My 12-year-old son, drenched in sweat came running to me screaming (since it was very loud) “Mom, I am very thirsty. Can we buy something to drink?” The place was flooded with kids of every age group. Most of them jumping, running, and bouncing through the trampoline walls. Toddlers were trembling on their little trampolines giggling. Few parents were chatting, others were taking time to enjoy their “me” time on phone and laptops. I had promised my son and his friends to this famous trampoline place.
Passionate health fanatic mom and a professional….
Passionate health fanatic and a professional in me was all frizzled. First, in a place like this where kids are going to play their heads off and burn so many calories.… WE don’t need sugary drinks and if at all they were served, why more than triple the regular serving size? This happens everywhere, in this super-sized world of ours, we are feeding all wrong things in huge quantities to our kids.
Is the food we feed to our kids healthy?
It’s not only with soda, cakes, cookies, pastries but yogurts, cereals, cereal bars, flavored oatmeal - whatever we think as nutritious is loaded with sugar. Few years ago we heard about fat restriction and now we find out about this whole new controversy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html?_r=0
As a mom, you don’t care whom to blame or who did what, you need healthy nutritious options to feed your family. You must take matters in your hands and stand against malnourishing epidemic in our country. Our kids are malnourished because they are fed unhealthy non-nutritious food knowingly or unknowingly by us.
It’s not kid’s fault, they are surrounded by so many unhealthy options that taking right decision is difficult. Growing up we had less choices so our lives were comparatively easy. With smart phones and technology at the finger tips our kids are victims of wrongful marketing by these careless money-minded companies.
Few devastating Facts….
Sugary drinks make up almost half of added sugars in the average American's diet, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Let’s look at few favorites of kids:
- Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino (16oz.)- 14 tsp. added sugars
- Panera Hot Chocolate (16oz.)- 11 tsp. added sugars
- Snapple Raspberry Peach Tea (16oz.)- 12 tsp. added sugars
- Gatorade Lemon-Lime (20oz.)- 8 tsp. added sugars
- Vitamin Water (16oz.)- 6.5 tsp. added sugars
- Silk Chocolate Soymilk (8oz.)- 4 tsp. added sugar
- Caprisun (1 pouch) – 7 tsp. added sugars
- Horizon (8oz.)- 6 tsp. added sugars
- Danimals smoothie (3 oz.)- 2.5 tsp. added sugars
New recommendations from the American Heart Association designed to keep kids healthy
- Experts recommend children consume less than six teaspoons of added sugars per day.
- Children and teens should limit their intake of sugar-sweetened drinks to no more than eight ounces weekly.
- The recommendations advise that children under the age of 2 years should not consume foods or beverages with added sugars, including sugar-sweetened drinks.
Tips for caring moms.
- Reading nutritional labels carefully.
- Being extra cautious while choosing snacks and beverages especially with added sugars.
- Making sure kids consume plain simple water. (Not buying flavored vitamin water or fruit juices will help)
- Actions speaks louder than words. Be a positive role model and help your kids build healthy habits
- Encourage positive changes and healthy eating of kids by complementing genuinely.
- Finally, instead of focusing what I should feed my kids, focus on what I used to eat as a kid and what helped me.