Foods and snacks for children that are freely sold out there mostly contain artificial sweeteners. This additional ingredient provides a sweet effect with low calories, without using sugar. Many parents consider this artificial sweetener safer than sugar. The reason, artificial sweeteners do not trigger blood sugar spikes.
Is that right? Are artificial sweeteners safe for children to consume? Here’s the full discussion!
Types of Artificial Sweeteners
There are various types of artificial sweeteners on the market today. The food and beverage industry also commonly uses it in the process of producing food, drinks and snacks that many children like. What are these artificial sweeteners?
1. Sucralose
Ini adalah salah satu jenis pemanis buatan yang memiliki level manis 600 kali lebih banyak dari gula pada umumnya. Meski begitu, ada efek pahit yang timbul ketika mengonsumsi sukralosa. Beberapa jenis makanan anak yang menggunakan pemanis buatan ini adalah sereal dan permen karet.
So, is sucralose dangerous or not?
Consuming foods containing sucralose continuously can trigger an increase in insulin and sugar levels in the blood. This can lead to overweight and early obesity in children.
Sucralose is also widely used for foods that are processed by heating (fried and baked). Unfortunately this can be dangerous because the heating process with sucralose can produce a toxic chemical compound, namely chloropropanol.
2. Saccharin
This artificial sweetener has about 200 to 700 times more sweetness than regular sugar. In serving, saccharin may only be used a maximum of 30 mg for food and 4 mg for drinks.
The effects of consuming this sweetener can cause gastric problems to cancer in children and adults. Several studies have shown that consumption of saccharin can reduce good bacteria in the gut. This will pose a risk to the digestive health and immunity of your little one.
In addition, saccharin can also cause allergic effects for infants and children, so it is not recommended by doctors.
3. Xylitol
Mommy can find this type of artificial sweetener in chewing gum, toothpaste, and mint products. Even though the sugar content is lower than sugar in general, Mommy shouldn’t be complacent. It turns out that the effect of artificial sweeteners is also not very good for children’s health. Xylitol has a laxative effect with high doses in it. This means that consumption of xylitol can cause digestive disorders in children, even worse, it can cause irritable bowel syndrome.
4. Aspartame
The last one, there is aspartame, which is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This artificial sweetener is more widely used in children’s food products. Examples include yogurt, ice cream, chewing gum, cereal and soft drinks.
This artificial sweetener does not contain calories and carbohydrates. However, the use of aspartame in children’s food at high intensity can lead to obesity. The reason, aspartame can inhibit intestinal enzyme activity and raises the risk of children getting cancer.
Choose snacks without artificial sweeteners, Moms!
Instead of choosing snacks with artificial sweeteners, Mommy can fulfill her natural sugar intake from fruit. However, some children may feel bored or less interested in fruits. Especially if Mommy is a busy parent and doesn’t have time to be creative in the kitchen.
Then, what’s the solution? Mommy can look for alternative snacks that are healthy and have a naturally sweet taste without artificial sweeteners, such as Ivenet Yummy Wafers.
Unlike most snack wafers out there, Yummy Wafers are made from natural wheat and fruit whose production process does not use harmful artificial sweeteners, preservatives and dyes. So apart from being safe for your little one, this snack is also good for the digestive system because it is rich in fiber.
Its naturally sweet taste is supported by crunchy wafers, making this snack popular with both children and adults. Certified by HACCP and suitable for consumption by children aged 2 years and over.
Yummy Wafer, a mainstay snack for healthy Indonesian parents and families. After reading the description above, let’s Moms be even wiser in choosing food and snacks for your little one. Make sure Mommy looks at the contents on the packaging, and keep your little one away from snacks that contain artificial sweeteners in them!