When people think of soda in relation to children, they may think that they should avoid letting their children have those yummy carbonated beverages because of the caffeine. But is caffeine really the main concern in soda? Probably not.
The bigger culprit is the refined sugar. And refined sugar is not a problem only in soda. Refined sugar is a major ingredient in many of the foods we eat regularly. In fact, “sugar is, hands down, America’s number one food additive,” according to the book Healthy Habits: 20 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health by David J. Frahm, and shared in “Healthy Habits: Cut Back on Refined Sugars.”
Many people are careful about the amount of candy they allow their children to eat but do not exercise the same watchful eye on, say ketchup. However, some brands of ketchup have as much as one teaspoon of sugar in a single serving, typically one tablespoon. Even soups, salad dressings, crackers and pickles contain added sugar. No matter how closely you check the labels, understanding how much refined sugar a product contains can be tricky. Sugar is found in several forms—sucrose, fructose, maltose and glucose. Read the Healthy Eating article for further explanations of these forms of sugar.
Because sugar can have a significant impact on a child’s behavior, both mental and physical, being aware of the amount of sugar added to foods is a good idea.