Sugar Dangers for Kids

It’s hard to resist sugar. And right now we’re right in between two sugar-filled holidays – Christmas and Valentine’s Day. You may think it’s easy to help your child avoid sugar by limiting their access to candy, cookies, pie and ice cream. But according to Boynton Beach pediatric dentist Dr. Mitchell Miller, some of the worst offenders are hiding in plain sight. In foods like ketchup, fruit-flavored yogurt, spaghetti sauce, granola bars, apple juice and canned soup. That can make planning healthy snacks and meals harder. Spot hidden sugars by checking for these on food labels:

  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Rice syrup
  • Any other kind of syrup
  • Agave nectar
  • Honey
  • Fruit juice concentrate
  • Evaporated canned juice
  • 100% fruit juice
  • The suffix “-ose” (fructose, sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, glucose)

Another way to spot hidden sugars is by checking the “added sugar” line on the food label.

According to the American Heart Association, children between two and 18 should eat no more than 25 grams of sugar a day. And when you consider that a cup of apple juice alone has 24g of sugar, you can see that it will take some effort. But totally worth it because consuming more than this can harm your child’s oral and overall health. 

So if your child has more cavities than you think they should, or gums are red and puffy you should schedule a cleaning and exam with Dr. Miller and his team of pediatric dentists in Boynton Beach and start making some changes..

In the meantime, if you want to avoid them heading down that road, or help stop it from happening, here’s more to know, along with some healthier alternatives suggested by Boynton Beach’s renowned pediatric dentist Dr. Miller. Healthy options can include:

  • Celery and cream cheese
  • String cheese
  • Popcorn
  • Pretzels
  • Guacamole and pita wedges
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Zucchini chips
  • Parmesan fries
  • Sweet potato chips
  • Pepper nachos

Our mouths are filled with billions of bacteria but brushing, flossing, eating healthy and dental cleanings on a regular basis keep the bad bacteria from overpowering the healthy bacteria. This is true for you and your child. When anyone consumes sugar, the harmful bacteria turn it into acid that causes enamel to soften, then eats away at the enamel on our teeth. If the harmful bacteria are allowed to spread and overpower the healthy pH in saliva, mouths become much more susceptible to cavities and gum disease.

In addition to being bad for teeth and gums, too much sugar is linked to childhood obesity and malnutrition. And bad habits that start young can lead to diabetes, a weakened immune system and a lack of energy. And despite talk of a “sugar high”, sugar is also connected to brain fog – making it harder for kids to focus in school.

Of course, one of the best tools to incorporate into your battle against the bad effects of sugar is to visit your pediatric dentist regularly.