Children love to eat sweets, first read these questions and answers

The "sweet temptation" that adults can't resist, let alone children? However, in the world of nutrition, everything is about a quantity.

Q: What is added sugar?

A: Added sugar refers to sugars that are artificially added to food.

Let’s first take a look at the recommendations of authoritative institutions: the 2016 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommends: “Control the intake of added sugars, and the daily intake should not exceed 50g, preferably below 25g

The World Health Organization's 2015 "Sugar Intake in Adults and Children" states: "Reduce free sugar intake throughout the life course

Q: What are free sugars?

A: It 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 fruit juice should be controlled.

For moderately active 3-10-year-old babies, the daily intake of free sugars should not exceed 30-50g, preferably below 15-25g, based on different energy intake levels

Q: How much sugar is in sweets and beverages?

A: A little careless intake of sugar will greatly exceed the standard, snacks, yogurt, drinks.

The sugar content of beverages is generally 10-15g/100ml, and fruit juice and probiotic beverages are no exception; the amount of added sugar in various yogurts is often 7-10g/100ml; candies are basically 100% sugar; the sugar content of chocolate Also at 50-60g/100g

Snacks are also a great way for kids to consume added sugars (free sugars)

It is worth mentioning that the latest "General Rules for Nutrition Labelling of Prepackaged Foods in National Food Safety Standards" (draft for comments) in 2021 intends to include sugar content as a mandatory label (previously, sugar content was often included in the label's total carbohydrates.

Q: Are there any practical ways to avoid excess sugar intake and make children more fond of natural ingredients?

A: Try to make natural fruit desserts by yourself, and let children participate in food selection and production

Instead of buying flavored yogurt with jam, why not choose unsweetened yogurt and mix it with blueberries and strawberries? Compared with the strong flavor of fruit-flavored milk beverages in supermarkets, isn't the banana milk, mango milk made with a blender, or milk and fruit made from diced fruit more fragrant?

Studies have shown that children tend to show greater interest in food through visual and tactile stimulation.

Of course, some people may think that a life without drinks and candy is incomplete, but in fact, the key is to control the amount.

Text / Huang Yijing (registered dietitian, China's good nutrition science expert)