Sometimes it's difficult to determine the
truth about food. TV and magazines tantalize
consumers with images of tasty, sugary foods.
Your child's doctor may tell you that your
child's diet is too high in fat. But what's
the truth?
Caffeine, totally lacking in nutritional
value, does not add taste, texture, or color
to a soft drink. Caffeine affects children
and adults similarly. A stimulant, caffeine
can interfere with sleep and may affect children
who are sensitive to it. In addition, because
caffeine is a diuretic that causes the body
to eliminate water, it can contribute to dehydration.
Caffeine is an especially poor choice in hot
weather, when children need to replace water
lost through perspiration. In addition, children
who drink lots of caffeinated beverages may
miss getting the calcium they need from milk
to build strong bones and teeth.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
suggests a maximum of 6 tablespoons of sugar
per day for someone consuming 1,600 calories
(an amount typical for children 5 years).
One 12-ounce soft drink contains about 3 tablespoons
of sugar, so in one drink, your child is getting
almost half the day's recommended amount of
sugar.
Sugar's effects are sometimes misperceived.
Sugar does promote tooth decay, but studies
show no link between hyperactivity and sugar.
When 5-year-olds are running around at a birthday
party after eating cake and ice cream, parents
joke that they're "high" from the
sugar. The reality is they're just being 5-year-olds,
explains pediatrician Keith Ayoob, MD.
Sugar does not cause hyperactivity, but it
can contribute to excess weight gain. Foods
that are high in sugar also tend to be high
in calories and fat and low in other valuable
nutrients. As a result, a high-sugar diet
is often linked with obesity.
There's an important link between calories,
sugar, and fat. A calorie is a unit that measures
heat, or energy. So calories describe the
amount of energy that different foods supply
to people. The amount of heat, measured in
calories, is that particular food's caloric
content. Before you eat, the energy contained
in the food is trapped in the food. The energy
is released when your digestive system breaks
down the food. Because sugary and fatty foods
often are high in calories, it takes the body
longer to use up those calories. As a result,
excess calories from food equal excess pounds
on a person's body.
On the fat front, the American Dietetic Association
(ADA) recommends that after age 2, children
should consume no more than 30% of daily calories
from fat. Infants and toddlers need more fat
as they're developing. Excess fat in a child's
diet may lead to weight gain. Obese children
have a higher incidence of depression and
orthopedic problems, reports Jordan Metzl,
MD, a pediatrician. Kids who carry excess
weight into adulthood have greater risk of
heart attacks, high blood pressure, and early
death.
Kids who fill up on sugar, fat, and caffeine
don't get the nutrients they need from healthy
sources, putting them at risk for malnutrition.
The average teen consumes about twice as much
sugar as the USDA recommends and doesn't get
the recommended amounts of fruit and low-fat
milk.