During Tet, every house is filled with candy, so every Tet holiday, many families have a headache because they don't know how to limit their children's candy intake?
Children should not eat cakes, jams, or candies before meals, or eat too late before going to bed - Illustration: AI
Harmful effects of candy on children
Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung, National Institute of Nutrition, said that sugar is one of the main sources of energy to maintain the body's activities. However, if you eat too much sugar for a long time, you can easily get dangerous diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc.
Eating too much sugar can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Sugary foods like cakes, sweets, and soft drinks not only replace essential food groups like protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains, they also deplete vitamins, such as B vitamins, which are involved in glucose metabolism.
Meanwhile, growing children need protein to build muscles and healthy fats to support the brain and nervous system. A child who regularly drinks soft drinks instead of milk is likely to lack calcium, which is needed for strong teeth and bones.
In addition to helping prevent diabetes and heart disease in the long term, avoiding too much sugar also helps protect your child's dental health. Tooth decay is made worse when children regularly consume sugary foods and drinks.
Therefore, Dr. Hung believes that instead of consuming empty calories from sugar, children need to be provided with a nutritious diet with the necessary foods for growth and development. When children are fed a balanced diet with healthy foods, they will eat less foods containing a lot of sugar, especially cakes, candies, and soft drinks.
How to limit children from eating sweets?
Dr. Hung recommends that parents should ensure nutrition for their children with 3 main meals full of nutrients and eating on time. Children should not eat cakes, jams, or candies before meals or eat too late before going to bed. At the same time, it is necessary to clean children's teeth to prevent the risk of tooth decay.
On Tet holiday, instead of buying many kinds of sweets to put on the table and display in front of children, parents should prepare healthy foods such as low-sugar milk, plain yogurt, fruits, nuts, etc. Bring out candy when guests arrive.
This way, kids still have a variety of snacks to choose from, but all the foods are healthy and wholesome.
In addition, parents should encourage children to eat fresh fruits such as watermelon, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, persimmons, strawberries, and apples, which both provide necessary vitamins and satisfy children's sweet tooth in a healthy way.
Choosing candies from reputable companies, with full labels, clear production dates and expiration dates also helps ensure food safety for children.
"In short, managing children's diet during Tet requires attention and flexibility from parents.
By replacing unhealthy foods with more nutritious options and maintaining healthy eating habits, parents can help their children enjoy a happy and healthy Tet holiday," Dr. Hung recommended.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/banh-keo-ngot-day-ap-ngay-tet-kiem-soat-tre-the-nao-202501230927436.htm
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