Curbing your child’s sweet tooth.

I thought we had it good. My daughter loved her veggies and was an even more adventurous eater than her older brother. Fish, chicken, and greens, Japanese-style, Thai or Korean she loved them. But the love for food now extends to sweets. Since school and the birthday party circuit introduced her to the wonderful world of ice cream, candy and cake, it has never been the same.

She thinks I should serve her cookies everyday. She’s now come to crying to me if all I have to offer for desert at home is a piece of fruit. She’ll have the apple or banana eventually… but what is up with the demand for sugary treats? I gathered expert advice on how to help our little sugar junkies.

Don’t Go Cold Turkey

Nutritionists say, if your child is already hooked on the sweet stuff going cold-turkey isn’t wise. Reel it in, but don’t resort to radical changes overnight. A good policy is they can have desert after lunch or dinner. No sweet snacks except on the rare occasion like a children’s party. Cut down portions too. If they complain, simply say they can take the one piece of cookie or have none at all.

Don’t Use Treats As Rewards

Broccoli is never used as reward for a job well done, and neither should a cupcake. Treats should not be made more special than they ought to be, just another part of their diet. It’s also not advisable to bribe a child with some chocolate so they she will empty her plate. This can harm their natural instinct for determining when their stomachs are full — and lead to over eating.

Don’t Go For A Total Ban

Nothing is as tempting as forbidden fruit — or forbidden ice cream. Research suggests that restricting sugar completely can make kids want it more. If children are getting the nutrition they need from healthy daily fare, there’s no reason they can’t enjoy fun, sweet foods for dessert or an occasional sweet snack. Just make sure, sweets are only a small part of a balanced diet.

Model Healthy Eating

If you gorge on sweets, stock up on candy and indulge too often yourself, then it would be unfair to control your child’s own cravings. Display your own power of self control, save sweets for special occasions, keep your pantry as junk food free as possible and your child will have no choice but to eat healthy herself.

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