?

Choose brown sugar or honey over white sugar to sweeten your child's food. This is because brown sugar and honey contain nutrients in addition to calories. Meanwhile, white sugar only contains calories without nutrients. Brown sugar contains chlorine, iron, potassium, sodium. While honey contains several vitamins and minerals, including iron.
Provide fruit instead of sweet cakes or sweet biscuits for a child's snack. Fruit can be a good source of sugar for children. Plus, fruit also contains many vitamins and minerals that children need.
Only provide sweet foods that your child likes on certain occasions, not every day. For example, only giving chocolate, candy, donuts, or other sweet foods on holidays. This is done so that children do not get used to eating lots of sweet foods.

Restrictions on adding sugar to children's meals

Reporting from Live Science, the American Heart Association recommends that children aged 2-18 years consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar or 25 grams per day. This amount is equivalent to 100 calories.

For children under 2 years of age, the American Heart Association recommends that they do not give them added sugar. Added sugar in the diet of children under 2 years of age can make children "addicted" to sugar. You may want to add fruit instead of sugar to sweeten your child's diet.

Not only on food, restrictions on added sugar should also be done on drinks. Children 2-18 years of age should limit their consumption of sugary drinks to no more than one glass or 240 ml per week, based on American Heart Association recommendations. The sweet drinks referred to here are soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet tea, and bottled juices.