The goodies are so installed in the daily lives of many children and families that in many occasions we consider them as another food. But nevertheless, baubles should be an occasional "food" Due to its nutritional characteristics.
Either sweet or salty, the goodies that usually constitute snacks, snacks or desserts, have a composition that does not make them highly recommended. Candies, licorice, chewing gum, sideburns ... are located at the top of the nutritional pyramid, where superfluous and occasional foods appear.
These are Ten facts about the goodies we should keep in mind before offering a caramel or salty snack to children.
- Candies provide a lot of energy, but few nutrients. Therefore, it is sometimes said that they are "empty calories", that is, they help to gain weight but not grow. Therefore, it is preferable to choose other foods that the organism of the small ones needs to grow healthily.
- They do not provide essential nutrients. Its protein content is poor and the same can be said of the vitamin or mineral content that is virtually non-existent or insignificant.
- In addition, additional substances that contribute to increasing its attractiveness (flavor, color ...) are usually used in the goodies. These additives are sometimes of doubtful quality and origin.
- Some goodies boast their milk content (milk chocolate bars or candies ...) but, even if they contain it, it is often accompanied by a large amount of fat and sugar.
- Baubles decrease appetite at mealtime. That is why they are especially harmful in children with poor feelings.
- Salted Baubles They are not healthy either. Salty snacks are products usually made from cereals, with varying amounts of fat and salt. Its nutritional composition usually includes a small amount of protein, about 45% carbohydrates and 50% fat, in some cases unhealthy.
- As we have pointed out in the introduction, they should be consumed only occasionally. If anything, you can try to set a special day, such as parties or birthdays, or choose weekends as a time to eat them. Although it should not be used as a prize.
- Okay, let's eat goodies. But we don't want to remember that soon at the dentist ... You have to make sure that the teeth are washed also and especially after eating sweets, not only after meals, because their high sugar content makes them a caries risk. And it is that the goodies contain, in many occasions, simple sugars. These sugars are fermented by dental plaque bacteria and contribute to the formation of caries.
- It is convenient for adults to limit the amount of treats and salty snacks that are eaten in their family. Children must be accustomed to not spending money on treats or not accepting them from strangers.
- A rule of thumb is not to have them at home that together with the other rule, that of setting an example as parents, will help sweets Don't be seen as usual.
The goodies and candies have begun to worry me, in the sense that I see that they are within reach of my oldest daughter very often. But it is not an obsession either, and I like to know that it is your parents who control access to sweets (almost always), and that we are educating her to understand that they are not the best for her, that she has to consume them in moderation for her health, and that there are other delicious alternatives.
That's why I remind myself of these Ten facts we should all know about goodies which will probably also interest other parents.
