10 Surprising Sugar Sources
It’s probably pretty clear by now that, when it comes to kids and nutrition, sugar is the enemy — one of them, at least. But what can be murky is where to find it lurking. Avoiding the obvious like candy, cakes, cookies, and sodas is seriously well and good, but what about that plate of saucy pasta you served for dinner last night? Or the yogurt drink you happily doled out at snack time? Sneaky sugars are everywhere, which might help explain how the average American kid consumes more than 20 teaspoons of sugar (or 80 grams) in a single day — five times the recommended daily allowance. And while we’re not suggesting you drive yourself batty trying to snuff out every single drop, the amount you may be unwittingly serving your kids is certainly something worth watching — especially considering that the stuff has been linked to a litany of health woes including obesity, compromised immunity, type 2 diabetes, hyperactivity, tooth decay, allergies, and digestive problems. “The problem is that it really adds up,” Melissa Halas-Liang, pediatric nutritionist and founder of SuperKidsNutrition.com, an organization that provides nutrition workshops and resources to parents and schools throughout the nation, tells Yahoo Parenting. So here are 10 sneaky sugar sources to be mindful of.
Related: 10 Natural Alternatives to Sugar: How Healthy Are They Really?
