So, this is my stepdaughter's typical weekday diet (long): - Page 3

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by kavamamakava

You don't see a difference between high fructose corn syrup and fruit juice sweetened cereal?

oy vey. that is not what i meant to imply. i was referring to the grams of sugar per serving in a pop tart compared to an organic toaster pop tart type food product. there are 40 grams of sugar in one pop tart on average. that is equal to 10 teaspoons of white sugar. the nature's path toaster pastries contain exactly 39 grams of sugar per serving. thats still almost 10 tsp of sugar- http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...cgrfnbr=185791

perhaps its just too controversial for me to say this, but i dont think any added sugar is good for kids. i used to buy the organic pop tarts, the cheddar bunnies, all of it and i genuinly believed i was making a good choice. now i know more, about how highly processed these foods are, how they contain few nutrients, and how organic sugar still affects our metabolic systems regardless. yes, hfcs is wretched stuff and obviously i would avoid that first and foremost. but i also try and minimize "natural sugars" (not fruit) that are added to things like crackers, cookies, organic cereal etc.

when my son was little i fed him processed foods that were natural and organic and i thought this was good enough. i now believe differently. but to each thier own.

[kavamamakava]

You might have noticed I said I don't give those Toaster Pastries to my kids but they could be a good middle ground for this child who seems almost addicted to the junky foods. Of course there's a difference in "sugar" I mean, we're talking glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc. They are different types of molecules, processed differently and so on. Unless you're diabetic or have blood sugar issues, I don't think it's necessary to restrict all sugar from your diet.
I would rather give my kids natural sugars than artificial sugar and sugar substitutes in an attempt to avoid grams of sugar. Splenda? blecch. Xylitol is mostly ok but it depends on the source. I like Agave Nectar in smoothies. I don't like the flavor of stevia. I like raw sugar in my coffee and honey in my chamomile tea. We also eat spoonfuls of active manuka honey when we feel like we're coming down with something and it does wonders. I think sugar can have a place in a healthy diet, it just depends on the form the sugar takes. Carbs are sugars too. Clearly processed sugars and HFCS aren't going to have a place in a healthy diet.

[Mama2Kayla]

Originally Posted by organicmidwestmama

oy vey. that is not what i meant to imply. i was referring to the grams of sugar per serving in a pop tart compared to an organic toaster pop tart type food product. there are 40 grams of sugar in one pop tart on average. that is equal to 10 teaspoons of white sugar. the nature's path toaster pastries contain exactly 39 grams of sugar per serving. thats still almost 10 tsp of sugar- http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...cgrfnbr=185791

perhaps its just too controversial for me to say this, but i dont think any added sugar is good for kids. i used to buy the organic pop tarts, the cheddar bunnies, all of it and i genuinly believed i was making a good choice. now i know more, about how highly processed these foods are, how they contain few nutrients, and how organic sugar still affects our metabolic systems regardless. yes, hfcs is wretched stuff and obviously i would avoid that first and foremost. but i also try and minimize "natural sugars" (not fruit) that are added to things like crackers, cookies, organic cereal etc.

when my son was little i fed him processed foods that were natural and organic and i thought this was good enough. i now believe differently. but to each thier own.

Moderation is key for everything. Of course never consuming sugar is ideal....but that is not very realistic in today's world, especially with children. No one is claiming that feeding a kid organic poptarts is a healthy choice...but it is better than some of the other poptart options out there.