Rage: 98% of U.S. toddlers and 2/3 of U.S. infants eat added sugars in their diets each day

[SlowBurnMary]

This can likely be extrapolated to Britain, Ireland, and Australia - and is increasing in the global south, due to the invasions of global industrial foods.

Lead investigator Kirsten Herrick, a program director at the Division of Cancer Control and Population Studies with the National Cancer Institute:

“On average, infants consumed a teaspoon of added sugar a day while toddlers consumed about 6 teaspoons a day.”

Added sugars at these ages is a concern due to the impact on future taste and food preferences. “Research has shown that eating patterns established early in life shape later eating patterns,” Herrick said.

For infants, top sources of added sugars were flavored yogurt, “baby food” snacks/sweets, and sweet bakery products.

For toddlers, top sources were were “fruit drinks”, sugars/sweets, and sweet bakery products.

(Black children are at highest exposure, regardless of economic class, due to entangled issues having to do with cultural genocide. Indigenous children were not analyzed, I would guess they are in a similar category).

This is industrial culture, where actual “public health” is rare - and many newborns are given industrial formula milk-replacements that are based in corn syrup and estrogenic soybean oil/protein.

Nearly all toddlers, and the majority of babies, eat too much added sugar in...

https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(19)31340-1/abstract

[240lbfatloss]

About 15 years ago or so I took the time and did a macronutrient analysis of the baby food sold at my local store.

It might as well have been called the “Future Diabetics” section. Not merely high carb, but loaded with carb-fat combinations.

[SlowBurnMary]

You’re right - the baby food at typical stores should in the Future Diabetics section, next to the soda. By the time a child in industrial society is 3, their palate and their metabolism are conditioned for life to crave the high-highs of industrial carbs, and pay with their life for the low-lows.

And parents are basically on their own when it comes to figuring out best diet practices for babies and toddlers - as most doctors have little to no nutrition training.

But for 99% of human history on the planet, very young children have been exclusively breastfed for the first 6-9 months (by their mother and/or other extended family women) followed by real low carb foods introduced via pre-chewed hand-feeding (delivering amazing enzymes) with continued mother’s milk on demand - with average age of human weaning around age 4 (which is still the case in agrarian and indigenous cultures).

Optimal child development in the industrial world has been very undermined by the metabolic stress of the high sugar very early years. The first year of life being the one of the most rapid brain development should be invested in hugely, rather than minimized - and toddler nutrition should be real foods on the low carb end. Weirdly though, the high sugar/carb industrial baby foods are considered great because “the brain needs carbs, and the more the better!” etc.

The bioactive compounds of mother’s milk and pre-chewed foods shared with the young cannot be replaced, but if stand-ins are needed those stand-ins should be real, low carb foods. Lipid-rich milk (traditionally raw) from goats or other indigenous cows/buffalos, or reindeer/camels who have extra high fat content - all whose casein is A2 and whose sugars are lower- is an excellent base or adjunct for all kinds of baby/toddler food. Additional micronutrients are readily available through animal blood, and predigested or ground raw organs/juiced grasses/roots/berries.

But all we see in industrial culture’s supermarkets are the godforsaken “juice” boxes and high carb+high fat meals.

[Don_Q]

If anything, I think the article understates the magnitude of the problem. Most kids get an astonishing amount of sugar.

My own kids still have added sugar in their diet, but not very much, and not every day. They hate me at Halloween, but they’ll thank me when they’re 40 and the only person they know who isn’t diabetic or prediabetic…

[SlowBurnMary]

Here’s a handy resource from Libby Jenkinson for LCHF/keto parents, extended fam, and other caregivers - with great lunchbox ideas and an action plan.

The comments thread under it is a good read too, more how-to ideas!

Low-carb kids – how to raise children on real low-carb food - Diet Doctor

[atomicspacebunny]

Babies (infants) have a bigger brain than body and can handle all that raw sugar and are always in mild ketosis. Almost like a type 1 diabetic if you really think about it?

As we get older we are always in ketosis; sometimes when awake and mostly when asleep.

Keep eating all that sugar before bed (dinner) and no more ketosis when sleeping, then we get fat, insulin resistant then diabetic?