Is "Sugar Free" Better?

I prefer to use real sugar and just limit the desserts to special occasions. There are not enough long term studies on all these artificial sweeteners and if you are only giving it to him occasionally, the sugar won't affect him much, especially if you are also buying the low-sugar or no-sugar-added versions of other foods.

I never allow my children sugar free. They are better off with real sugar than sugar substitutes. And so are we for that matter.

I skip the sugar filled treats for my son. I bake with and use raw honey to sweeten. Sugar is bad for everyone, but if you must use it, use sugar in the raw. Or find things that are sweetened with fruit juice.

Skip the sugar-free treats and buy the sugar variety instead for your child. Reduced sodium is great for everyone, so are no sugar added products. Children, everyone in reality, are better off with a little real sugar occasionally than with artificial sweeteners. I use artificial sweeteners in products like soda and yogurt or when making Kool-Aid and iced tea for myself and my husband, but I never allow my daughter to have artificial sweeteners. We limit our sugar in the stuff we eat/drink a lot of for weight reasons, but my daughter is only 18 months old and doesn't have the issues her 30-something parents do. Sugar is natural, safe and perfectly acceptable in limited quantities for a child.

I would check the labels. If it has aspertame, splenda, etc. in it to replace the sugar, do not give this to your child. Those are cancer-causing chemical sweetners that should be banned. They are horrible. If it truly is sugar free, then go for it. :) The average American consumes 150-170 pounds of sugar a year! Seriously. About 100 years ago, Americans had about 4 pounds of sugar in a year. Crazy, isn't it? We are addicted to sugar, which effects our health tremendously. Sugar destroys your immune system, making it ineffective for several hours after you consume it. And, if we are constantly consumming it, we are constantly immunocompromised. It is so hard to find yummy snacks for our children because we are so trained on sugar. Also, finding prepared foods is difficult because everyone wants it sweet. But, perhaps you can learn to make some things for your precious son that are healthier for him. It will take some foreplanning, but once you get used to it, you'll be fine. :) Blessings! I love it when mamas start looking at these important issues. It shows such a love and care for your children!

Sugar free isn't bad but you have to read the labels. If you see things like "sucralose" and "aspartame", those are chemical sweeteners like Equal and Splenda, and a lot of authorities say they are really bad. Your child is better off with a little real sugar than with all those chemicals. Pretty much all food is bad for the teeth if you don't brush, and a lot of foods turn to sugar in the body - white flour, for example. You're better off with as much fresh food as possible and as few prepared/processed foods as possible. An occasional treat is fine but I would sooner give my child a small amount of real ice cream than a pile of chemicals just because it has few calories.

No sugar added is good - but it doesn't mean there isn't a lot of natural sugar it in already. Dr. Oz listed a bunch of bad things to look for on the label - "enriched flour" is one (it's flour that's been stripped of its nutrients and then has had a couple put back in), "sugar", "salt", "partially hydrogenated oil" and one other I can't think of at the moment. He says if these are in the first 5 ingredients, don't buy the product. So, that loaf of bread you're buying may be a lot worse than something with a little sugar in it. And if there's a whole bunch of stuff on the label that you cannot even pronounce, then you're headed into a no-man's land of additives & chemicals, in many cases.

No. My mom is diabetic & she prefers to limit her sugary snacks instead of eating a lot of the sugar free stuff. I have learned from her that the sugar alcohol in the sugar free stuff is worse for you (adults & kids) than regular sugar. I have also heard (from my mom) that the asparamine (sp?) that is in the sugar free stuff is not good for kids.
We just limit sugary treats such as pudding & jello because there is little to no nutritional value & eat more fruits. We do use the no-sugar added apple sauce & reduced sodium products.

God bless!

Just like Tina F. wrote I would rather use real sugar when I buy deserts. Apple sauce usually isn't a problem if you buy an all natural brand. If you are worried about all the "extras" in food you might want to try shopping at a natural foods store for his snacks. I buy these all natural no junk added lollipops and my kids love them and I feel a little better about treating them with a snack or treat. When you do shop for the all natural type foods it is just finding a brand that tastes as good as what you would normally buy.

Too many sugar substitutes are not good for the kidneys. An occasional dessert isn't bad, but if it's so occasional what's wrong with real sugar on those rare occasions?

I buy no sugar added applesauce too..but you still have to be careful and read labels. Some are simply free of added sugar (a better choice in my opionion) but some have other junk added in that I still want to avoid. I like to use the no sugar added blends with pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry etc. and always have to read labels because some add "junk" and some do not. Sugar-free jello, pudding etc has a lot of nasty fake stuff in them in addition to the artificial sweetners. I do not believe they are a healthier alternative....they just have less sugar. IMO, if jello, pudding etc is a rare treat, offer the "real" stuff.

I have strong opinions on sugar free foods and drinks. I will never give them to anyone. I get horrible migraines from the chemicals they use plus sugar free stuff is full of salt and other stuff to hide the horrid aftertase so it is really unhealthy.

I have a friend whose father died from diabetes, she has the same type as he did, insuline reisitant. She did sugar free everything and weighed over 400lbs, ate less than 1000 calories a day and still never lost weight, niver flet healthy, always getting pneumonia and nearly dying every time.

She went to a specialist in OKC and got some very good advice. They took her off of all fake sugars, all fake fats, everything not a normal healthy diet. She lost weight, wears a size 8-10 now, goes shopping and walks just about anywhere she wants to go, she eats small servings of sugary food, made with real sugar and butter, etc...all foods that come naturally and have very little processing, she has not been in the hospital in several years, breathes normal, no oxygen tanks....

She did use an insuline pump for a while but has had the central line removed.

The doc told her the fake stuff was poisin and she took him at his workd and cut it out and is alive today because of it.
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If you want to eat healthier drink 100% juice, water, milk, etc...servings sizes of these are not 8 ounces every hour, read the labels and learn the right servings. Give fruit and yogurt as dessert choices, eat healthier and maybe find some lower sugar recipes that use real sugar but just less. When I make Koolaid I only use 2/3 to 1/2 cups sugar instead of a whole cup. My family is used to it and they don't know any dfferent.

I don't think sugar free is good or healthy because of the additives they put in. I think it's better to eat the real sugar and eat less of it than to go for the sugar free thing. I used to eat sugar free all the time and now have tried not to except for sugar free gum. No sugar added is okay I think. I think it just means no extra sugar is added.