How to Cut Sugar Out of Your Child's Breakfast
Wean children off of high-sugar breakfast cereals., Reduce your child’s consumption of sugary spreads and jams., Avoid sugary yogurts.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Wean children off of high-sugar breakfast cereals.
These types of cereals have one of the highest sugar contents of all common breakfast foods for children.
Not only will these sugar-rich breakfast foods give the child little substantial nutrition, they will soon give the child a sugar rush and then leave the child with little energy until their next meal.
Work on removing these high-sugar offenders from your child’s diet.High-sugar cereals include nearly all brightly colored, popular children’s cereals:
Trix, Fruit Loops, Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes, and Apple Jacks, among many others.
Cereal bars—often used as a quick breakfast during a rushed morning—can be very high in sugar as well, and should not be served to children as a standard breakfast item. -
Step 2: Reduce your child’s consumption of sugary spreads and jams.
Although these may not be as conspicuously sugary as breakfast cereals, a large amount of children’s breakfast sugar intake comes from spreads and jams.
Non-fruit-based spreads like Nutella are high in sugar, but even many fruit-based spreads have added sugar.
When purchasing a jelly or jam, look to see if it’s flavored with natural or artificial ingredients, and avoid spreads that have had sugar added.If children still want jelly or a fruit-based spread on their morning toast or bagel, look for one that contains chunks of actual fruit, as this will at least provide some vitamins and fiber. , Yogurts—especially those marketed to children—tend to have high sugar contents.
Even yogurts which are marked “healthy” on their label can still contain high amounts of sugar.
While certain yogurts may be marked “low-fat” (probably indicating that they’re made with low-fat milk) this means nothing about the sugar content.
Low-fat yogurts can still be quite high in sugar.If you’d still like to serve your child yogurt, or your child requests yogurt for breakfast, make sure that they’re eating a low-sugar yogurt.
It’s better still if children eat yogurt with granola or fruit mixed in, as this will give them fiber and vitamins. -
Step 3: Avoid sugary yogurts.
Detailed Guide
These types of cereals have one of the highest sugar contents of all common breakfast foods for children.
Not only will these sugar-rich breakfast foods give the child little substantial nutrition, they will soon give the child a sugar rush and then leave the child with little energy until their next meal.
Work on removing these high-sugar offenders from your child’s diet.High-sugar cereals include nearly all brightly colored, popular children’s cereals:
Trix, Fruit Loops, Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes, and Apple Jacks, among many others.
Cereal bars—often used as a quick breakfast during a rushed morning—can be very high in sugar as well, and should not be served to children as a standard breakfast item.
Although these may not be as conspicuously sugary as breakfast cereals, a large amount of children’s breakfast sugar intake comes from spreads and jams.
Non-fruit-based spreads like Nutella are high in sugar, but even many fruit-based spreads have added sugar.
When purchasing a jelly or jam, look to see if it’s flavored with natural or artificial ingredients, and avoid spreads that have had sugar added.If children still want jelly or a fruit-based spread on their morning toast or bagel, look for one that contains chunks of actual fruit, as this will at least provide some vitamins and fiber. , Yogurts—especially those marketed to children—tend to have high sugar contents.
Even yogurts which are marked “healthy” on their label can still contain high amounts of sugar.
While certain yogurts may be marked “low-fat” (probably indicating that they’re made with low-fat milk) this means nothing about the sugar content.
Low-fat yogurts can still be quite high in sugar.If you’d still like to serve your child yogurt, or your child requests yogurt for breakfast, make sure that they’re eating a low-sugar yogurt.
It’s better still if children eat yogurt with granola or fruit mixed in, as this will give them fiber and vitamins.
About the Author
Ann Simmons
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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