Research about pandemic eating in children found that one in three pediatric patients was above their expected weight, a 41% increase from before the pandemic. Another reveals that two-thirds of U.S. children’s calorie intake comes from ultra-processed foods, defined as ready-to-eat foods that contain "little to no whole foods.”
The big worry here is added sugars, which are packed into pre-packaged foods. Here’s how to curb your kiddo’s sugar intake so you can avoid health issues down the road:
- Balance sugar with protein, fat, and fiber
- Know how much sugar your child is consuming.
- Read food labels thoroughly. Look out for words that end in "ose" (like glucose, dextrose, sucrose), as well as juice concentrate, syrup, honey, maple, coconut sugar and agave. It all boils down to sugar
- Talk to your child about how foods make them feel.
- Encourage your child to eat what you eat.
Source:ABC News
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