cutting down sugar in children's diets

Cutting Down Suga

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CHILDREN'SDIETS

The Food and DrugAdministration advises allAmericans ages 3 and upto consume fewer than12 teaspoons of addedsugar a day.

GOOD HABITSSHOULD BEINSTILLED EARLYIN LIFE.

CHECKTHE LABEL

ALWAYS

About half of all sugar consumed byAmericans comes from sweetened drinks. Forchildren, this sugar typically comes from soda,juice and sports drinks. While you may alreadyknow to consider soda a treat for specialoccasions, it is also important to check thesugar content in the juice or sports drinks yourchild may consume more often. Opt for sugar-free or low-sugar options or encourage yourchild to consume mostly water and milk.

Always check the label for sugarcontent in your children's drinks.

HEALTHYALTERNATIVES

FIND

You probably give your child a snack a fewtimes a day. But are you monitoring whatyou're administering? Instead of fatty, sugaryfoods, try healthy alternatives like appleslices and other fruits, veggie sticks andcheese.

Replace high-sugar snacks withhealthy alternatives.

SMARTERMEALS

PREPARE

On-the-go families have a tendency to eatconveniently. Unfortunately, eatingconveniently also often means eating foodsthat are pumped with sugar. To avoid this, tryto prepare home cooked meals in advanceso that you can just throw them in the ovenfor convenience on those busy days.

Prepare smarter, healthy meals

BE A GOODEXAMPLE

AS A PARENT,

If your child sees you chugging down soda andeating candy all the time, they'll want to do ittoo - so be a good example and be sure thatyou talk to your child about how it's importantthat candy and other high-sugar foods anddrinks are best consumed in moderation. Don'tjust focus on what not to eat, but why it'simportant to eat certain healthy foods as well.You can even practice healthy eatingtogether.

Set a good example for yourchildren

For more information about helping yourchild cut down their sugar intake or forinformation about childhood dentistry

contact Richard C. Caven, D.M.D. today at(904) 645-3366

-or-www.cavendental.com