Carbohydrates - food for energy
Every child is born a sweet tooth. In human milk, our dietary standard, 50% of calories are in the form of sugar, one of the main forms of carbohydrates. Thus, in a healthy diet of a small child, 50-55% of the daily caloric intake should come from the Saharans. But, unfortunately, for a long time, sugar has been received by a negative attitude of nutritionists. Any disease is attributed to the guilt of sugar. However, young children need sugar, a lot of sugar. But they need the right sugars. As students who take the course "All About Proper Nutrition", let's look at the difference between healthy sugars and harmful sugars.
Thoracic and small children by nature saccharogliki. Children crave sugar, because they require
a lot of energy, mental and physical. Sugars are the most important fuel for the body, supplying energy. Each sugar molecule is like a small bag of energy, making every cell perform its work. Sugars are of two forms: simple and complex( we prefer to call them short sugars and long sugars, you probably also heard of them as simple and complex carbohydrates, or sugars and starches).Each type behaves differently in the body.
Sweet facts about sugars
Speaking from the point of view of dietology, there is no such thing as bad sugar."Good" or "bad" is determined by the way it is served and with what it is combined. All sugars are good for the baby, but some are more useful than others.
"Bad" sugars
The least useful of sugars are known as glucose, dextrose, sucrose is the sweetest substance that is in the form of white granules in a sugar bowl on a table, in sweets, glazes and syrups. Because it is cheap and sweet, it is this sugar that is most often added to food products, such as ketchup. A small amount of these sugars will not bring harm to the child, but too many of these good sugars can become bad. Let's move
along with these sugars from the oral cavity to the bloodstream to see how they behave in the body.
These sugars are called simple, or short, because they consist of only one or two molecules. Because they are so small and simple, they only require little digestion in the intestine or are not required at all. Therefore, as soon as a spoonful of sugar reaches the intestine, it immediately penetrates into the bloodstream, and then the roller coaster begins!
The increase in blood sugar level caused by the sudden intake of this refined sugar includes the release mechanism of the insulin hormone necessary to accompany these sugars to the body cells. Sugar is quickly consumed, which leads to a sharp decrease in blood sugar to the minimum mark( this condition is also known as hypoglycemia or sugar sadness).This lowering of the blood sugar level causes the release of stress hormones that squeeze the stored sugar from the liver, again raising the blood sugar level. Differences in blood sugar levels and the desire of hormones to smooth them leads to the fact that your child's behavior resembles a roller coaster. To see these sugar jumps in action, take a look at the furiously raging group of sugar-coated children on their birthday party. Smooth them if you can. These sugars also deserve the name "sweet little things", since virtually all the vitamins and minerals they contain naturally are removed in the refining process. For this reason, they received the nickname "empty calories".Do not generously give your child these sweet little things. They do not do anything useful for your child. Enough of these ups and downs.
More useful sugars
Fructose, mainly found in fruit, is more useful. This sugar is sweet to the taste, but less than the syrups and glazes discussed above. We say that this source of fast energy is "better", because it does not cause hormonal surges, unlike its sweeter brethren who decorate the birthday cake. Differences in blood sugar levels and, as a consequence, mood swings are much less pronounced after orange than after sweet tiles. Milk sugar, lactose, also behaves better in the body, because it does not enter the bloodstream as quickly as refined sugar. Another advantage of fructose and lactose are the substances in the company of which they come. Unlike megadoses of concentrated sugar in granular form, fructose and milk sugar enter the intestine along with so many other nutrients that get into the bloodstream not so quickly.
Best Sugar
Complex polysaccharides, better known under the grandmother's name "starch", are the best sugars. They are contained in pasta, legumes, potatoes, cereals, seeds and nut pastes. These nutrients enter the intestine as a long chain of molecules of simple sugars, holding hands. In the process of digestion the body passes them into the bloodstream one by one, and in its action starch resembles a power capsule with a gradual release. These supersugar provide a slow, constant supply of energy and give a longer feeling of satiety, without mood swings, which lead to high-speed sugars. Fiber cellulose, indigestible part of starches and fruits, is a natural laxative, removing from the intestine food slag. Crispy foods that need to be chewed, such as whole( not polished) cereals and legumes, are the best examples. Fiber acts in the intestine as a sponge and as a broom. Like a sponge, the fiber absorbs water and unnecessary fats from other foods, giving the stool a larger volume, slowing the assimilation of
food and giving the body a longer feeling of satiety. Other types of fiber sweep the slag down the intestines and facilitate their removal from the body. In adults, an adequate amount of fiber in the diet is considered the prevention of many disorders of the intestine and, possibly, even reduces the risk of colon cancer. In children, the main role of cellulose is to soften the stool, accelerate the intake of toxins to the intestines and, in general, to prevent constipation - which happens in single-year-old children often. To make fiber work to cleanse the intestines, the child must drink plenty of fluids. The best sources of fiber are starch-containing foods( such as potatoes) with peel, whole( unpolished) cereals, wheat bread with bran, apples( with peel), plums, peaches, apricots, vegetables with peel), beans, seeds, brownrice, pasta, oats, beets, eggplants, pumpkins and legumes. As a good source of fiber for our family, we sprinkle with flakes of plantain( resembling bran) delicious ready-made breakfasts. Whole - that's the key word for cellulose. When cleaning fruit and vegetables, as well as when grinding cereals, most of the fiber is removed - another reason for leaving the products in the form in which they are grown or harvested.