13 Apr Do you have unknown hidden sugars in your child’s lunch box?

Dental experts are reminding parents to keep an eye on the amount of hidden sugar kids can consume on a daily basis.

As parents and carers, we are busier than ever, and making and packing our kids’ lunches can feel like a daily challenge. However, it’s important to be mindful of hidden sugars in school lunchboxes, as they can have detrimental effects on our children’s oral and overall health.

Parents may be surprised to know that for example, a lunch that includes dried apricots, a flavoured yogurt, and a fruit juice box is delivering more than double the recommended daily amount of sugar.

The Australian Dental Association New South Wales (ADA NSW) has shared these easy tips to help parents and carers make tooth-friendly choices when it comes to packing school lunches

∞ Include something from each of the five food groups including fruit/vegetables/legumes/beans, dairy, grain (cereal) foods and lean meats poultry/fish/eggs. E.g., cheese sticks hard-boiled eggs.

∞ Replace chips, chocolates, muesli bars, and sweet biscuits with items such as fresh fruit, celery and carrot sticks, and cucumbers.

∞ Limit snacks that are high in sugar and/or saturated fats e.g. donuts

∞ Pick whole fruit over fruit juice – the vitamins, minerals and fibre make it more filling and nutritious and reduce the sugar content per serve.

∞ Pack water as your school drink rather than sports drinks, juice, soft drinks, cordials or flavoured milk which are high in sugar. If your tap water is fluoridated even better!

∞ Look for grain-based snacks with whole grains and high fibre, such as wholegrain bread and crackers.

∞ Processed snack products such as muesli and breakfast bars, chips, and cookies should be limited to one item and ideally a low-sugar choice, such as rice crackers, popcorn and cheese.