How to Limit Your Toddler's Sugar Intake
Remove junk food from the house., Read all labels closely., Avoid prepackaged food as often as possible., Eliminate sugary drinks.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remove junk food from the house.
One way to limit the amount of sugar your toddler eats is to keep all junk food out of the house.
Your child won’t have access to them, so eventually they will be less likely to ask for them if they are not around and they don’t see them.Designate a cheat day for your toddler, where they get treats they like.
This can be a weekend day, like a Saturday, or an after dinner treat.
Let your toddler have a treat on these days so they won't feel completely deprived.
Get rid of all sugar beverages, cakes, sugar cereals, donuts, muffins, cookies, and candy from your house.
Also limit sugary items that seem like they are healthy, such as dried fruit and granola with added sugars and high fructose corn syrup.
Instead, replace all those foods with healthier options for your toddler.
Try unsweetened applesauce, fruit in natural juices with no added sugar or syrups, and animal crackers.
You should also keep fruit around. -
Step 2: Read all labels closely.
If you are trying to limit sugars, reading labels is a must.
Sugar is added to so many foods, even foods you wouldn’t suspect.
Plus, sugar comes in many different forms, such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, and cane syrup.
Look for no-sugar-added foods, and read labels to check for sugar content and if it has been added.Sugar is added to just about everything, from juice to dressings, cereal, and crackers to dried fruit.
Even if you don’t think it has sugar, read the label.
For most products, you can find a brand that has the same item that hasn’t been filled with a bunch of unnecessary sugar.
Beware of labels that say “natural,” “organic,” or something similar.
They can still have added sugars, trans fat, and other unhealthy ingredients. , It is extremely difficult to find prepackaged food that doesn’t contain sugar.
To help reduce the sugar in your family’s diet, make as much food at home as you can.For example, pasta sauces sometimes contain high amounts of sugar.
Instead of buying prepackaged sauces, make your own from scratch where you don’t add any sugar.
You can also try making your own granola, fruit strips, and sauces. , Beverages are one of the most common ways that people pack the sugar into their diet.
Soda, energy drinks, and juices are packed with sugars.
These sugary drinks have been found to increase the risk of childhood obesity.
Instead of these drinks, give your toddler water or low-fat milk.You can add no-sugar added chocolate powder to milk to make a low-sugar version of chocolate milk. -
Step 3: Avoid prepackaged food as often as possible.
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Step 4: Eliminate sugary drinks.
Detailed Guide
One way to limit the amount of sugar your toddler eats is to keep all junk food out of the house.
Your child won’t have access to them, so eventually they will be less likely to ask for them if they are not around and they don’t see them.Designate a cheat day for your toddler, where they get treats they like.
This can be a weekend day, like a Saturday, or an after dinner treat.
Let your toddler have a treat on these days so they won't feel completely deprived.
Get rid of all sugar beverages, cakes, sugar cereals, donuts, muffins, cookies, and candy from your house.
Also limit sugary items that seem like they are healthy, such as dried fruit and granola with added sugars and high fructose corn syrup.
Instead, replace all those foods with healthier options for your toddler.
Try unsweetened applesauce, fruit in natural juices with no added sugar or syrups, and animal crackers.
You should also keep fruit around.
If you are trying to limit sugars, reading labels is a must.
Sugar is added to so many foods, even foods you wouldn’t suspect.
Plus, sugar comes in many different forms, such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, sucrose, and cane syrup.
Look for no-sugar-added foods, and read labels to check for sugar content and if it has been added.Sugar is added to just about everything, from juice to dressings, cereal, and crackers to dried fruit.
Even if you don’t think it has sugar, read the label.
For most products, you can find a brand that has the same item that hasn’t been filled with a bunch of unnecessary sugar.
Beware of labels that say “natural,” “organic,” or something similar.
They can still have added sugars, trans fat, and other unhealthy ingredients. , It is extremely difficult to find prepackaged food that doesn’t contain sugar.
To help reduce the sugar in your family’s diet, make as much food at home as you can.For example, pasta sauces sometimes contain high amounts of sugar.
Instead of buying prepackaged sauces, make your own from scratch where you don’t add any sugar.
You can also try making your own granola, fruit strips, and sauces. , Beverages are one of the most common ways that people pack the sugar into their diet.
Soda, energy drinks, and juices are packed with sugars.
These sugary drinks have been found to increase the risk of childhood obesity.
Instead of these drinks, give your toddler water or low-fat milk.You can add no-sugar added chocolate powder to milk to make a low-sugar version of chocolate milk.
About the Author
Marilyn Palmer
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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