kids lunches

Question
Hi.  I have a question.  Are peanut butter & jelly sandwiches unhealthy for kids?  Is the sugar content too high?  I've always heard that adult women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar, and I believe it's 9 teaspoons for men, but what about children?  Thanks

Answer
Danielle,  I've been getting a lot of questions regarding "sugar" lately. It's almost a flash back to the bad old days of Atkins, LOL.

First of all, not all sugars are created equal. I'm not sure where you got the 6 and 9 teaspoons of sugar from but it depends on the source of the sugar. Most dairy products for instance, naturally contain sugar.

If you are truly worried about "bad sugars" , This article   9 Surprising Sources of Sugar  discusses that very topic and includes a list of common ingredients which most people don't realize are "sugar"

I did a grocery store tour today in which I had to explain why the chobani yogurt with 5 more grams of sugar was better than the yoplait with the "sucrolose" and 5 other chemicals which our body was not meant to process.  

There are no bad foods in general, just over processed foods in the midst of a generally unhealthy diet.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich or twinkie  a day won't hurt them if they are getting their 3-4 fruits 3-4 vegetables, avoiding sodas and sugary drinks and eating whole foods, drinking water and not eating the majority of their diet from a box.

Your kids are probably getting more sugar in their bread, pasta sauce and salad dressing than they are in peanut butter and jelly . That having been said, if you are concerned with the healthiest choice for peanut butter and jelly , use all natural peanut butter which does not contain hydrogenated and other added oils and other preservatives which is far worse for our health than sucrose or fructose which is found in nature and which our bodies know how to process.  I would use all natural jam in place of the jelly or just plain honey or black molasses syrup (if you want to be real healthy)

Feel free to e-mail me with any other questions.  

1. Prev:Diet
2. Next:Juicing vs blending