How much sugar can children consume each day?

The body of a child is not yet as formed as that of adults, so it is natural that the diets between them vary slightly. Many times we have heard that excess sugar is not good for young children, as it can affect them both physically and psychologically .

Thus, you must know well what is the amount of sugar that children can consume daily in order not to give them more than they should take for the good of their health, but also not to give them anything with sugar at all, since their body needs to take it also in small amounts.

In PregDream we tell you how much sugar children can consume daily and why they should not consume more or less than this recommended amount.

HOW MUCH SUGAR CAN KIDS REALLY GET EVERY DAY

Many people may advise you not to give your baby sugar at all during the first months, and even years, of life. That’s because many people associate sugar with refined and fatty foods, such as industrial pastries or candies. However, sugar is very necessary for human health , that is why children should also consume it during their first years of life.

During the first months of life, the baby will surely feed on breast milk or a bottle from which it will extract all the vitamins and nutrients it needs . Surely you follow your usual diet and consume a certain amount of sugar, so this will also be transmitted to the baby.

When your child begins to eat solid foods it will be the ideal time to give him sugar. You should not take into account the natural sugars from fruits , since we are talking about refined sugar, the one that comes from sweets and pastries. The amount indicated for a child up to three years of age is 15 grams of sugar per day.

You should bear in mind that some foods contain a large amount of sugar and that if you eat more of any of these foods, you may be consuming more than the 15 grams daily indicated. Therefore, we must take a good look at the label and the ingredients of all those foods that our baby eats. Prepared foods such as porridges, yogurts, juices or purees can contain the total amount that you should take in a single day. The way to make sure you don’t have more than 15 grams of sugar a day is to either look at all the labels and calculate the percentages, or cook most of the dishes yourself so that you know the amounts well.

THE RECOMMENDED DAILY AMOUNT

As the child gets older we can incorporate a greater amount of sugar in his diet. However, you should bear in mind that children’s diet must be healthy and balanced since they are currently at greater risk of suffering from diseases such as obesity and diabetes when they are very young. This happens because they get used to eating a greater amount of sugar, either through sweets, pastries or sugary drinks such as soft drinks or fast food.

Therefore, the amount of sugar that children between four to fourteen years of age can consume should not exceed 25 grams . One way to ensure that they do not eat more than that amount of sugar is to always have a controlled, healthy and balanced diet so that they do not take in more sugar than their body needs. This does not mean that you do not let him take sweets or control his diet as much as possible, since children like to eat this type of food very much and their friends and colleagues will also consume it.

So, if they have taken sugar you should try not to take more than the 25 grams recommended throughout the day, since this can affect the performance and concentration of the child in addition to the diseases mentioned by excess sugar in the diet such as obesity and diabetes.

A moderate consumption of sugar at any age will be excellent for the good health of all children and adults. Once you are eighteen years old and for the rest of your life, if you do not have sugar problems, you should take 12 teaspoons of sugar a day as advised by the great health organizations.