Figuring out healthy alternatives for desserts

Kids love sweets! It's something everyone knows, but researchers have come up with an explanation for this phenomenon:

During periods of accelerated growth, children's bodies need a much higher calorie intake and thus the need for sweets in much larger quantities. As children get older, the growth rate decreases and implicitly there is a decrease in the desire for sweets.

Most children get about 20 percent of their daily calories from sugar, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Specifically, this means that on average a child consumes even up to 40 kilograms of refined sugar per year.

Sugar consumption in children should be limited to 150-200 calories per day, the equivalent of about three chocolate cubes or four candies.

The real healthy desserts for children are home-made, by your hand and by your friend alike. This way you know exactly what the cakes contain and you can control the amount of sugar in them. Also, avoid preservatives and other harmful E's that are often found in confectionery or commercially packaged sweets. Here are some tricks to make healthy desserts for your child!

Children do not always like simple, natural fruits. But you can easily mask them in the form of delicious desserts. You can roll them in a little chocolate cream, you can fully integrate them into cakes or fruit creams made by you. Be creative and make all kinds of toppings to roll pieces of fruit in them (caramel, chocolate, a little whipped cream, etc.).

In the hot season, the little ones can't wait to taste the ice cream. Avoid buying ice cream for the little one and do it yourself. In this way you can replace the harmful sugar with plenty of fruit and you can put a drop of honey to sweeten it. In addition, you can make a lot of super combinations, and if you are also creative and arrange them nicely in shapes or on special chopsticks for children, the little ones will be delighted.

Make puddings, creams, rice or semolina with milk!

These can become some of their favorite desserts if you are smart and introduce them when they are little as desserts. They are creamy and sweet and you can play with them and from time to time you can add dried fruit or fresh fruit in them.

It is not advisable to accustom the child to the idea that he will receive a dessert after every meal! It is not advisable or healthy to make sweets a daily routine. Doctors claim that it is enough to give him a dessert once a day 3-4 times a week and that's it. Of course, this does not include fruits, which can be served daily, but as independent snacks, without added sugar or other ingredients!

It is best to have the little one help you and cook sweets and desserts with you. Make their preparation a game and a fun and always be creative! It's an opportunity to talk to her about how to make healthy sweets. Explain the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods.

Also, explain that the foods you eat must provide all the nutrients to grow big and healthy and that not all of them are. Give him concrete examples to know why they should avoid and explain what they cause: tummy pain, lack of energy to play, fatigue, etc.