It’s well known that too much sugar isn’t ideal in our kid’s diet, but what about sugar alternatives? Are sugar alternatives, such as honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar a healthier sweetener for our kids?
In this blog, I wanted to answer some of the common questions I get around sweetening kids’ foods including using sugar alternatives and homemade purees.
Why do we need to limit sugar for kids?
Sugar in itself has very little nutritional value, beyond simply providing energy. For babies and young children, sugar really isn’t necessary and consuming a lot of foods high in sugar, such as cakes, pastries, or biscuits can mean they fill up without consuming the nutrients they need.
To learn more about sugar recommendations for young children, check my blog.
Can I use sugar alternatives like honey or maple syrup in my kids’ foods?
Some sugar alternatives such as honey or maple syrup are sometimes considered “healthy” alternatives to use instead of sugar, because they contain small amounts of nutrients that regular table sugar doesn’t. Some people also suggest that these are “natural” ingredients, and therefore they’re somehow better.
Whilst it’s true that honey does contain small amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants, the amount that would need to be eaten to get any kind of benefit would be significantly outweighed by the high sugar content of this ingredient. Simply put, honey isn’t a ‘health food’ that we need to consume in order to meet our nutritional requirements – there are plenty of other, more nutrient dense foods to choose from to help with that.
In terms of “natural” being better, this just simply isn’t true either. There are lots of “natural” foods and ingredients that aren’t necessarily “healthy” so it’s a bit of a myth that anything natural is automatically healthy. Additionally, pure table sugar actually comes from sugar cane plants…and a lot of the time people forget this. Honey and other sugar alternatives may even go through the same amount of processing as pure table sugar, but it just comes out looking slightly different!
When it comes to sugar, it doesn’t matter what form it’s in, the recommendations around limiting the total amount our kids have in their diets, is the same.
(Remember that honey isn’t recommended for babies under 1 year, due to the risk of a rare but serious condition called infant botulism.)
Some examples of “natural” sugar alternatives, that are still considered free sugars include:
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Date syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut nectar
- Molasses
- Agave nectar
What about fruit purees for kids?
Something that can often cause a lot of confusion is fruit purees, particularly shop bought vs. homemade. People are often surprised to know that shop bought fruit purees are actually considered “added sugars” and are therefore recommended to be limited in little kids’ diets.
When we blend fruit into a puree, the sugars in the fruit are released from the cell structure, making them more readily available as energy, and they therefore become classified as a “free sugar.” Fruit purees also don’t contain the beneficial fibre you would get from a whole piece of fruit.
What can be a little more confusing for parents, is whether homemade fruit purees are considered more beneficial than shop-bought? There’s no clear definition here, but when mashing, blending or pureeing fruits at home, the level of processing the fruit goes through is considerably less than what it would be in an industrial kitchen. That means that more of the whole fruit is intact, along with more of the beneficial fibre. So whilst eating whole fruits is preferable as much as possible, making purees with fruit at home is still a good option for babies and toddlers and there is no problem with them having them as part of a varied diet.
However, please remember that shop bought pouches and purees for babies can be really convenient and helpful for many families, and you shouldn’t feel bad about using them when you need to. See my blog above for more on this topic
What are some healthier ways to sweeten kid’s foods at home?
- Instead of buying fruit flavoured yoghurt, buy plain yoghurt and sweeten with some stewed apple or berries, or sprinkle a little cinnamon
- Make a homemade jam by stewing some frozen (or fresh) berries with some water and add a squeeze of lemon. Add some chia seeds for extra fibre and nutrients
- Make use of sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cardamom
- Use fruits such as banana, blended dates or apple in baking – whilst these may be considered fruit purees, as mentioned above, when you’re using these ingredients at home, more of the whole fruit is likely to remain in tact, compared with shop bought versions
- Add (well chopped) dried fruits to porridge, yoghurt or in baking
- Use sweeter tasting vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots or pumpkins in baking or add to porridge
Lower sugar recipes for kids
I love finding ways to make foods that are delicious but also use less sugar wherever I can. Here are some of my favourite recipes for you to try with your family.
- Banana and peanut butter muffins
- Blueberry baked oats
- Banana bread
- Lower sugar sponge cake
- Frozen yoghurt bark
- Cinnamon pumpkin pancakes
- Carrot cake flapjacks
- Cranberry and pistachio spiced biscuits
I hope you’ve found this blog helpful. For more tips on feeding your family, as well as plenty more family friendly recipes which are delicious without lots of added sugars, try my books How to Feed Your Toddler and How To Feed Your Family.
How To Feed Your Family
Following on from her bestselling books How to Wean Your Baby and How to Feed Your Toddler, this book brings Charlotte’s trademark approach of practical support and nurturing step-by-step guidance to help you manage the juggle of family life.