By Rachel Maier

When it comes to Snacks, a snack-sized bag of animal crackers is way more fun to eat than a bowl of baby carrots — unless you're my son. When he was just 2 years old, the kid was aghast when we ran out of them.

After playing outside, he ran up to me midmorning, clearly hungry, and asked, "Mama, carrots please?"

"Sorry bud, but they're all gone."

With an audible gasp and mouth agape, he put his hands on top of his head as if to say, "Oh no!" but words failed him. The disbelief and disappointment made my mama heart happy (because clearly, if the kid was asking for carrots, I must be doing something right!), and while he begrudgingly ate something else for a snack that day, I was happy. My 2-year-old was sad we ran out of carrots!

Fast forward six years later and carrots are still an easy sell, but the kid has discovered junk Food since then and has a particular fondness for sugary snacks, and admittedly, I give in a little too often when he asks me for a treat.

Over time, he got used to eating more sugar than he should.

It's not all his fault. He has a severe food allergy to dairy, among other things, and snacks have always been a bit of a challenge. For the past several years, every time I find a new food product that's top allergen free, I snatch it up and bring it home to celebrate.

But top allergy friendly foods aren't necessarily healthy. (Take fruit snacks, for example. They might be "allergy friendly," but they're definitely not healthy.) My kids have unfortunately gotten used to having a wealth of "safe" but unhealthy foods to choose from around here.

A Fresh Start

On New Year's Eve, when my family gathered around the table to share our highs from last year and hopes for this new one, my 8-year-old boy's hand shot up and his face beamed. "I have a goal too! I want to eat less sugar!"

I beamed.

Cutting down on sugar has been a family goal for a while, but our sugar consumption always goes up between October and December. After the holiday season, we all felt ready to clean up our diets.

But the onus for stocking our kitchen with better options is completely on me. I'm the one who does the grocery shopping, and my family eats the things I buy. When I buy sugar-laden snacks, it's easy for all of us to overconsume sugar without even really realizing it. A little bit here and a little bit there and bam: We've consumed far more than what's good for us.

And so, as 2024 commenced, my son's resolve fueled my own and I started making better choices again.

Starting Over Isn't Easy

Admittedly, it's not easy to make better choices all the time.

By about 2:00 in the afternoon, I would do about anything for a cookie and a chai tea latté, but I know that my choices add up over time, so I'm swapping out what I think would make a really good afternoon pick-me-up for something a little better for me (like a handful of raw almonds and a banana or a mug of brewed cacao with a little bit of oat milk and monk fruit sweetener swirled in).

For a long time, I bought into the idea that, when it comes to treats, I should say yes to my kids as much as I can because I have to say no to them so often.

My son isn't the only one with food allergies in my house. I have a daughter with food allergies, too. Navigating birthday parties, special events, restaurants and class celebrations with them is really hard because 1) they can't eat the same things other kids can eat and 2) they feel really left out because of it. Can you blame me for saying yes at home when I have to say no outside of our house so often?

But making it up to them with sugary treats on a regular basis isn't good for them. It's not good for any child, regardless of their special medical circumstance, because sugar isn't discerning: It doesn't go easy on a medically complex child's body just because they have a special circumstance. Sugar is sugar, and too much of it isn't good for anyone.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

But how much sugar is too much? Dietary guidelines suggest limiting calories from added sugar to no more than 10 percent per day. So, if you're consuming a 2,000-calorie diet, you should get a maximum of 200 calories per day from added sugar. (Remember: one gram of sugar is the equivalent of four calories, so the maximum amount of added sugars you should consume in one day is about 50 grams/12 teaspoons).¹

For perspective, a 16 ounce cup of my beloved chai tea latté has 42 grams of sugar — almost the entire amount of added sugar allotted for the day! By comparison, a 12 ounce mug of brewed cacao with a swirl of oat milk and monk fruit sweetener has about two grams. That's an enormous difference that makes it easier for me to save the latté for a treat.

Eating a sugar-heavy diet saps us of our energy, causes cavities, contributes to acne, can lead to type 2 diabetes and makes us gain more weight than we need (which over time, can lead to obesity), not to mention puts us at an increased risk for depression, dementia, heart disease and cancer.²

Tips for Making Better Choices at Home

When it comes to kids, it's hard to motivate them to make better choices. They want what they want when they want it. Plus, calculating how much sugar is in their snack before they eat it isn't going to happen.

Here are a few ideas for how to help them understand why it's important to choose better foods, along with ideas for how your whole family can start making better choices:

1. Teach kids the reason it's important. (We can't hold them responsible for things they just don't know.) Affirm that sugar is super delicious, and that you wish you could eat treats all the time, too. But don't leave out telling them how eating too much junk makes you feel (tired, grumpy, icky, etc.). Let them know you want them to feel their best and keep their body healthy and strong, so you'll feed them as much healthy food as they can eat!
   
   Also, make sure to teach them what eating too much sugar over time can do to their bodies and why choosing lower sugar foods is better for them. For example, when my daughter learned that eating too much candy can cause cavities (and what happens when someone gets one), she was naturally motivated to eat less of it.
2. Set some ground rules. Kids like boundaries, and they thrive when they know what to expect. Maybe your family would do well with a designated weeknight for dessert, a one-treat-per-day rule or even a "special occasions only" rule. Then, when the time comes for the treat, let them enjoy it without guilt! (The same goes for you, too.) Remember, sugar is a sometimes treat, not a never treat. It makes it easier to make better choices consistently when we know when the next treat will be.
3. Don't buy junk food like cookies, donuts, pop tarts or fruit snacks. If it's in the house, people will eat it. Bring home better options such as fresh fruits, low sugar yogurts and whole grain crackers, and offer them freely.
4. Cook food at home. That way, you can control how much sugar goes into your food. (Did you know jarred spaghetti sauces often contain added sugar?)
5. Switch to low-sugar or no-sugar products. For example, switch to low-sugar cereals, granola bars, yogurts, jams and even sports drinks. It might not go over all that well at first, but over time, their taste buds will get used to the lower sugar content.
6. Have fun experimenting with fruits and veggies. Make them more appealing by experimenting with different ways of preparing them, or offer them in a fun way. For example, invest in a vegetable cutter set and serve fruits and veggies cut into cute shapes. Make an easy dip and serve it alongside them (nut or seed butters, cream cheese mixed with whole fruit jams, ranch, hummus — the possibilities are endless!).
7. Offer protein-rich snacks. For some, this is tough due to food allergies (like us). As I mentioned, collectively my kids have food allergies to dairy products, shellfish, most nuts and sunflower seeds, which means cheese sticks, yogurt and trail mixes (among other protein-packed snacks) aren't viable choices. But beef jerky sticks, hard-boiled eggs and single serve tubs of hummus are great protein-packed options to keep on hand.
8. Get input from your family. Ask them what low-sugar food options they would like to have available, and do your best to honor their requests. They will appreciate that you want to provide foods they enjoy and will intuitively understand that keeping the extra sugar at bay isn't a punishment. (For example, dried seaweed snacks are a decent low-sugar snack, but my kids can't stand them. I'd have a grumpy bunch of kids if that's all I ever offered them. However, they cheer when they find beef sticks in the pantry or hard-boiled eggs in the fridge!)
9. Model better choices. Remember that food is more than fuel, and enjoying it is important, too. If that means you use the jarred spaghetti sauce that contains a little bit of added sugar because your family won't eat the one that doesn't, so be it. I find that when I take a balanced approach and give myself a little bit of grace, I stay motivated to stay the course.
10. Don't aim for perfection. Aim for progress. Take it one day, one snack, one choice at a time.

You Can Do It!

Sugar gets a bad rap, but let's not forget how glorious it is, too. Decadent desserts just aren't as good when they're made with sugar substitutes, are they? But too much of any good thing makes it a bad thing, and sugar is no exception.

Thankfully, my son still loves carrots to this day and is bummed when we run out of them, but he also pouts when I won't buy fruit snacks. However, we're taking it one day at a time and striking a balance that works for us, and I know you'll strike a balance that works for you, too. Your family's health — and your own! — is worth the effort.

1. Cut Down on Added Sugars. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, March 2016. Accessed at health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/DGA_Cut-Down-On-Added-Sugars.pdf.
2. Kubala, J. 11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad for You. Healthline, updated Sept. 26, 2022. Accessed at www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar.