Good News For the Tooth Fairy

Tackling the Sweet Tooth Head On

If you’re one of the many parents who has wondered if there is anything you can do to cure your child’s sweet tooth, the news is good: yes, you can!

Let’s start with the basics – having a sweet tooth is just a figure of speech. Teeth, themselves, do not prefer any particular types of food. Studies have actually shown that children form their food preferences based on the foods offered to them by their parents.

With that in mind, here are some tips to help your little ones not develop that nagging sweet tooth that could lead to REAL tooth problems down the road!

Limit Sweets

It may sound like a simple tip, but really think about it. How often do you offer your kids sweets? Once a day? Several times each day? Many parents and caregivers still use foods as a reward. Even schools use food rewards, offering kids ice cream parties for completing tasks!

Ideally, we should only indulge in sweets once a week. No matter how old you are or how old your children are, this is a good rule to establish and follow.  It’s good to keep this rule in mind when something out of the ordinary is on the week’s schedule – like that in-school ice cream party, or an upcoming family get-together. Teaching children that the exception follows the rule of only one sweet per week will really help keep those sugar cravings at bay.

Model Behavior

Regardless of the temptations in your personal life, be true to your commitment to cut out sweets. It’s a great step to take toward a lifetime of better health and once you get used to eating fewer sugary snacks, you’ll probably start feeling much better.

Teach Your Children About Food

Bring your children to the supermarkets and let them see that stores are filled to the brim with foods that are both unhealthy and healthy, and that making the healthy choices is really up to us. The grocery store is also a fantastic place to talk with your children about eating a diverse array of foods to keep our bodies healthy.

Cooking Is a Great Place to Start

Since kids love to help, a great place to get them involved in making good food choices – and in curbing those sweet-tooth tendencies – is to recruit them in the kitchen. They can help with food prep, measuring and reading recipes in the kitchen. They can also help prep the table for a meal and – perhaps even more importantly for tired moms and dads – they can get involved in post-meal clean up.