One serving of Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce has the same amount of sugar as an entire pouch of Dora Fruit-Flavored Shapes.

And did you know the spaghetti sauce has more sugar than Oreos and Kisses?

* Two Oreos=6.5 grams of sugar

* 2 Hershey Kisses=4.7 grams of sugar

Sugar is lurking everwhere. But if you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, No Big Deal.

I can’t get myself worked up about sugar in my condiments:

  • Heinz Ketchup: 4g per Tbsp; HFCS=3rd ingredient; Corn Syrup=4th ingredient
  • Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing: 1g per 2Tbs; Sugar=4th ingredient

But…

Have you thought about what you’re (inadvertently) teaching your kids about what foods ought to taste like?

We don’t typically think about the pasta we’re serving as delivering a sweet punch. But…

  • If Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce tastes sweet (maybe even as sweet as an Oreo) then…
  • Kids come to expect sweet flavors. No wonder many of them don’t like apples…or broccoli.

I’m sure you’ve noticed…most kids don’t need “help” learning to like sweet foods!

The question is: How Much Sweet is Too Much Sweet?

I recommend that you deliberately vary which flavors you feed your kids.

For more on this topic read My Toddler Used to Eat Vegetables.

I discuss all these ideas in It’s Not About the Broccoli.

 ~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~