Breakfast is meant to be the most important meal of the day but it is gradually becoming all sugar and treats. Here are 5 tips to cut sugar from your child’s meals.

Did you know? The average sugar intake at breakfast each day is about 11 grams (about 3 teaspoons of sugar!)  while under disguise of healthy and yummy cereals and spreads according to a new survey by Public Health England of parents with children ages 4-10.

What’s your go to breakfast for kids? Pancakes, muffins, and jam-spread? That spells sugar. If you want to reduce the sugar intake, here are some ideas you can explore.

1. Go “halfsies.”

This is an easy way to cut the sugar without complete elimination. Mix half sweetened yoghurt with half unsweetened one or combine sweetened chocolate milk with unsweetened yoghurt. It will still be sweet and you would have cut the sugar by half.

3 Toddler Snacking Mistakes You Need To Stop

2. Read the cereal  label carefully.

Look for cereals with 5 grams of sugar per serving or less. Another option is to buy unsweetened cereals and sprinkling just a half-teaspoon of sugar in to sweeten it.

3. Use fruit as a sweetener.

Mash in banana and strawberries as sweeteners or blend it with plain yogurt. Go for whole fruit instead of juice.

4. Offer savory breakfasts.

Sometimes you can take sweetness out of the meal completely by serving savory breakfasts  like eggs, a slice of whole grain toast smeared with mashed avocado, or even reheated dinner leftovers. Breakfast doesn’t have to be toast, cereal, or pastries—it can be anything.

5 Smart Tips for Packing Your Toddler’s Lunch

5. Beware of Treats in disguise

It is easy to categorize cakes, donuts and chocolates as treats. But what about waffles, chocolate spreads on bread, and milkshakes? They are more treats than they are healthy breakfasts. When you think of them as treats, you see a clearer picture of just how much sugar kids consume on a daily basis.

Here is why too much sugar is not good for your kids.