Why isn't there healthier choc and sweets for kids?!

[ScienceMum88]

Would love some opinions on this from the community.

Mum of 3 (DD 7, DS 5 and DD 2)

I have followed the gov guidelines to keep added sugar out of my toddlers diet as much as possible for the first couple of years but I've always found it really frustrating that once they get out of the 'Bear and fruit snacks' stage it's much easier for Cadburys and crap to creep in. I don't always have time to make better treats and I do actually love to give my kids treats from time to time too but am twinged with guilt.

I'm seriously considering developing a healthier type chocolate product for kids that's lower in sugar and better for them. Does this already exist? Is this something that other parents want and also find annoying?! Or is it just me 🤣

What would you replace the sugar with? Sweeteners? Healthier how? I think it's an admirable objective but I think all things is moderation is probably the way to go.

Well chocolate tastes great because it’s full of fat and sugar. I don’t really see the point in a low sugar chocolate. There are lots of healthy options; hummus & carrot sticks, peanut butter, fruit. But then I don’t feel guilty about kids eating chocolate alongside healthier choices.

Treats don't need to be healthy. They should be infrequent and delicious.

Fat and sugar are not bad for you.

Too much fat and sugar is bad for you. Don't worry about it.

Bear and fruit snacks are really no healthier than chocolate. The presence of fruit is to stop parents feeling guilty but in all honesty they might as well be on the Buttons.

Dark chocolate has less sugar, hence it's bitter and kids don't like it. The sugar is there for a reason. Chocolate isn't meant to be healthy, that's the point! What's the point of healthy chocolate - so you can eat more? 🫣 Nope, eat it in moderation and appreciate it for what it is - that's the health message. 'healthy' chocolate is a horrible idea all round.

Occasional treats are fine. My 2&4 are still happy with fruit as a treat (particularly berries or more unusual fruits).

they can also both be tempted with a fruit carton on times.

I think the whole point of chocolate is that it's a treat, not an everyday food. So i prefer it with proper sugar and dairy.

However, for those who can't eat that, there are already ranges of sweets/chocs for those with diabetes and for vegans.

Might those be the sort of thing you are after?

Honestly just minimise the junk food and offer healthier snacks as much as possible.

A "healthier" chocolate-type product does not sound particularly appealing. Or healthy. Artificial sweeteners are no panacea, as we are now discovering.

Wouldn’t this just teach kids to think that sweet, processes stuff is ok to eat regularly?

I mostly give fruit, veg, and things like rice cakes as snacks (DDs are 1 and 4). Chocolate and sweets are treats, as in every couple of weeks.

My children thought tomatoes and carrots were a treat when they got home from nursery or needed a snack. It was only when they started going on play dates that they discovered manufactured sweet products. From what I’ve been reading today over 50% of five year olds are considered obese so they don’t need to be taught to eat sweet foods. And 1 in 4 5 year olds have dental problems. So they do need to be taught to clean their teeth regularly.

Basically what I was going to say. Good way to develop an incredibly sweet tooth at an incredibly young age. Parents just need to stop giving their kids so much crap and teaching them to have boundaries. We should be educating children at home about dental health, healthy weight and how to cook delicious meals that taste as good or better than fish fingers but are so much more nutritious. I say this as a parent who has had to undo giving her 5yo a treat every day!

I kept my dc away from crappy snacks for as long as possible and even now, it's a weekend treat.
They still think the following are nice treats -
Chopped up fruit. Especially seasonal or exotic fruit
Olives
Dates
Home popped popcorn
Home made biscuits and cakes
Home made ice lollies
Home made smoothies and milk shakes

You don't have to feed your children chocolates and sweets, and if you do, then occasionally is fine.

There is already a healthier option.

It's called fruit.

No interest here. I'd rather buy 70% cocoa solids chocolate, melt it and dip strawberries in it. Sweet stuff is an occasional treat in our house.

Snacks for ds have always been cheese, cherry tomatoes, crackers, pate, hummus, breadsticks, taramasalata, beetroot, fruit of all kinds.

Breakfasts are wholemeal toast and marmalade/jam/marmite so a little sugar

Puddings are usually fruit & cream or fruit & unsweetened pancakes. Maybe crumble or fruit pie, again with a little sugar.

DS has chocolate at Christmas, Easter and occasionally at school. We don't really do Haribo etc. There's just no need, and terrible for their teeth. We don't do artificial sweeteners at all. DS only drinks water, won't touch fizzy stuff because he says it's burns his tongue.

No interest here either. Teaching kids moderation from day 1 is important. A small amount of high sugar, high fat food is fine as part of a balanced diet.

No definitely not sweeteners! I hate them and know how bad they are for our bodies yet alone little ones. I'm just bouncing ideas around - I think the thing that annoys me is that as a parent I've tried to shelter them from the super sweet processed stuff, yet once they are exposed to it it doesn't feel like they is a way back. I'm thinking more of a stepping stone type product so kids don't have to be as exposed to Cadburys or crap chocolate variants so early on.

I've heard carob can be nice and taste chocolatey without being chocolate so I wondered if that had any legs. I'm thinking less sugar, no sweeteners, no artificial anything, good healthy fats.

Why do we have to accept the norm of moderation of bad things when maybe they could be improved in the first place and still be enjoyed in moderation!

Maybe I've way off the mark - it's just an idea and I'm grateful for your message :)

There's quite a lot of 'healthier' snacks out there using things like carob (they lie, it's not a substitute for chocolate). They just might not be marketed at kids. Doesn't stop you giving them though.

These things already exist. I'm not convinced they're much healthier though.

Totally agree with what you've said - my idea wasn't to give parents a reason to let their kids eat more. Quite the opposite, I know treats are treats, that's why my kids do have them infrequently but I guess I'm saying is why can't the option be better to start with. Natural sugars, no sweeteners, minimal ingredients but just better to begin with - I guess almost to reduce the sweetness expectation of treats. I've been experimenting a little bit at home with some natural ingredients like carob and unrefined type sugars (yes I know sugar is sugar but from my research some do effect insulin spikes differently). My kids have really enjoyed them and their friends and I definitely feel happy to give it to them.

I just wondered whether a 'better for them' type option was a pain point for other parents. I don't think that's the case in this room today which is fine.

Because treats should be delicious, and in moderation. I’d give my child some cacao nibs on some cereals with yogurt as breakfast, but not as a ‘treat’!

we have always chocolate on a weekend with a film and nice cake enjoyed with a hot drink a few times a week.

we eat proper balanced meals. If hungry outside meals, we have a ‘mini meal’ with some fats and protein- like a little plate of cheese and olives.

we have always tried to have a bit of the good, proper stuff as part of a healthy diet. No bad food, just sometimes food.

Our friends whose kids were only given dried fruit and cacao nibs are now obsessed with shite.

There’s no such thing as healthy chocolate, a small 100calorie bar of cadburys such as a Freddo is fine for an occasional treat, it’s when chocolate is a daily occurrence there’s a problem!

Have a look at brands like Deliciously Ella.

I suspect that one reason these things are marketed more to adults is that they cost more than many people want to spend on treats for kids- quality ingredients are more expensive.

Agreed not an everyday food.

I hate things with sweeteners like diabetic chocolate. Definitely not an option for our family. I wasn't thinking about it from the perspective of fuelling an obesity epidemic but was thinking more that I would have liked a more natural, less sugary option that wasn't just cut up fruit or dates - like a bridge to more grown up chocolate when they are older - I was experimenting with carob and thought it was a really interesting chocolatey alternative.

I don't view fruit as a treat anyway so maybe that's why I was looking at whether there was merit in the idea. Thanks for replying :)

3 good balanced meals per day, lay off the snacks. Apart from in specific medical situations they really are not a requirement for healthy children (or adults) past 4/5. We mostly crave snacks due to meals not being balanced