That’s my plea to all you readers out there. Having 2 girls myself has made me very aware and concerned about their eating habits because I don’t have the best eating habits myself. Why? Look around you – how often do you hear women moan about their weight? How many people in this day and age are contracting the deadly disease, cancer? How many people do you know suffer from diabetes, heart diseases, pains and aches, or any other health complaint that hinders a normal happy life?
From my own personal experience, I suffer from asthma, sinusitis, psoriasis and am at high risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Although I am grateful for a wonderful life, I can’t help wishing that I didn’t have these ailments that affect my day-to-day affairs. For a few weeks now, my body has been itching due to my psoriasis and my joints are so painful that my fingers can’t open a toothpaste tube, they can’t press keys on my Blackberry without pain and I can’t even lift my own duvet to cover me up snug! I almost feel like an invalid! How much do you take your finger mobility for granted!? Plus just a few weeks ago, I developed a locked jaw. These are all ailments I can live without, carrying a bag with necessary medicine everywhere I go because, well, I could just die wheezing from asthma.
And then I see my own mother suffer from cancer and it really is heart breaking. She is in so much pain on a daily basis and is perpetually a drug addict. She has a cocktail of pain killers including morphine and none of them really work. She is nauseous and her teeth are all rotting due to the cancer. She can barely eat, she can barely talk, she can barely do much. Truly heart breaking. And seeing her like this only makes me want to ensure that my own children never have to go through any of this. I may not be in total control of them being sick but I can certainly do my best to ensure they consume what is good for them and limit what is bad for them.
After watching some videos on youtube and getting myself educated on nutrition, I learnt just how bad excessive added sugars and empty calories are, especially for kids! If you start offering kids a lot of added sugars, they get accustomed to the taste and crave it more. Added sugars can be addictive and a lifetime habit is born. And what happens when a lifetime of added sugars gets poured into a body? The body gets sick. It can be afflicted with issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart problems. You may not see it now, but in the future, it could be worse than you think.
If you youtube Sugars in Childrens Milk and spend some time watching the videos from some experts on the subject, you will learn that your child may already be consuming too much added sugars. Is that what you want? Think, think and think again. Why feed a child more added sugars than necessary to satisfy a temporary happy child but develop a lifetime bad habit? Be strong, parents. Do what is right for your child. If you watch the videos, you will realise that there are actually too much hidden sugars in many children’s milks. Children are only suppose to be taking LESS THAN 7 teaspoons of additional sugars a day.
Did you know that corn syrup solids, glucose syrup solids and sucrose are also types of added sugars? You may not realise it when looking at the label, but that is what our children should not be having extra of.
Check out the rest of the videos here:
I also saw this advert of the MOH in the Star newspaper recently. Did you see it?
To what I’ve read, I believe these are the key points the Ministry is asking us as parents to know:
1. Added sugars can have many different names, such as corn syrup solids, sucrose and glucose syrup solids.
2. It is important to know how much added sugars there are in the foods and drinks you consume. Read the packaging and find their position in the ingredient list.
3. If an added sugar name appears near the top of the ingredient list, or if there is more than one name present, then it’s a good indication that the food has high added sugars.
4. Look for foods and beverages labelled “no added sugars” or “less sugars” or “sugar free”
5. Be aware of claims about specific types of sugar as there could still be other types of added sugars in these products – e.g. a product claiming “no added sucrose” or “sucrose free” could still contain other types of added sugars.
Now, since the MOH mentioned that corn syrup solids, sucrose and glucose syrup solids are added sugars, I think some of the children’s milks like S26, Mamil and Enfa should make an effort to exclude or reduce these ingredients in their milk. Children definitely do not need more unhealthy added sugars, especially in such an important drink in their growing up years.
Recent Comments