“Sugar, the Silent Ingredient” by Emmie Olivas, RD, CDE
Increasing Number of Obese and Overweight Children
Have you ever wondered why obesity is becoming an epidemic? Even worse, our future generation (our children) are the first generation that has been said to have a shorter lifespan due to poor health. If you agree with me, there is something wrong with this picture. Children are not supposed to have to worry about weight, bullying, and diets at such a young age. The culprit…added sugar in our diet in convenience foods.
Obesity, now affects 17% of children, triple the rate from one generation ago. One of the number one most important things you can do for your child, is to be educated about nutrition so you can raise a healthy child.
Finding the Silent Ingredient
You may or may not be aware of what to pay attention to when reading a food label. If the first ingredient lists sugar, then that food items main ingredient is sugar. Our society has become so accustomed to the taste of sugar, that it is added into almost everything.
Sugar has many disguises, careful reading of food labels are necessary to know how much added sugar you are getting. Some times, it may sound “healthy,” but still is sugar. It may be listed as honey, rice syrup, cane sugar, or fruit juice concentrate. Fruit juice concentrate means, very little remains, but the sugar. If you see the words, syrup, sweetener, or anything that ends in “ose,” it probably means sugar. Here is a list that includes most ingredients that would indicate sugar was added. Agave nectar, barley malt syrup, beet sugar, brown rice syrup, can crystals, can sugar, coconut sugar, corn sweetener, coconut palm sugar, corn syrup, dehydrated cane juice, dextrin, dextrose, evaporate can juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, malt syrup, molasses, palm sugar, raw sugar, rice syrup, saccharose, sorghum, sucrose, syrup, treacle, turbinado sugar, xylose. In the end, your body doesn’t care about where it came from, it still has the same effect on the body.
High Sugar Diets Cause Long-Term Problems
There are many long-term consequences of having a diet high in sugar. There is a greater risk for cavities, obesity, and heart disease. It is also very hard to change food habits after they are established in childhood. For younger kids, the average amount of sugar is 14-17 teaspoons per day, and for older kids had as much as 27 teaspoons per day! The higher the diet was in sugar, the less likely they were to consume healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Take Charge of Your Children’s Health
There are many things you can do to grow a healthy, happy child and it all starts at home. There are also many issues with cafeteria food in schools, such as, soda, juice, fries, hamburgers, etc…so your best bet is to send your child to school with a packed lunch, and make sure you are choosing healthy choices at the grocery store. Remember, you are the one that controls what goes into your panty, not your child.
Schedule Your Nutrition Consultation Today
As a special promotion, I will be offering 15 minute FREE nutrition consultations over the phone by appointment. I specialize in programs that are customized to fit families needs, that will provide nutrition and delicious options that your kids won’t refuse. If you are interested, send an email to email@example.com to schedule your appointment. Put in the subject line, free nutrition consultation. Make sure you also include your contact information.
Emmie Olivas, RD, CDE
Email firstname.lastname@example.org for your Free Nutrition Consultation today!