SWEETS IN YOUR "SWEET" ONE'S DIET!! LET'S TALK SUGAR!!

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:01]Sugar confusion is everywhere. [music] From a few dieticians suggesting absolutely no sugar in your child's diet to grandparents saying nothing is going to happen. We have heard it all.

[00:00:14]So, in next few minutes we are going to discuss about some scientific facts and burst a lot of myths >> [music] >> around sugar.

[00:00:24]Your baby's diet can be sweetened with fruits and vegetables from 6 months onward.

[00:00:30]>> [music] >> Try to use apple puree, banana, sweet potatoes, pumpkins to sweeten their diet.

[00:00:37]Avoid using any forms of sweetener, be it natural sweeteners or artificial, till the age of 1 year at least.

[00:00:47]Let's [music] see what are the harmful effects of sugar on your child's body.

[00:00:52]First and foremost, it can lead to tooth decay.

[00:00:55]There have been a lot of studies suggesting that [music] it affects immunity adversely and it can predispose your child's body to a bacterial infection.

[00:01:07]Sugars are empty calories, so they can lead to unnecessary weight gain, which is not a healthy weight gain, and can lead to obesity.

[00:01:16]This can also be a reason of heart disease in future.

[00:01:20]Sugar intake has a major role to play in energy [music] crashes, which is because of these sugars there is a sharp spike in your child's blood sugar levels.

[00:01:32]But, as it comes down, the child start to feel irritable and have low concentrations.

[00:01:41]There have been lot of myths doing the rounds around sugar consumption.

[00:01:47]Early introduction of sugar can lead your child to have sweet tooth. No, that's absolutely not right because that's more genetically predisposed.

[00:01:57]There is no conclusive study suggesting [music] that sugar can cause ADHD, autism, or behavioral or cognitive issues in your child.

[00:02:08]Sugar consumption also cannot directly lead to diabetes.

[00:02:14]There are a lot of natural sugars available in the market like date sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar, honey, and jaggery. Are they any better?

[00:02:24]>> [music] >> Yes, they are better in terms of not being refined and from natural sources. But other than that, they are sugars. So, they provide with the same amount of sharp spikes in blood sugar levels >> [music] >> leading to energy crashes, make the child more prone for tooth decay, adds extra unnecessary calories to your child diet leading to reduce in the amount of food they eat [music] and also creating an imbalance in protein energy intake. Excess of even these natural sugars should be avoided and these sugars at any point shouldn't be started before 1 year [music] of age.

[00:03:07]There are some fancy forms of sugar doing the round as well like agave or agave. This is from a plant and it's a highly processed syrup.

[00:03:17]It is very high in fructose and long-term use can lead to liver concerns. [music] Agave sugar is not at all recommended for children.

[00:03:27]Stevia, available from stevia leaves, is [music] having an advantage of not increasing the sugar spike levels immediately.

[00:03:37]But having said that, it is not recommended for children and can be given after adolescence only under caution and with advice from your pediatrician.