Should Children Be Banned From Maple-Sugar Madness in CT?

Would you agree that many parents go to extreme measures to keep their children away from the temptations of sugar?

If parents are struggling to keep their kids away from the dreaded SUGAR, why would you think about piling the kids in the minivan to go maple-sugaring? I'll tell you why, but first, what do the experts say about kids and sugar? According to webmd.com.,

Many people think there's a link between being hyper and eating sugar, but research doesn't back that up. Several studies tested behavior and learning in children given sugar vs. a sugar substitute and found no difference.

So here's the real deal with kids and sugar according to health.clevelandclinic.org. The worst sugars are in processed foods, soda, desserts, and fruit juice. They say that fruit juice has NO nutritional value, just loads of sugar. Dr. Gaydos from the Cleveland Clinic recommends "no sugar at all for children 2 years old and under. The recommended amount of sugar for kids from 2 to 18 is under 25 grams which 6 teaspoons of sugar per day.

Eating an overabundance of sugar early in life can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. So, should kids be banned from going to actually witness the tapping of the maple sap that is the predominant ingredient in the velvety magical taste of maple syrup?

Absolutely not! Not only is finding how a tree is tapped for maple syrup interesting but I'm sure that maple syrup samples will be made available. Tell the kids to back away from the video games, put on some warm clothing and hop in the minivan. Click on courant.com to find out where the maple festivals are happening throughout Connecticut.