Why Kids Shouldn’t Eat Added Sugar Before They Turn 2

Why Kids Shouldn’t Eat Added Sugar Before They Turn 2
Children instinctively like sweet foods but the prevalence of added sugars can put them at risk. muse studio/Shutterstock
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I remember a decade ago sitting in front of my 9-month-old daughter, who was in her high chair, and trying to spoon-feed her a pureed green vegetable. It didn’t matter if it was peas, green beans, or something else, because the outcome was the same: I spooned it into her mouth, and it came right back out.

Compare this with feeding her applesauce, for which she would open her mouth after each bite and almost bounce in her chair with pleasure. I nearly danced along with her. This was easier! Let’s just keep doing this! But as a nutritional epidemiologist, I knew that solely satisfying her desire for sweetness wouldn’t benefit her health in the long run.

Lisa Bodnar
Lisa Bodnar
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