WEANING KIDS OFF SUGAR: HEALTHY FOOD SWAPS WITH LUKE COUTINHO

Luke Coutinho is an award-winning holistic lifestyle coach and author specialising in nutrition and lifestyle medicine. Here, he lends his expertise and recipe ideas to help you swap your child's sugary treats for healthy alternatives.

Sugar and processed foods have existed for a long time. Most of us grew up consuming sugar in our tea, in homemade treats, on special occasions etc. and we remained relatively healthy with it in our diets. The difference today is that the amount of sugar in children's diets has dramatically risen, with many kids consuming it every day. Combined with the high level of sugar hidden in 'normal' products and the modern convenience of (sugar-laden!) shop-bought food, most kids could benefit from actively reducing their intake.

HIDDEN SUGARS

Sugar lurks in many everyday products and is found in many forms. We drink our sugar in energy drinks, fruit drinks, juice from concentrate, soft drinks and sweetened coffee or teas. We also eat our sugar through snacks. There are some well-known ones to limit, like brownies, cookies, doughnuts and ice cream, but you can also find large quantities of sugar hidden in products like bread, salad dressing, granola bars...even fat-free yogurt!

Advertising gimmicks

It's so important to be mindful of advertising gimmicks when it comes to food choices. Fatfree' doesn't mean 'sugar-free' and even 'sugarfree' doesn't mean 'healthy' because although it may not have sugar, it does have artificial sweeteners which many nutritionists consider just as harmful.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUGAR

Sugar compromises children's immune system and is highly inflammatory in nature, making kids susceptible to a variety of diseases. It can also affect them more immediately in other ways, like mood swings, allergies, difficulty concentrating at school, hyperactivity and feelings of sadness, irritability and low motivation.

BREAKING THE HABIT