New Year’s Resolutions: cutting your child’s sugar intake

Many of us have embarked on our New Year’s Resolutions to get into shape or lose weight this January, but if you’re a parent then ensure your new healthy eating habits extend to the whole family. At CK Dental in Bristol, we welcome the new initiative from Public Health England to combat the high sugar intake of the UK’s children.

According to the PHE, children as young as ten will have already consumed 18 years’ worth of sugar, resulting in a steep growth in childhood tooth extractions. This is why they launched their Change4Life campaign.

Oral health campaigners are welcoming the launch of the new Change4Life campaign, which aims to combat the high sugar intake of children across the UK. Often this can seem an overwhelming problem for parents to tackle, which is why the initiative advises simple, everyday swaps that will effectively reduce the amount of sugar your children are consuming. As well as oral health problems, we know that childhood sugar intake results in early onset obesity and the development of conditions such as diabetes in later life.

To help parents make smart but simple sugar swaps, the campaign identified four key ‘sugar occasions’ throughout the day and how best to tackle them:

  1. The Breakfast Swap: children get 8% of their daily sugar intake from sugary cereals so swap to a wholewheat biscuit cereal instead
  2. The Drink Swap: a staggering 17% of a kid’s sugar intake comes from the soft drinks they consume through the day, so try and buy sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks, as well as swapping out some of those soft drinks for plain water if you can.
  3. The After School Swap: after a tiring day at school, many children come to rely on the sugar boost they get from the after school snack, whether it be a biscuit, cake or piece of confectionary. Fresh fruit and veg are best but you could also try dried fruit or nuts or low sugar packaged snacks.
  4. The Pudding Swap: offer fresh fruit or a low-fat, low-sugar yoghurt rather than ice cream or cake.

But remember, regular dental check-ups are also essential for preventing tooth decay as we monitor and care for your teeth as well as providing advice and help if you’re struggling to know how best to implement a good oral hygiene routine for you or your children.