Restricting sugary treats — cookies, donuts, candy, ice cream, popsicles — is a common practice among parents with young kids, but some parents are taking this a step further by restricting sugar in all forms, including fruit.
Some people online claim that fruit is “potentially detrimental” for kids or tell stories of discourse from family members who claim that the carbs in fruit are “bad.” This narrative also carries through to adult nutrition, where grown-ups are limiting their fruit intake because of “high sugar” or “high fructose.”
All of this boils down to an overall concern about sugar, said Sarah Federoff, a clinical nutrition specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
But it’s not warranted. “There’s definitely misconceptions with it,” Federoff said.
“I can’t believe it is 2026, and we’re at a point where parents are genuinely worried to give their kids a banana,” said Marina Chaparro, a pediatric dietitian and founder of Nutrichicos. “The problem that we have in this country is never going to be kids eating too many bananas and too many strawberries. I think kids and chronic disease, it doesn’t happen because there’s an overconsumption of fruit.”
This scary messaging around fruit consumption is a sign of what’s happening in our current health environment, Chaparro noted. “We just don’t know who to trust … parents are being told ‘This is bad, this is toxic,’ and so I think there’s various problems. It’s this … misinformation,” she said.
There’s also a lack of nuance when it comes to nutrition, Chaparro said. People expect and want black-and-white messages that tell them what’s “good” and “bad” for their kids (or themselves) without any thought into individual situations or problematic, overarching messages.
“We’ve lost the plot in hyper-focusing on nutrients and this over-optimization of our kids’ meals,” Chaparro said.
Again, the problem is never going to be kids eating too much fruit, Chaparro said. “In fact, 88% of Americans are not consuming enough fruit, and 95% of Americans do not consume fiber,” she said. For reference, fruits like berries, apples and pears are high in fiber.
The sugar in fruit isn’t the same as the sugar in candy and ice cream — our bodies process them differently.
It’s important to understand that there are different types of sugars that come from our food and drink sources, according to Federoff. The sugar in fruit isn’t the same as the sugar that’s found in products like soda or candy.
“When I think about sugar, I think about natural sugars versus added sugar. Added sugar is sugar that’s added to food that’s not naturally occurring — so, you might see things like high fructose corn syrup, or things like cane sugar or molasses in different products, and that’s different names for added sugars,” she explained.
You can look on the nutrition label and check how much added sugar is in a product, she said. “I always look for added sugar to see if it’s a choice that we want to [make] because that’s the type of sugar that digests more quickly in our bodies and can lead to a raise in our blood sugar, as well as not keeping us super full and satiated after eating,” Federoff said.
This kind of sugar consumption can lead to a heightened risk of issues like diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
“On the other end of the spectrum, we have our natural sugar. … things like fruits,” Federoff said.
For example, an apple has naturally occurring sugar, but it also has vitamins and nutrients such as dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for digestion, can help regulate blood sugar and supports heart health.
“Fiber is important because it’s processed in a different way than these added sugars, so when we consume foods rich in fiber, it’s not completely digested, and our body is able to pass most of it through the digestive tract. It just works to help us feel fuller, as well as just helping with managing blood sugar — some types of fiber also help with cholesterol as well,” she said.
More, when you eat fresh fruit, you don’t get the “crash” that can happen when you eat candy bars or cookies, said Dr. Gabrina Dixon, a pediatrician at Children’s National in Washington, D.C.
“With processed sugar and the sugar in candy, you get this peak of sugar that comes on extremely fast, and then you get what we call ‘the crash,’ and then it drops real quickly,” Dixon said. “But, in contrast, sugar that’s in fruit is more of a balance. It’s not that peak we see. It’s more of a balanced sugar because again, fruit has other things in it to make you not get that peak of the glucose or sugar that we normally see in processed foods,” Dixon added.
“The benefits of consuming fruit and fiber are overwhelmingly present in the research,” Chaparro said. Higher fruit intake is linked to a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, fatty liver disease and cardiac issues.
“I’ve been a pediatric dietitian for 18-plus years, and I’ve still yet to find a study that tells me the problem we have in our kids’ nutrition is that they’re eating too many strawberries and bananas,” Chaparro said.
Fruit is a source of carbohydrates for kids, which is crucial for their energy and growth.
“Sugar is really important for our bodies. I would use the term carbohydrates in place of sugar in some of these scenarios — carbohydrates are essentially the macronutrient that provides our body with energy,” Federoff explained.
“I think parents don’t really understand what the main nutrient kids need [is], and that’s carbohydrates,” said Chaparro. “Anywhere from 45 to 60% of a child’s energy needs are going to come from carbohydrates, whether it’s fruit, whether it’s whole grains, whether it’s dairy, whether it’s starchy veggies.”
A child’s brain “runs on carbohydrates,” Chaparro continued. “And what is a fruit? It is a carbohydrate that is simple to digest.”
Kids or toddlers are often drawn to fruit because it’s sweet, but also because “it provides quick energy because their brains are growing significantly,” Chaparro noted.
While everyone needs carbohydrates, children’s needs differ. “Children need it especially for growth and development, and as a fuel source,” Federoff said. “Especially for their brains when they’re in school and doing their activities.”
While processed, added sugars are linked to issues like diabetes and obesity, it doesn’t mean your child can never have these foods.
This doesn’t mean you have to say “no” the next time your daughter wants an ice cream cone after a day at the pool.
“We try to emphasize too that there’s no certain foods that are ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ All foods can be enjoyed in moderation,” Federoff said. It’s more important to understand how food affects you, your health and how you feel.
A little bit of processed sugar is OK, Dixon said. But also, if you don’t want your kids to have processed sugar at all, that is understandable.
“Natural sugar that’s in fruits — I wouldn’t cut that out, because there’s other benefits of fruits that kids need,” Dixon said. Fruit should be a part of your child’s daily food intake. Dixon said that it’s a good idea to aim for three to five servings of fruit and veggies each day.
“As far as added sugars go, I try to encourage limiting added sugar to zero to one time a day per serving,” Federoff noted.
So, you don’t need to always say “no” to added sugar, but it’s a good idea to limit it. “Still practice moderation. If … your child wants to have a piece of chocolate on a holiday or some some cookies on the holiday, that’s certainly fine, but not making it a daily food,” Federoff said.
Again, the problem isn’t that kids are eating too much fruit, it’s that they aren’t getting enough, Chaparro stressed.
“Whoever is telling you not to have fruit, or whoever is making you feel guilty [for] giving your child a banana, I think that’s your time to say ‘I’ve lost the plot, and I need to unfollow them,’” Chaparro said.