5 Reasons to Limit Kids Sugar Intake

If you're like our family, you've become more and more concerned about the amount of sugar you and your kids eat. 

We're thrilled that lower sugar kids snacks are becoming available, but what exactly are the reasons sugar is so dangerous for our kids? 

We've rounded up and summarized the top 5 science-based reasons you'll want to limit the sugar intake of you and your family. 

1.  Sugar impairs your kids' immune system.

Studies show that for hours after eating high concentrations of sugar, our white blood cells are not as efficiently able to ward off infections. This is because the glucose molecules compete with vitamin C's ability to bind to white blood cells, making our white blood cells less effective at doing their job. 

2.  Sugar leads to weight gain.

Through multiple mechanisms in our body, eating excess sugar leads to weight gain. The most basic of these reasons is that sugar contains lots of empty calories, triggering the body to store these unused calories as fat. Of course, sugary foods also often leave kids hungry and cause them to eat more food in general.

3. Sugar can lead to diseases like diabetes.

Our bodies have a well-understood process for metabolizing sugar. When our blood sugar level rises, our pancreas creates insulin to move the sugar from our blood into our cells where it can be used for energy. When we eat too much sugar, our cells don't respond as well to the insulin spike, leading to insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes– a serious condition that impacts almost 1 in 10 Americans. 

4. Sugar can contribute to anxiety and mood swings.

A growing body of evidence suggests a relationship between our kids' moods and their blood sugar levels.  We already know our kids can get "wired" after eating a high-sugar meal then crash, but more concerning is sugars link to our kids' baseline mood and mental state.

5. Sugar is addictive.

Perhaps most nefarious, sugar is addictive, creating a vicious cycle where the more sugar our kids eat, the more they crave it. This is particularly dangerous with our kids when we're actively shaping their pallets and determining the types of foods they'll crave as adults. 

The bottom-line is that the science has become very clear on sugar: the upside is very limited and the downsides to our kids' health are tremendous. We encourage you to choose low sugar kids snacks and bars that cut out the sugar to build strong kids!