This document provides 10 tips for reducing added sugars in a child's diet: 1) Serve small portions of sweet treats instead of banning them completely. 2) Replace sugary drinks like soda with water, 100% juice, or fat-free milk. 3) Shop at checkout lanes without candy displays to avoid temptation. 4) Use praise instead of sweets as rewards for good behavior. 5) Make fruit the everyday dessert instead of high-calorie options.

1. 10
tips
cut back on your kid’s
Nutrition
Education Series
sweet treats
10 tips to decrease added sugars
Limit the amount of foods and beverages with added sugars your kids eat and drink. If you
don’t buy them, your kids won’t get them very often. Sweet treats and sugary drinks have a lot of calories but few
nutrients. Most added sugars come from sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks, cakes, cookies, ice
cream, candy, and other desserts.
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serve small portions make food fun
It’s not necessary to get rid of all sweets and desserts. Sugary foods that are marketed to kids are
Show kids that a small amount of treats can go a long advertised as “fun foods.” Make nutritious foods fun
way. Use smaller bowls and plates for these foods. Have by preparing them with your child’s help and being creative
them share a candy bar or split a large cupcake. together. Create a smiley face with sliced bananas and
raisins. Cut fruit into fun and easy shapes with cookie cutters.
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sip smarter
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Soda and other sweet drinks contain encourage kids to invent new snacks
a lot of sugar and are high in calories. Make your own snack mixes from
Offer water, 100% juice, or fat-free milk dry whole-grain cereal, dried fruit,
when kids are thirsty. and unsalted nuts or seeds. Provide
the ingredients and allow kids to choose
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what they want in their “new” snack.
use the check-out lane
that does not display candy
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Most grocery stores will have a candy-free check-out play detective in the cereal aisle
lane to help moms out. Waiting in a store line makes it easy Show kids how to find the amount of total sugars
for children to ask for the candy that is right in front of their in various cereals. Challenge them to compare
faces to tempt them. cereals they like and select the one with the lowest
amount of sugar.
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choose not to offer sweets as rewards
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By offering food as a reward for good behavior, make treats “treats,”
children learn to think that some foods are better not everyday foods
than other foods. Reward your child with kind words and Treats are great once in a while. Just don’t make
comforting hugs, or give them non-food items, like stickers, treat foods an everyday thing. Limit sweet treats to special
to make them feel special. occasions.
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make fruit the everyday dessert if kids don’t eat their meal, they
Serve baked apples, pears, or don’t need sweet “extras”
enjoy a fruit salad. Or, serve Keep in mind that candy or cookies should not
yummy frozen juice bars (100% juice) replace foods that are not eaten at meal time.
instead of high-calorie desserts.
DG TipSheet No. 13
June 2011
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