5 Tips To Curb Craving For Sweets

There is an intense craving for sweets among children; sugar is not good as it not only leads to dental problems, but also to diseases like diabetes. You are not alone if you feel you are saying no to the craving for sweets by your children as most children are genetically programmed to prefer sweet tastes and flock to foods like cake, cookies, ice cream, and candy.

It has been observed by research that neither being too restrictive or lax helps in curbing craving for sweets; it is best to adopt a middle ground and remain consistent in the art of moderation that would help them even when they grow up.

5 simple tips to curb craving for sweets:

1) It is best to be a model for moderation; if a child asks for a sweet it is best to not deny the sweet, but to offer to give it as a future snack, at a birthday party or meal as full restriction would only make the child eat a high calorie food when he/she has full access. You could follow it up by offering sweets a couple of times in a week; this habit would get the child used to eating sweets routinely but not excessively.

2) It is best to stick to healthy homemade sweets like muffins, cakes, and cookies that children will eventually learn to prefer those to processed treats. Take some extra time to bake something where you control the ingredients; use wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats, nuts, fruits, and veggies. Soon your kids would learn to appreciate quality over quantity.

3) Do not give too much attention to sweets as something positive or negative; it is wrong to promise a sweet goody as a reward for eating vegetables or refuse it if a child behaves badly. It would be best to treat them as any other food; a dessert could be served right along with dinner.  Stay calm when you find out your child ate candy at a friend's house; making sweets taboo may make them more desirable to your child.

4) It has been found that the intake of sugar has increased by 20% due to sugar sweetened beverages like soda and juices; it helps to keep sugary drinks in check. When children drink a lot of sweetened drinks they develop a high threshold for sweetness. It would be best to stick to pure fruit juices or milk with meals and water in between meals and restrict sweetened beverages to outings and parties. You could include special sweet beverages like smoothies.

5) Lastly it would help to keep sweets out of sight as then the child would be less prone to eat sweets and this could make a big difference in their eating patterns. It would help to include healthy snacks of fruits and vegetables with attractive herbal dips in between meals.

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