What is the role of sugar in development of your baby?


Between the age of 0 and 3, it is extremely important that you include foods that are rich in  iron, protein and foods that are good sources of vitamins and minerals in your baby’s diet. These are essential for their physical and mental development, which play a role in intelligence performance of your baby. Furthermore, children that are fed with foods and beverages that contain sugar usually enjoy eating sweets more when they grow up and for sure this is not a healthy habit.  Also giving your baby sweets may cause serious health problems:

    •   Sugar can increase the risk of cavities and lead to tooth decay. They may need to fill their tooth in the future or sometimes they completely lose their teeth. You should especially avoid sugar added drinks. This is as harmful as eating a lollipop all day long.  

    •   Children who eat sugary foods have a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese. And this can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers in later life.

Pay close attention to your baby’s diet until she is 1 year old. And please go on with this attitude in the long run. It is very important not to give your children chocolate, sweets and coke until they turn 3 years old. Chocolate is high in fat and this is not good for your baby’s stomach and pancreas. Doctors advise that allergenic babies should avoid chocolate. Don't forget that helping your babies familiarize with healthy foods as of today is much easier than trying to adjust their dietary pattern in the future. While looking for dessert recipes always prefer the ones that are made with innocent sugars. The rule is nice and simple: The less sugar you add, the better it is!
 
How much sugar does your baby need?   

White sugar is made from sugar cane or sugar beet. The fact that raw sugar is derived from these refined products is giving the impression that it is not wrong to consume sugar. Then again our body really needs sugar. However this must be kept in very low amounts! Never give your child sugar added foods until your little gourmet is 12 months old. Never dip their pacifiers in sugar or jam as your family elders might suggest. The amount of sugar your baby needs is already available in breast milk, milk used in formula, fruits, vegetables and even grains. Keep in mind; the natural, the better….
The primary duty of sugary foods is to provide carbohydrates for our body. These are converted into glucose later. Glucose is an excellent source of energy. On top it works up the appetite. However lollipop and hard sweets have no nutritious value and are just “empty calories”. Your little gourmet will be pleased to have apples or carrot instead of these and moreover, natural glucose derived from these will be very beneficial to his beautiful little body.

As the final word, yes sugar is sweet and yes it is tempting, but they are not healthy. We recommend that it is best to eliminate foods like cake, pastry and caramel totally. These are risky foods that really don’t help your little baby’s health. And you may always find natural and healthy alternatives to get a joyful taste of life and you’ll definitely appreciate this advice in the long run. 

Innocent sugars    

Please don’t get the wrong idea. We are not against giving sugar to your baby all his life. What we suggest is “the return to innocence” as the famous Enigmas song says. “Don’t give up and use the chance to return to innocence” as the famous artist says.  After the age of one, you can give your baby dried fruit roll ups, honey and homemade jam; namely, you can introduce her innocent sugarsJ They will sure be as much delicious and yummy.

Molasses

Molasses has numerous minerals in it. It is extremely nutritious. When using molasses, do not expose it to heat above 80 degrees. That is to say do not heat up the molasses. At high temperatures a chemical called HMF is released and this is not good for the baby. As long as you pay attention to this, it is a major nutritious taste and you may enjoy it without any hesitation.  Please click for detailed information about molasses.

Dried fruit roll-up   

Dried fruit roll-up contains  sugar, molasses and fruits (apple, averrhoa carambola, red currant). The significant point that you need to know is it has a healing function. Thanks to its gelly form and pectin content, it coats the feeding channel with a thin film and helps removing toxins from the body.   

Honey 

Another delicious and remedial dessert that babies above age of 1 can enjoy! Honey is a natural immune booster, powering up the body and helping to fight with viruses and diseases. But watch out! Honey is also one of the foods that pose high allergy risk. Do not give honey to your baby more than once or twice a week and observe any signs after feeding your baby. You must consult your doctor before introducing honey to your baby for the first time.  
Please click for detailed information about honey.

Jam and marmalade

Homemade fruit jams and marmalades are both healthy and delicious foods that babies can enjoy. You can be sure that your baby will love these! However you should be careful when giving your baby jam for the first time. First start with jams like apple, pear and apricot. And never give more than 2-3 teaspoons. Don't forget! Red fruits like strawberry, blackberry have allergy risk    

Apple puree

You can use apple in many recipes as substitute of sugar. You can boil the apples by adding cinnamon and cloves and mash it afterwards and add the puree to puddings, breakfast and whole grains that you will serve your baby. You can add this to the sweet desserts that you will prepare for your baby.