As it turned out, craving for sweets is not an acquired, but an innate quality of a person. Scientists have proven this. From the first day, the baby begins to drink breast milk, which contains lactose. As you know, lactose is milk sugar.
How to limit
A child with mother's milk receives sugar from the first day of his birth. And this has been happening since ancient times. But, unfortunately, the fact that children cannot live without sweets is the fault of their parents. They are the ones who give them the first candy, chocolate bar, cake, etc.
But it is impossible to live completely without sweets. It has long been known that prohibitions do not lead to good things and there is little sense from them.
How to be? Child psychologists say that it is not necessary to completely forbid the child the same sweets. We must limit them. This should be done not only by parents, but also by all those who are in contact with the child - these are grandmothers, grandfathers, good family friends, etc. If the parents restrict the child in sweets, and the grandparents "feed" him, then he will strive to eat them for future use. There will be no sense from such a "limitation".
Can't be punished or encouraged with sweets. This can cause the child to have a wrong attitude towards food in general.
How to reduce sugar cravings
To reduce cravings for sweets, you should follow some rules.
- Teach your baby to eat with everyone at the table. Family dinners distract him from unnecessary snacks and sugar cravings.
- It is good if the child learns to eat according to the regimen.
- You should not be forced to finish everything that is put on the plate. He himself knows when he has enough to eat. Constant overeating contributes to the fact that the baby will eat more often and stifle his appetite with sweets.
- It is very important to remember: never use sweets as a reward, consolation. It is better to caress, kiss, hug your child, and not shove him a chocolate bar.
How to replace sweet
If a child is accustomed to sweets, then it will be difficult to wean him off of it right away. This should be done gradually. At the same time, it must be remembered that others should adhere to the same. For example, if a sweet dessert was always served at the end of a meal, then when weaning your child off sweet, give it up yourself. It can be replaced with fruits, nuts, crackers.
Not a bad option with dried fruits, candied fruits. When buying food, pay attention to the fact that sweets are purchased to a minimum. Buy more healthy foods. Do not deny your baby something sweet sharply and categorically. This can cause him to react negatively. He will begin to cheat and do everything to get it at any cost, including theft. Everything is good in moderation.
Balance
Parents of a child should be able to compose their diet so that it is balanced. You can include sweets in it, but there should be very little of it. It should not be harmful: a little marshmallow, marmalade, a piece of chocolate, etc. It is advisable to completely exclude from the child's diet such drinks as juices from packages, soda. These drinks are very high in sugar.
It is better to replace them with homemade compotes, fruit drinks, which are no worse than store drinks. It is good if the child learns to understand that sweets are food that should not be eaten at any time of the day. Just like porridge, soup, compote, it must be consumed at a certain time and in a certain amount.
It is very easy to get used to sweets, but it is much more difficult to get out of the habit. But it is quite possible to do this if you set such a goal.
