For the majority of a child’s life, the parents directly control the food choices for this individual. Parents make the grocery lists, do all the shopping, make school lunches and snacks, and prepare the nightly dinner choices. This responsibility for parents is immense, since the food choices that they make in these early years for a child can shape the future relationship to food and healthy eating habits. One very important area that parents have to tackle is the issue of sugar.
Some foods and meals require a little bit of sweetness, and this is completely fine. Parents should consider maple syrup as the first introduction to “sugar” for their children. Real maple syrup comes directly from trees and nature, not a manufacturing plant. Parents can feel good about giving real maple syrup to children because it is a natural sugar that has existed since the start of our world, and has no hidden ingredients. Maple syrup can be used on top of whole-wheat pancakes or waffles, used for delicious glazes for lean meats, or even atop of fruit for a natural and low-calorie desert. Parents should also encourage children to help plan these meals. Do they want to learn how to make a baked apple with maple syrup, or do they also have another healthy idea they would like to try making with their parents? These group activities can make healthy eating more fun for the entire family.
When children are very small, remember to start out slow with the introduction to sugar, including maple syrup. Some medical professionals even advise some parents to focus strictly on vegetables in the initial months of life, even before sweeter fruits are introduced. Parents should be very conscious of their children’s intake, and should teach them that food doesn’t need to be sweet or sugary to be delicious.