These were things that I already knew but were a good reminder. Why I am trying to eat healthy, I sometimes don't always fix the healthiest things for my kids.
Cereal: The vast majority of cereals that kids beg for are loaded with added sugars. A bowl of trix has more sugar than most ice cream bars. For us mixing a healthy with a "fun" cereal is a great compromise.
Juice: Most of the individually packaged juices like Capri Suna nd Sunny Delight are merely glorified sugar water. Even 100% juice drinks don't always deliver the best nurtition. The best juices are orange, cranberry or grapefruit, they contain the least sugar.
Lunch Snacks: "Fruit" snacks might as well b called gummy bears, and most granola bars are held togethe by high-fructose corn syrup. Make sure when giving a snack it is low in high-fructose syrup and less tha 10 grams of sugar. Healthy alternatives would be string cheese, peanut butter crackers, or pretzels dabbed in chocolate.
Bread: White bread in supermarkets are loaded with refined white flour and high-fructose syrup. They are both known to spike blood sugar levels and then sending our little ones on a carb crash. Start young with whole wheat grain bread and avoid the sugar high.
Vegetables: If you pass the ranch or cheeze whiz evertime your kid eats a vegetable you are loading them with saturated fat. Start at the beginning giving them vegetables with some butter or spices instead.
I have to add that finding a balance is what it is all about. Kids obviously need to eat these things once in awhile to explore their taste buds. I found it a good reminder for me.
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