The Hidden Sugars in a Kid's Diet

There is the classical argument that fruit drinks, sodas and other sweet beverages have too much content of sugar in their bodies but a new research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows what we know before " that food choices can contribute significantly more added sugar calories to your child's diet than beverages and much of that sugar is gobbled up at home and not necessarily at day care or school (think about it, schools and day cares in a general consensus have strict lunch policies that control every single gram of calories that goes in and out of the dinning rooms.)

Many parents don't realize that when fat is taken out, sugar is put in and it is labeled low-fat, it sounds healthier than it really it is but it has more sugar content than many people realize it because this kind of foods have more than 10 grams of sugar per serving.

On Low-Fat Peanut Butter, manufacturers take out the fat, but to give it the texture and taste of regular peanut butter, they add sugar; the fat in the peanut butter that naturally occurs is healthy and beneficial for the health of the consumer, so the best it is to go with the regular item instead of anything else. If you live in Florida and you have access to a Publix supermarket the peanut butter they prepare in the supermarket it's completely made using only peanuts and nothing else, adding one point to our list of good items that you can find by a good price and are perfect for lunch.

Talking about cereals,  some of the children cereal contain more sugar than a Kit-Kat or a Twix, the problem don't lay on the colorful ones but on the selection of choosing one that contains five grams of sugar or less per serving. One trick my mother used to do when she served cereal was to add bananas with part skim milk and and to add an extra sweet flavor to the flakes she used to sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar in the bowl.

What about flavored milks as Nesquick.? The answer is quite simple, keep these goodies as an occasional treat, the best alternative it's to make your own at home and there are many of combinations you can use with Ovaltine, Carnation or Instant Breakfast, both which have additional vitamins and less sugar.

Yogurt Since milk already contains sugar thanks to lactose, added flavors can really spice the sugar quota, the best best is to buy plain or vanilla and add your own sweetness.