How to wean a child off sweets? Let's talk about sugar. How to wean a child from eating sweets A child loves sweets very much, how to wean him
All children love sweets. This fact is beyond doubt. Thinking and responsible parents have doubts about whether sweets will harm their child. When chocolate and other treats can be considered healthy, and when they are harmful to the baby’s health, says a famous pediatrician and author of books and articles Evgeny Komarovsky.
Why do children love sweets?
Sugar, which is a soluble carbohydrate, gives chocolates, sweets, cakes and cookies an attractive taste for children. Carbohydrates are different: monosaccharides - glucose, fructose are found in sweet fruits and disaccharides - lactose and sucrose itself (the same sugar that parents are so worried about).
Any carbohydrate entering the human body, after a long chain of chemical reactions, ultimately turns into a monosaccharide - glucose. The child grows actively, moves a lot, and requires more energy than an adult. And glucose is a source of energy. In addition, the body needs glucose for the synthesis of enzymes and hormones. After eating candy, a child feels more energetic and cheerful, his mood improves, and this is not just like that. He receives additional energy, after all, he enjoys his favorite taste, and pleasure is the production of endorphins, the so-called hormones of happiness.
However, parents should understand that carbohydrates are found not only in sweets, but also in cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, and milk. Therefore, the question of where the baby will get energy from is not so clear. Parents know that the plate oatmeal Candy is healthier than candy, but porridge won’t give you the same pleasure.
So moms and dads have to “balance” between common sense considerations and the natural desire to please their child and make him happy.
Possible harm
A lack of carbohydrates harms a child no less than their excess. If you completely deprive a child of carbohydrates, his metabolism will change dramatically. There may be problems with the synthesis of enzymes and hormones. The energy reserve of a child is significantly lower than that of an adult, and the energy for growth, activity and even brain activity much more is required.
Excessive consumption of sweets, and, accordingly, carbohydrates, leads to the growth of adipose tissue, which can begin childhood obesity. If the metabolism changes in the direction of excess carbohydrates, it may develop diabetes.
Despite the fact that this opinion has been supported by doctors for decades, there is no convincing evidence of the relationship between sweetness and diabetes mellitus.
The most real harm from sweets for child's body- potential caries. The microbes that inhabit the oral cavity are very fond of glucose, become more active and begin to destroy tooth enamel. The child’s intestines also do not remain indifferent - the abundance of sweets causes fermentation processes in it, and this increases the risks of development allergic reaction.
Despite the frightening statements of numerous experts in the field of nutrition and child health, says Evgeny Komarovsky, the harm from sweets for children is significantly exaggerated. The pancreas, which responds to insulin production and carbohydrate metabolism, is much healthier and stronger in children than the pancreas in adults. Therefore, an abundance of sweets is more dangerous for mothers and fathers than for their children, although, of course, you should not abuse it.
How to give sweets to your child?
It is theoretically possible to wean off sweets, says Komarovsky, but it is not necessary. After all, in a child’s life there are enough situations when the energy needs of a growing organism increase significantly. This could be the beginning of a visit to kindergarten, and the period of exams at school, and important competitions, and preparation for a creative competition. During this period, the child spends energy at a rapid pace. The candy or cake that moms and dads buy at this moment and give to their child will definitely not do any harm.
During illness, when the baby’s temperature rises, energy costs also increase, and therefore a spoonful of jam or a piece of chocolate is also a kind of medicine. But if the child leads predominantly home image life, does not play sports, free time spends time in front of the computer or TV, it is better to limit sweets as much as possible, since carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle are incompatible, says Komarovsky.
A few words about chocolate
Proteins contained in cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made, quite often cause allergies in children. But what older child, the lower the likelihood of an allergic reaction. Evgeniy Komarovsky does not recommend giving chocolate to children under 2 years of age. And after this age, you can begin to introduce chocolate into your diet in small pieces, observing the measure. Maximum amount chocolate for a child 3 years old - no more than 25 grams.
For children, you should not choose bitter varieties of chocolate, which have a higher cocoa content; it is better to give preference to milk chocolate. Both a cocoa drink and a piece of chocolate are high-calorie foods, and therefore they should be given from a position of common sense and in accordance with the principle of energy consumption - if the child has a load (physical and mental), then you can pamper him with these delicacies, if there is no load , it is better to give compote, fruit drink, jelly.
Chocolate also promotes the production of “joy hormones”, in small quantities he won't do any harm.
In the next video, Dr. Komarovsky answers all parents' questions about sweets.
Today it is difficult to raise a child without a sweet tooth, because store shelves are full of cookies and sweets in bright packages, and the habit of “encouraging” a child with sweets is an ingrained attitude of parents and grandparents.
I'll tell you a story from personal experience. Our son discovered sweets when he was two years old. Having once received a delicious candy, Matvey became deeply addicted to sweet delicacies and from now on demanded the coveted chocolate bar as a reward for any good deeds- be it porridge eaten to the end, a story read, or toys put away.
Further more. A two-week supply of candy, hung on a Christmas tree for decoration, quietly disappeared within a few days. The papers from the “chocolate decorations” were later found behind the son’s bed. Moreover, none of the household members could understand when exactly, unnoticed by everyone, the little sweet tooth managed to gobble up all the candies? The box with homemade sweets regularly quickly emptied.
Attempts to wean a child off sugar and chocolate have failed to this day - a five-year-old with a sweet tooth does not want to understand why he should give up treats, because he has done nothing wrong. His behavior began to resemble real addiction.
What threatens a child’s addiction to sweets and how to deal with it, we decided to find out from pediatrician at children's clinic No. 3 Dmitry Tereshchenko.
- Dmitry Pavlovich, is there a dependence of children on sweets?
The need for sweets often acquires symptoms of addiction. After all, when consumed, the brain produces endorphins - special substances that cause a state of calm and tranquility. And the amino acids present in sweets also contribute to the production of the happiness hormone - serotonin.
In both children and adults, an increased need for sweets is observed during stress: consumption of sweets reduces the level of glucocorticoids - hormones produced by the adrenal glands and help the body adapt.
- How to distinguish a love for sweets from addiction?
It is worth paying attention to the child’s behavior - a dependent child, without receiving the coveted candy, becomes nervous and even aggressive. For a child 2-3 years old, it is normal to eat two candies a day; anything more is considered to be excess sugar.
- What are the dangers of a child’s excessive passion for tasty foods?
Sweets, especially in large quantities, can lead to big problems. First of all, do not forget that, in addition to sugar, chocolate marshmallows contain chemical additives, palm oil, and food coloring. Suffering from them endocrine system, the child's pancreas, teeth are destroyed.
As a result of systematic consumption of sweets, a number of chronic diseases- obesity, diabetes and allergies.
- Is it really worth completely depriving the child of treats?
It’s difficult to wean a child off sweets, and you shouldn’t deprive your baby of glucose. The main thing is the quality of the products purchased and their quantity in the child’s daily diet. You should not save on children's health. If you decide to pamper your baby with chocolate, for example, then it should be expensive. quality product, preferably designed specifically for children. You can give it to a child from the age of three, but you should not abuse it.
- What can replace harmful goodies?
The best alternative to candies and marshmallows is dried fruits. They are a concentrated source of vitamins and minerals necessary for the growth and development of a child; they can completely replace refined sugar, since some of them are sweeter than many berries and fruits.
Children can be fed dried fruits from the age of one and a half years. It is best for kids to cook compotes from dried fruits or add them crushed to porridge several times a day. However, these must be dried fruits, and not the candied dried fruits that are sold in the store.
In winter and spring, when there are few vitamins in fruits and vegetables, the inclusion of dried fruits in children's diet is especially important.
When preparing dishes, you can replace the usual beet sugar with brown sugar. It is more natural and much healthier than refined (white) because it is not subjected to long-term heat and chemical treatment.
NOTE TO MOM
Healthy sweets...
- bitter chocolate- contains vitamins B1, B2, PP, microelements - sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, as well as stimulants - theobromine and caffeine.
- Dried fruits- rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron.
- Marmalade- consists of pectin (reduces cholesterol in the blood, improves gastrointestinal tract functioning, removes toxins and radionuclides) and agar (improves liver function).
- Halva- a healthy and nutritious, although very high-calorie product.
...and unhealthy sweets
- Chocolate bars- they contain a minimum of chocolate, harmful fillers (caramel, nougat) - 1 g maximum.
- Toffees, lollipops, chewing candies- in addition to high calorie content and zero nutritional value, they damage tooth enamel.
- Caramel- a high-calorie product with zero nutritional value, which also ruins teeth.
- Waffles, cookies- have an unreasonably high calorie content and damage teeth.
A huge amount of sweets, cheesecakes, cakes and other sweets that enter a house where there is a child usually does not cause concern among parents at first. However, then the child becomes “plump”, begins to get sick, and the parents suddenly wonder what exactly they did wrong.
The doctor usually tells you that your child needs to eat less sweets. And this is when it’s too late to dream that everything will go away on its own, and you have to take decisive measures. Moreover, these measures should be both physical and psychological. After all, sweets are addictive and addictive. And it is difficult to cope with addiction with prohibition alone: some techniques are also needed that would allow one to switch attention to other values.
From a psychological point of view, sweetness is the equivalent of showing love. Moreover, love can manifest itself through sex and is replete with appropriate metaphors: lovers can call each other “sweet.” Love for a child is devoid of sexual connotations, but is also manifested through “sweet” metaphors: parents often say “you are my sweet baby.”
Therefore, when there is a lot of sweets in the house, this is a problem with love in the family: parents try to replace real feelings with their equivalent. It is in this regard that anyone whose child is overly addicted to sweets is advised to visit a psychologist to understand exactly what feelings parents are trying to replace with confectionery and why. And then think about how to wean your child off sweets and reduce the number of “ice cream cakes.”
The main thing in raising a child is to be consistent, therefore, in weaning a child off excess sweets, the whole family should adhere to the same tactics.
- A personal example is very important: you shouldn’t eat sweets in front of your baby if you don’t plan to give them to him.
- Do not place a bowl of sweets on the table at every tea party: the child should not be accustomed to the idea that sweets are an indispensable component of every meal. It does not at all follow from this sentence that sweets need to be hidden from your son or daughter. This is a counterproductive approach that creates the impression that adults are trying to deceive the child. We don't want the baby to constantly try to find hidden candies, do we? It is better to simply not have sweets at home and only occasionally buy them in small quantities.
- We must not forget that problems with excessive consumption of sweets most often arise due to misbehavior adults, so it is they, not their children, who need to change their approach. For example, move more yourself and lead an active lifestyle.
- It is completely unreasonable and harmful: when your baby is already accustomed to sweets, completely exclude them from his diet. If the child does not have serious illnesses, caused by sweets, and the pediatrician did not categorically prohibit them, one should not prohibit them, but simply reasonably limit their quantity, without creating excitement and psychological tension around the “forbidden fruit.”
- An effective solution to the problem psychological dependence Children can avoid sweets by preparing them together at home. In this case, parents can prepare only the healthiest delicacies for the baby. In addition, even when preparing traditional cakes or sweets, the benefits from them will be immeasurably greater than from store-bought ones, since the composition of the finished product will be completely under the control of the parents. And, finally, such an activity will become a useful and interesting way to spend time together. Recipes healthy sweets made from natural nuts and dried fruits can be found on vegetarian sites.
How to wean your child off sweets with the help of fairy tales
The child learns about what is harmful and what is useful from his relatives: parents, grandparents. But the baby doesn’t always really take into account what they say, even repeatedly.
In order for the baby to truly understand the information, it must find an emotional response in him. A child may be impressed by any fairy tale story associated with excessive consumption of sweets. Best effect will be achieved if this story is funny and unusual, but certainly not scary.
The use of therapeutic fairy tales is often recommended by psychologists, but it should be used carefully and carefully so that the delicate child’s psyche does not suffer. For example, you can tell a story about evil witch“Pirozhenitsa”, which replaces healthy white teeth for those with a sweet tooth with black and diseased ones... (yes, such a fairy tale is circulating on parent forums). But this sorceress must be a little ridiculous, and it should be quite easy to defeat her. Otherwise, there is a chance of getting a frightened child instead of a sweet tooth. According to psychologists, the most convincing are good fairy tales about good children. With something like this beginning: “Once upon a time there was good girl, similar to you. But she really loved candy..."
It makes sense for an inquisitive child to tell about the “hero” vitamins that live in healthy products, for example, in fresh vegetables and fruits. They make children strong, smart and beautiful.
Sweet gifts
This often happens a difficult situation when a large amount of sweets and chocolate is given to your son or daughter by loving relatives for a holiday, for example, New Year or Birthday. How to proceed? In this case, it is advisable to discuss with your child exactly how to use all the sweets so as not to cause harm to health.
From the excess amount of donated sweets and chocolates you can make very beautiful crafts and decorations: bouquets of sweets, wreaths, cars, beautiful “candy pineapples”. There are many master classes online showing how to do all this with your own hands and together with your child. Surely, the baby will enjoy such interesting joint leisure time, and the problem of extra “holiday sweets” will be solved by itself.
We are gradually eliminating problems
- Let's start with the guests: conduct educational work with them, prohibiting them from giving your child whole bags of sweets. They don't want to harm his health, do they?
- Replace the sweet cookies in the bowl with unsweetened crackers, and replace the sweets with your daily tea with dried fruits.
- Come up with a schedule according to which your child will receive sweets. There are two possible ways here. The first is advisable if it is customary in the family to consume sweets daily. In this case, you should agree with your child on how many candies he will receive per day. Let’s say a child can have one piece of candy or marmalade a day. This means that if it has already been eaten today, we should talk about the fact that he will receive the next one tomorrow, and tomorrow will come when the night has passed... and so on.
There is another approach. Today in many European countries so-called “sweet days” are practiced; they are usually held once a week. That is, for six days there is simply no sweets in the house, but on sweet days they are allowed. And the baby can choose in the store what kind of sweet he wants to eat that day. Both approaches are very effective and allow short term reduce problems with sweets to a minimum, provided that parents consistently adhere to the chosen strategy, without getting irritated and without following their daughter or son’s lead.
Weaning a child off excess sweets is impossible without developing general culture nutrition. It is necessary to develop a taste for a variety of healthy dishes, teach that tasty is not only sweetness, but also many other healthy and properly prepared foods.
Let's summarize. If a child has a sweet tooth, how should adults behave?
- Do not set an undesirable example by overindulging in sweets during any meal.
- Do not place sweets in the public domain so as not to tempt your child with them. It is advisable to replace the bowl of sweets on the table with a bowl of fruit.
- Find out why your child has an increased craving for sweets and try to solve these problems. Remember that problems may lie: in the psychological sphere: for example, increased anxiety a child, which candy helps him eliminate; in the educational sphere: for example, excessive use of sweets by adults as a reward for the child’s good behavior; and physiological: lack of elements in the diet such as chromium or manganese.
- Do not over-sweeten your child's food. Additional sugar is not required either in baby porridge, or in baby kefir or compote.
- You should not completely exclude sweets from your diet. baby food, you just need to limit their use, choosing the most useful ones. Glucose, which the body receives from sweets, is necessary for the proper functioning of the child’s brain. We must remember that a childhood completely devoid of sweets cannot be considered completely happy. Chocolate will certainly please the child, and positive emotions are also very important for harmonious development.
Almost all children love sweets very much. And all adults know that it is better to limit its quantity for children. We would be happy, but when the baby starts to act up, sometimes it’s easier to pay off. And then at the appointment we are scolded by a dentist, an allergist or an ophthalmologist... How can we competently organize the relationship between a child and sweets so that they do not develop into a harmful addiction that lasts for years and do not harm children’s health?
First, let's turn to science and talk about biological role carbohydrates in people's lives, because sweets are primarily carbohydrates. Namely, they are the simplest source of energy for humans. Carbohydrates provide fuel for muscles and nervous system, that is, in fact, the body cannot fully function without their use. And that's why we will always want sweets. Both adults and children. There is nothing criminal in this desire, it is a normal basic need of the body. However, if you know the mechanism of how carbohydrates work, you can direct the nutrition of the child and parents in a healthy direction by reducing the amount of sweets in the diet of the whole family.
Let's get down to science
Carbohydrates are divided into two groups.
The body processes “simple” carbohydrates into energy quite quickly and completely, because they do not require additional breakdown and are simple chemical compounds. These are glucose (grape sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), lactose ( milk sugar) etc. These compounds can be found in confectionery products, candies, candies, soda, and fruits.
So-called “complex” carbohydrates take much longer to be absorbed by the body, because they are more complex compounds and need to be broken down into simpler ones. Complex carbohydrates can be found in foods such as cereals, pasta and bakery products.
This is a very approximate division, without going into depth chemical formulas, mechanical and biochemical digestion and absorption useful substances in organism. But it is accessible to everyone who is far from such a science as nutritionology.
Probably no one will argue that buckwheat saturates the body for a longer period of time than a cake, after which you will soon want to eat again. That is, a “complex” carbohydrate gives us a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time than a “simple” one. If you don’t believe me, we recommend experimenting and assessing how soon you want to eat. After dessert or after a plate of pasta?
When talking about children and their desire to eat sweets, it is important to remember that a growing body needs a lot of energy to accomplish feats during the day. Therefore, at the moment of demanding sweets, ask yourself the question: “Isn’t the child hungry? When was the last time he received the energy he needed so much?”
Health to your children! Remember proper organization nutrition solves many problems even before they appear.
1 Make sure that sweets do not replace full meals. It's not scary to eat cake, but it's not very good when eaten for breakfast. This starts the mechanism of rapid “burnout” simple carbohydrates followed by the immediate need to “refuel”. What do you think the child will prefer to eat after this: porridge or sweets?
2 Please note that sweets eaten half an hour before soup reduce your appetite during a full meal. And it starts the process described in the first paragraph.
3 Do not establish a connection between sweets and emotions in your child. The baby is crying, and you give him candy to console him. Time will pass, and the child will have a clear attitude: if I feel bad, I need to eat sweets, and it will feel better. This is how we increase the amount of sweets per day and create an addiction that can develop into a problem. excess weight. And then diets and food restrictions will come into play to help resolve the emerging problem. But at the very beginning there was just a natural mother’s impulse - to console her beloved baby...
4 Variety of tastes in food and food itself. Sweet is just one of 5 basic tastes: spicy, sour, salty, sweet, umami (translated from Chinese as “pleasant taste”, created by monosodium glutamate and some amino acids). Often a young mother, having heard the recommendation to give her child cottage cheese for an afternoon snack, begins to do this every day. Zucchini will be a stable dinner, and oatmeal will be a breakfast. But eating the same thing every day is boring! Sweet, as one of the basic tastes, adds significant variety to an already boring diet, which is why it is so popular with children. Here's another key to possible behavior sweet tooth. So don’t forget about the variety of flavors and their combinations at children's table!
5 Sweets are not bad. A strict ban only fuels increased interest. No one has ever died from ice cream and sweets if they were consumed along with a varied and nutritious diet and, of course, in reasonable doses.
Photo: Legion-Media, ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru
We all know that eating a lot of sweets is harmful. Remember how your mother said as a child: “Don’t eat too much sweets, you’ll ruin your teeth.” Having become parents, we remember our mother’s instructions and try to protect our child from excessive sugar consumption. How to do this, where to start? For this question, we turned to a nutritionist, therapist Natalia Sycheva.
— Natalya, please tell us what the situation is with sugar consumption among children in the Kirov region?
— 6 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children have been identified to date.* This figure horrifies any doctor, because just a few years ago, type 2 diabetes mellitus was considered exclusively a disease of adulthood.
— The statistics, of course, are disappointing. Tell us how to eat properly, how much sugar can be consumed per day, what restrictions exist?
— First of all, we must pay attention to the diet of our children. First, let's look at the daily sugar norms.
Sugar standards per day in children's diets:
- 1-3 years - 37 grams
- 3-7 years - 47 grams
- 7-10 years - 40 grams
- 11-18 years old - 45 grams
This is not only the sugar that is on the table, but all the sugar from the industrial products used.
Does 37-42 grams seem like a lot? For example, we take imported yogurt, not classic, but with different flavors. 8.5 grams of sucrose per 100 grams. The bottle contains 200 grams. 17 grams of sugar per intake. Once and done!
Any cookies. Let's look at the composition. We take into account that it is made from white flour, so we equate the carbohydrates from it to sugar too. Per 100 grams 20-30 grams of sugar. Let's take some more juice. A glass of juice contains on average 16-24 grams of sugar. Yes Yes!
Total! According to a conservative estimate of the most common foods containing sugar, we have already accumulated at least 53 grams of sugar.
Sugar is in porridge, sauces, fruits, milk, sweets... it's everywhere. Ready-made breakfasts, cereals, granola, muesli are also included tightly in children's diet in many families. Carb bomb in the morning!
The danger is that in the box with the inscription " healthy breakfast"up to 7-9 spoons of sugar per cup! Sugar is hidden in so-called “corn syrup” or “fructose syrup,” a type of refined sugar that is ten times sweeter than sugar! Just for fun, count how much your child eats per day.
1 teaspoon of sugar is 5 grams of sugar.
- Milk chocolate (44 g) - 5.75 teaspoons sugar
- Snickers (bar, 57 g) - 7 teaspoons sugar
- Marshmallow (100 g) - 14.5 teaspoons sugar
- Caramel (10 g) - 1.7 teaspoons sugar
- Chocolate Peanut Finger (60g) – 6.9 teaspoons sugar
- Dove chocolate (37 g) - 5 teaspoons sugar
- Twix - 2.75 teaspoons sugar
- M&Ms (45 g bag) - 5.75 teaspoons sugar
- Pack of lollipops (100 g) - 11.5 teaspoons sugar
- Carrot cake (1 medium slice) - 3 teaspoons sugar
- Custard (1 medium slice) - 3.25 teaspoons sugar
- Chocolate mousse (1 medium slice) - 3 teaspoons sugar
- Jam donut - 3.5 teaspoons sugar
- Fruit pie (1 medium piece) - 3.5 teaspoons sugar
- Fruit cake (1 medium piece) - 5 teaspoons sugar
- Chocolate cupcake - 4.75 teaspoons sugar
A child's very fragile pancreas will secrete tons of insulin for such a huge amount of sugar. And it will eventually break down. Take care of your children! Only by your example can you show that joy is not in candy!
Now our children are surrounded by so many ready-made products with sugar, they are available. If there is a belief that the child needs extra sugar (the one on the table) for brain function. Yes, glucose is important for feeding the brain; a child can get it from cereals and fruits. It has also been proven today that it is more important for the brain to receive good fats from nuts, fish. It is important to know that excess sugar in the diet increases hyperactivity syndrome in children. restless legs, headaches, frequent colds, and in some people it causes the syndrome chronic fatigue. Sometimes we scold our children for not paying attention at school, but we are inattentive to their diet. Empty calories that fill a person up lead to a lack of nutrients, especially B vitamins and magnesium. B vitamins and magnesium have a relaxing effect on the body's systems, and their deficiency increases anxiety and stress reactions. Anxiety and stress are consumed with sugar. Which aggravates the lack of B vitamins and magnesium. Here is your first vicious circle. Sugar replaces chromium. Lack of chromium leads to cravings for sweets. Sugar withdrawal again. And here is the second vicious circle. — How to wean a child off sweets? — A properly selected diet will help significantly reduce cravings for sweets. But children cannot be directly restricted. The ban will lead to even greater cravings for sweets. Rid your kitchen of large quantity sweets, ideally not to buy or stock up on them at all. Often adults buy sweets for themselves under the pretext “I’m for the children.” It is advisable to introduce such a tradition as a “sweet day” once a week. Only gradual work on restructuring the family’s diet will help change the situation. Without restrictions, but with a profitable choice! — Offer children a new type of sweets: We thank Natalia for such comprehensive answers. We would like to add on our own behalf: do not forget about healthy snacks during the day, these could be: nuts, slices of fruit, natural yogurt, whole grain crackers, carrot slices with peanut butter. Take care of your children, yourself and your family!