Baby Snacks Loaded With Adult-Sized Sugar Servings
Thanks to endless marketing campaigns, brilliant strategic shelf location in stores, and misleading use of the word organic, mothers and fathers alike have been buying (both figuratively and literally), into the world of baby desserts and treats.
But stop right there, says Professor Charlene Elliott of the University of Calgary. She took 186 various treats and snacks aimed at the baby and toddler age and tested the levels of sugar and sodium they contained.
The results were astonishing and, to be blunt, horrifying for anyone who has thought of these as healthy treats for their children. Sixty three percent of the products tested had high levels of sodium or too many calories derived from sugar.
The relatively new shelf products aimed at busy parents can have very deceptive labeling, such as an organic label even though the cookie may be loaded with organic cane sugar and the sodium content is through the roof.
Most experts agree that there is no need for babies or children to have dessert at the end of a meal, a traditionally adult habit that we shouldn't pass on to our children. Nor should we be training their taste buds to crave the tastes of sweet and salty at such tender ages, which is exactly what most of these food products do.
Returning to the basics of dried and fresh fruit, yogurt or cheese for healthy snacks is a sure way to get your child's healthy eating habits back on track.
Let's leave these products on the store shelf next time and wander over to the fresh produce section instead.
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