To the people here who have commented that a life without artificial sweeteners is unimaginable to them I am at a loss for words. I do not know what to say to you. I'm not saying that I have an iron will or anything–once you go without for a while you lose the taste for it, it really is that simple I think.Surely it can't be as difficult to kick as say beer or cigarettes?
In other words, it is easy to drink too much smoothie because drinking is far easier and faster than preparing and eating raw fruits. Our hormonal systems are not geared to the speed of eating/drinking that our technological capabilities deliver. With processed foods it is easy to overrun actual caloric needs before your hormonal systems realize it has happened, our satiety mechanisms are fooled, and before you know it, you're way over your reasonable caloric budget.
If you engage your children in preparing, then eating raw fruit as-is, and reserve smoothies as a dessert-treat, then that establishes a timeframe their hormonal systems can easily accommodate. Even the youngest with minimal manual dexterity can "help" wash and/or dry fruits, and be an assistant by picking up fruits from the colander and placing on a cutting board for you.
It takes far more time, but personally that is my choice (YMMV), since I advocate a slow parenting movement similar to the slow food movement, because when you direct time and attention to a child, they flourish.
I use "splenda (sucralose) [1] the yellow packet" sometimes and I find I don't need very much at all for my tea, as they are significantly sweeter than the real thing. Its basically modified sucrose. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose
There is ongoing research about how the body reacts to "sweet taste" vs "carbs" in terms of insulin response. I find the less sweets I eat the less I crave them over time. [2] [2]https://www.health.harvard.edu/diabetes/ask-the-doctor-do-ar...
I've been off sugar (well, below 20 grams a day) for a few months now. I also have a 14 month old son but I think we can just exclude sugary treats while he's at home, he seems to be OK with fruit (not juice, the real kind).
Xylitol and erythritol are the only ones I'd consider consuming regularly, and they will be uncomfortable until you develop a tolerance for them.
I have never heard of anyone that has ever experienced constipation resulting from sugar alcohols. It has always emphatically (and sometimes noisily) been the antipode to that condition.
And this is not to say we don't have snacks ever; but as you noted, if we have the snacks, it is a temptation for us, as well. This is the reason we never buy sodas.
We are lucky because our kids will gripe some, but we can explain that the snacks are bad for "us" not just them. And they so far seem to be respecting that.
Only "secret" I know to help this is we don't let our kids get food after dinner. If they don't eat dinner, they just don't get food that evening. This is actually helped by not having snacks and extra food around the house.
Is Home shopping available in your area? It’s a lot easier to avoid sweets if you aren’t walking around a supermarket.
One of the parents being strict about his/her diet also helps as that focus can result in changes for the family as a whole.
Children model their behavior off their parents and peers.
> Also I am addicted to fake sugar (Truvia/Stevia etc). I use them almost everyday.
Young children do not comprehensively understand the difference between actual caloric versus non-caloric sweeteners. If you are talking about young (<10 yo) children, that have known no other life than watching parents and peers down sweet foodstuffs their entire lives, daily in your case, then they will accept that as normal.
> Are they bad than natural sugar or worst or same?
Behaviorally, I believe non-caloric sweeteners are worse for children. It is setting up a norm for them in their later lives that puts them at a disadvantage understanding nutrition, as they then ingrain into their habits a sweets throughout every day and every food norm that is increasingly difficult to dislodge when they grow into young adults and older.
Teaching my children nutritional balance is my goal. Balance to me personally is not the American or American-derived food pyramid, though. You will have to fumble your way through this, as pediatric nutrition research is as much all over the map as adult nutrition. Personally, I'm genetically deficient with an extremely strong family history of Type 2 diabetes, and I have very likely passed that onto my children, so my choices won't be your choices. In a developed-world context however, it is relatively safe to let them free-range (as much as they want) green leafy vegetables with minimal to no dressing. Free-range up to reasonable amounts of other vegetables that are predominately or contain lots of complex carbohydrates (like carrots, celery, etc., as long as the diet is filled with a diverse range). Sufficient proteins and fats depending upon what pediatric research you subscribe to that defines "sufficient" for pediatric developmental goals. Fill remaining caloric budget with complex carbohydrates with low glycemic values. As little processing as possible for everything. Tap water for hydration; not bottled, not ultra-filtered, not carbonated, not oil-flavored, not iced, not diluted juices.
6 years-old is when I was able to teach mine to simplistically read a nutrition label; at that age, they were able to see that a particular packaged food for example is overwhelmingly sugar, with little to no proteins, fats or complex carbohydrates, and willingly place it back on the shelf. It helps in my case that they are terrified of needles, then see me testing my blood sugar many times a day, and remember that I told them when I was younger, I ate too much sugar, and now have a disease that requires I eat as little sugar as possible. They don't want to have to poke themselves to draw blood now, so they are much more moderate in their sugar consumption compared to many peers.
If you didn't start them out as infants along this path, take very small steps over a long period of time, and model your own behavior for them. How small the adjustments, and how long a time period, is governed by the individual child, your creativity, and your parenting time/effort. Your tolerance to whining and fits over the world is going to end if they don't get what they want, as well. Offer two choices, both representing a moderately reasonable adjustment. Fasting for even up to a full 24 hours two times a year separated by 4-6 months each time is not developmentally harmful for children 5 years old or older if you encounter refusal to choose one of the alternatives; many children will do that just catching a really bad stomach bug.
As long as you don't react emotionally to tantrums, acknowledge their feelings that it is hard to change, etc., then change is difficult but doable.
Also I am addicted to fake sugar (Truvia/Stevia etc). I use them almost everyday. Are they bad than natural sugar or worst or same?