During World War II, the United Kingdom engaged in a fourteen year food ration program. As part of that program, sugar was rationed to individual household members, with no sugar allotted to children under age 2. Soon after the rationing period ended, in September 1953, sugar intake among adults doubled.
This line in the sand, pre-ration vs. post-ration, creates two comparison groups in a natural experiment. Researchers studied these groups and found that cardiovascular and diabetes risk decreased with longer exposure to the sugar ration. Specifically, the longer babies were exposed to the sugar ration in utero and after birth, the lower their risk of developing diabetes or heart disease.
Many of you are now familiar with Ashley and Raman’s journey to platonic co-parenting. In the months leading up to implantation, Ashley focused on her pre-implantation health, and now, while she is housing her unborn child, she continues on a mainly plant-based and unprocessed diet. Limiting exposure to sugar in utero and in the very malleable first two years of life programs a baby’s organs, affects the lining of arteries, and defines taste habits. Luckily for my future nephew, his mom knows about the secrets of limiting sugar.
How Can You Help Your Baby or Child Consume Less Sugar?
While Pregnant or Nursing: The easiest way to limit sugar intake is to avoid processed foods, meaning, eat foods that look similar to their natural form. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Start with breakfast. Instead of pastries, bagels, or sugary cereals, go for steel-cut oats, rolled oats, eggs, chia pudding, or Greek yogurt. Even if you add honey or maple syrup to your oatmeal or yogurt, it will likely be less sugar than a processed alternative.
Feeding Your Baby: Once your baby starts solids, a world of snacks marketed toward babies opens. My advice? Stay away from that world unless you become an expert label reader, able to recognize all forms of sugar, from brown rice syrup to tapioca starch to corn syrup solids to coconut palm sugar. It is easiest to stay away from snacks marketed toward babies, snacks that melt in your baby’s mouth, instantly lighting up her brain, ready for more. You know that feeling. We’ve all been there, and the above study suggests limiting early exposure to sugars improves future cardiovascular and metabolic health. Click here for my framework on feeding kids.
For some unprocessed baby and toddler snack ideas: Try cooked, cubed sweet potatoes and carrots or fruit that is age appropriate. For babies, that might mean a peeled, cut, soft pear, cucumber, melon, or banana. For a toddler, this could be sliced fruits or vegetables. Whole grain toast with nut butters is also a great snack, broken in smaller pieces for younger eaters. Once nuts and seeds are no longer a choking risk for your child, having sunflower seeds, cashews, and walnuts are softer nuts that introduce your child’s palate and brain to these foods as snack foods. For new eaters who want to teeth on foods, in lieu of teething crackers, I recommend foods that won’t snap or break in their mouths, like broccoli stalks, celery, or frozen orange slices. You can develop your baby’s taste for these foods while nourishing them.
Stay away from juice as long as you can. Your baby does not need to drink anything except water or milk. Juice is the processed form of a fruit, and while arguably healthier than soda or artificial drinks, it is better to eat the fruit in its natural form, with cell walls intact, fibers present, and chewing required, allowing your child’s mouth and brain to recognize the tastes, sounds, and feelings evoked by eating.
Your child will eat processed and sugary foods and that is ok. No matter how great an eater your baby is, at some point, your baby will be introduced to sugar. Whether at daycare, preschool, birthday parties, or Grandma’s—sugar finds a way. Don’t freak out. If you can hold out, though, it may help set a healthier foundation for your child’s palate and future food choices.
In Summary
The first 1000 days of life, starting with gestation through age two, shape a child’s metabolic health. Limiting sugar exposure can help program your baby’s organs, taste preferences, and habits.
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References:
Zheng, Jiazhen et al. “Exposure to sugar rationing in first 1000 days after conception and long term cardiovascular outcomes: natural experiment study.” BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 391 e083890. 22 Oct. 2025, doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-083890
