Why low-calorie and sugar-free foods are bad for kids

Cara Natterson, MD Pediatrician & Author, shares advice for parents on why low-calorie and/or sugar free alternative versions of foods are not necessarily healthier
Why Low-Calorie And Sugar Free Foods Are Bad For Kids
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Why low-calorie and sugar-free foods are bad for kids

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A treat is a treat is a treat. What we are doing when we teach our kids about nutrition is we are trying to teach our kids how to eat well-balanced meals throughout the day. But your kids do need a little bit of a treat in there. When you are choosing between a regular dessert made with good old fashioned sugar and butter and a low-calorie dessert made with artificial ingredients, I always choose the dessert that is made with regular ingredients. The reason why is the lesson we are teaching kids is keep the portion size in moderation. Make a choice that's right for your body. Don't choose something that just says on the label it's not full of fat and calories. We have no idea what it does to our body. So acknowledge it's a treat and have the food with more natural ingredients and when you're done with it, you're done with it. It turns out, all the diet foods on the market, American's keep getting heavier and heavier. So this low-fat, low-calorie alternative really isn't helping our country at all.

Cara Natterson, MD Pediatrician & Author, shares advice for parents on why low-calorie and/or sugar free alternative versions of foods are not necessarily healthier

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Cara Natterson, MD

Pediatrician & Author

Cara Natterson, MD has treated thousands of children and guided their parents as well. She was a partner at Tenth Street Pediatrics in Santa Monica, California, a large group practice serving infants, children and teenagers. She now runs Worry Proof Consulting, the first of its kind pediatric practice that offers parents open-ended time to review everything from medical questions and biology basics to child development and parenting issues. Cara is also the author of several books on parenting and child health. She has a unique ability to translate cutting edge research into understandable terms for parents and their kids. More recently, Cara’s consulting has extended beyond individual families to include fortune 500 companies seeking expert advice on safety issues, child health, and crisis management.

Cara has appeared on television, in print, and on the web. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and she trained in pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco. Cara is a Board certified pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. And anyone who knows her knows that Cara is, by nature, one of the most risk-averse people on earth. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

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