Healthy Toddler Eating
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Artificial Sweeteners
Given the skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity, you’d think giving kids calorie-free sugar substitutes would be a good thing, right? Not so much. “The amount of added sweetness—real or artificial—in foods and beverages has gone up dramatically, and it’s changing our tastes overall, causing us to crave and overeat sugar,” says Greene. Indeed, studies have found that drinking diet soda is associated with weight gain, even among children. Some artificial sweeteners have also been implicated—and then vindicated—in a variety of health problems, most prominently cancer.
Should you worry? Probably. “While no hard-and-fast data shows a link between saccharin, aspartame or sucralose and disease in humans, there is suspicion fueled by animal studies,” says Natterson. Plus, fake sugar doesn’t necessarily help curb obesity—and may even be contributing to it.
What can you do? Stick with natural sweeteners—white sugar or honey, for example—and allow children to enjoy them in moderation. “A home-baked cookie made with real sugar is a lot healthier than high-volume consumption of artificially sweetened treats,” Natterson notes.
NEXT: Caffeine
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Comment by Becky on Sep 29 2011 01:12:59:
The info about soy is WAY off. You can hardly even find soy products in the stores that are made with genetically modified soybeans these days. Almost every soy product out there has a statement right on the front of the package that says “made with soybeans that are NOT genetically modified”. This is all a joke…soy is good for you…lets be concerned about bigger issues here…
Comment by Pam on Oct 03 2011 04:45:01:
What I am seeing more often are parents giving their young children adult food prematurely. For one thing, babies do not have the digestion adults have nor the teeth! It’s too easy to just buy regular food as if a baby doesn’t live in the house–before you know it they are starting life already stuck in the SAD (standard American diet) on their way to allergies, constipation, bad teeth, elevated cholesterol and a host of other ills that could have been prevented. Parents…don’t rush your children’s growing process! They need to be in their various steps of growth for a reason! Be sure they are getting adequate fruit and veg daily and plenty of healthy liquids, primarily pure water. Before you know it, they will be grown up so enjoy the process with them and help them start out healthy!
Comment by Muluwo on Jan 31 2012 09:55:27:
In rnoespse to the question as to why some Drs have you fast and others don’t (I work in a lab and administer these all the time) One test is a “post prandial” as we call it a challenge test, it is a preliminary test that if you are beyond the reference range THEN you do the fasting 2 or 3 hour test. I just did my challenge test yesterday. Awaiting the results with fingers crossed.