This is a great video. As always, I dont agree with every point, but, I agree with the larger picture of it. And, it is so good that more mainstream attention is being given to this subject. Maybe our young generations will now get a better opportunity on a larger scale to change their eating habits and therefor their health.
Sugar is in excess everywhere you turn. As a parent, it is almost impossible to avoid it even in the most innocent places, like, ballet class, gymnastics, etc....Teachers always seem to want to reward with it! The only way out of all this excess sugar is to educate our little ones and to teach great moderation. It is tricky because as parents, we also do not want to turn our children into closet bingers and purgers-so moderation is the key I think.
Personally in our household, I advocate-"one treat a day" and if it is in my home, it is a natrually sweetened treat. If out at a birthday party or camp, or any place where my children are with other children, I let them have one of what other children are having so they do not feel singled out. But, I do tell them, if it is glowing (food coloring) blue, red, or really glowing at all-pick the chocolate or vanilla option. The glowing things are even worse for your brain.
In this video, they illustrate the effects of sugar on the brain in terms of its addictiveness. But, it also creates severe hyper activity and emotionality in children, they should discuss that. And, furthermore, they should illustrate such effects that food coloring has which is equally as bad. And think, if it does that to our children, what is it doing to us? And we are not even broaching my all time favorite subject of how it effects microbial overgrowth in the gut!
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/toxic-sugar.html
Dr.M
Comments
Thank you for sharing. Most
Thank you for sharing. Most people do not think Sugar is a big deal. But it is, and it's in almost everything. My family, friends, and co-workers are constantly hearing me tell them that what they are eating has sugar in it. And I have sent them articles of the bad side effects. At first they got defensive. But now I notice that slowly they are starting to change, and actually starting to avoid it. I start hearing them say that they are trying to avoid sugar, or at least minimize it. It makes me so happy that what I said may have actually paid off. Even though they were argumentative at first. Now they are the ones talking about it. =)
Children and sugar
Matia,
I love the one treat a day idea and have recently started implementing it too. My biggest problem is coming up with healthy treats for my children. Could you please share a list of the most popular treats your children enjoy eating? Do you have a favorite website or recipe book for finding healthy treat ideas?
My favorite treats
Well, there are many. Here in LA it is easy to get treats that are naturally sweetened, but, I very often bake my own cookies from a healthy flour and use maple syrup or agave to replace the sugar, or I use fruit that I have blended in the processer. So, I make cakes, pies, cookies with these natural ingredients. I often do not use recipes, i make them up. But, if i do use recipes, i just replace the sugar part with a natural sweetener.There are some cool ideas though. One night we split the skin of a banana and put grain sweetened chocolate chips inside, then wrapped them with aluminum foil (whic I never use, but, in this case it is not touching the part you eat) and roasted them over the camp fire instead of unhealthy smores!Another cool idea is taking raspberries and stuffing them with organic almond butter. You can also use some raw cacao mixed with some sweetner in the stuffing for a twist if you like.oh, and processing fruit and then freezing it in a popcicle mold is always great. Yesterday I came up with the idea to freeze grapes int he freezer and see if the kids will like those frozen. I will see:)I like to have hummus and healthy chips for them when they come home or gucamole so they load up on something really healthy and dont have a ton of room for the sweet stuff. So this way one treat seems very filling.They are getting used to the idea that one treat per day is the rule and are slowly accepting this is the way life works. I am holding my breathing and hoping for the best!
Those ideas sound great
Those ideas sound great Matia! Thanks for sharing.
I was determined when my
I was determined when my daughter was born that sugar was not going to be in her diet except naturally ie fruit, highly diluted freshly squeezed juice as I was aware that the horrible stuff is in just about everything you pick up off a supermarket shelf. However my biggest battle was with the grandparents, despite explaining to them my reasons for not wanting her to have sugar they insisted on giving her cakes, biscuits (sorry UK talk, I mean cookies!), sweets (sorry UK again I mean candy) etc etc and as I was going through a painful time dealing with an alcoholic husband and subsequently a painful break up and divorce I caved in.
My daugher has always had far less sugary foods and treats but this disease has really re-awakened my desire for her to eat healthily and although she often has a battle between head and heart or should I say 'taste buds', as a teenager she is able to see the wisdom and truth in all I am trying to educate her in and often if she comes back from a sleepover at a friends, she comes in saying 'I need vegetables!!!!!!!!!!!!' so we are getting there...I so do not want her to ever have to deal with poor health let alone IC and to appreciate the priceless gift of good health...I am thankful to say she is learning, be it slowly.
Hi Lynette, I don't have
Hi Lynette,
I don't have kids yet but I already know that my Mother-in-law will try to give them sugar whenever she can. My plan is to tell my Husband that he needs to talk to her very seriously and explain why they should not be having all that crazy sugar.... and if she is going to babysit, I am planning on packing them food, and natural sweets, like fruit or my homemade stuff. It's so crazy but we have to like teach them what has sugar in it, and that it is way to much. Every time I go over there she is always giving my Husband's nephews snacks that are full of sugar. I tell my Husband after I leave, "did you see that?!!!, all those snack were practically pure sugar!!!" We have to slowly try and tell them now, so that way when we have kids she will already kind of know. We can only hope.
My 23 -year old daughter is
My 23 -year old daughter is eating healthier as a result of watching my eating habits. She got off soda, sugar, eats more fruits instead. she drink spring water. It is never too late.