1. Put stickers on sugary cereals with more than 8 grams of added sugar per serving. Why? The recommended added sugar intake for children is less than 24 grams per day. Eating greater than 30% of the recommended daily added sugar in one meal is just too much sugar!
2. Cereal companies are getting smarter in their marketing. Don't get fooled! How? Granola based cereals are marketed as "healthy" but they are loaded with sugar!
3. Notice that serving sizes in cereals have decreased, making products appear to have less sugar. Why? Rather than changing the nutrition of their product, food manufacturers simply alter serving sizes to make their products appear healthier. We very often exceed serving sizes, especially with cereals! Use measuring cups, or better yet- skip the cereal altogether!
A note on fiber...
In nature, most fruits have a ratio of fiber to sugar within the range of 1 gram of fiber to 1-3 grams of sugar.
Fiber makes us feel full and less likely to keep eating. It also helps slow down the release of sugar in the body. Make sure you eat enough fiber!
Sugary Cereals
Sugary Drinks
1. Put stickers on sugary beverages with more than 8 grams of added sugar per serving. Why? The recommended sugar intake for children is less than 24 grams of added sugar per day. Drinking sugar is even worse than eating sugar!
2. Highly sugary drinks are even worse than sugary cereals and snacks. Why? Fluids get digested and absorbed faster than food, so the sugar in them has an even more powerful effect.
3. Fruit Juices- though technically most do not have "added sugar," we still list them here. Why? We should be encouraging kids to EAT fruit (for the benefits of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) not to DRINK fruit.
