How does sugar affect my child?

Why does added sugar affect my child so much?

Let’s start by figuring out exactly what added sugar is. Some of the  major sources are regular soft drinks, sugars, candy, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, milk products and other grains.

But why are so many becoming concerned with added sugar? It seems like anywhere you go right now there is someone or some product/commercial talking about “NO artificial sweetener”, “NO High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS)”, “NO added sugar” and many more claims. It seems that sugar has become a staple in our family’s diet over the last few decades.

How is sugar affecting your child?

It can cause many of your child’s behaviors to be unrecognizable and unbearable at times. “You will see these things in your sugar sensitive children even if they don’t have words for them; feeling inadequate, having low self-esteem, feeling victimized, taking things personally, feeling that life is out of control, feeling overwhelmed, overreacting to criticism, living in the ‘twilight zone’.” (DesMaisons, 2004) It has also been proven in several studies to cause obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and tooth decay.

But what if we have been approaching the “sugar epidemic” all wrong. What if its not because of the sugar they are having these problems, but yet because of the lack of sugar their bodies have during certain points of the day.

I’m sure you have heard a parent or two say “if my kids eat that they will be bouncing off the walls”. But that’s not the case at all. Instead of their body reacting to a sugar over load and causing them to become hyper, their body is going through a sugar withdrawal. Some experts even go so far as to call it an “addiction”. “As it turns out, sugar isn't as harmless as we once thought; at least not in the volume we're consuming it.” (Sack, D. 2013)

What if this ingredient we feed our families several times a day is really harming their development both mentally and physically? Would you continue feeding it to your family because these food products are convenient?

“The American Heart Association recommends that children consume 3 to 8 teaspoons of added sugar per day, depending on their age and daily caloric intake. Yet children as young as 1 year already consume three to four times the daily recommendation. By 4 to 8 years old, children are consuming an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar daily, and the average teenager consumes about 34 teaspoons each day -- even more than the average adult.”

Unless your child consumes a 100% organic/natural diet they are ingesting some sort of sugar product at some point. For some families this doesn’t seem like an option. Most of our lives move so fast we need easy and convenient, which usually means these food products are packed with added sugars. If this is all your children’s bodies are use to then the real reaction comes when they aren’t getting it anymore, or their blood sugar is low. This is causing; a sugar withdrawal.

“Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain also sees sugar as a reward, which makes you keep wanting more of it. If you often eat a lot of sugar, you're reinforcing that reward, which can make it tough to break the habit.” (WebMD)

So what can we do to stop our kids from experiencing a sugar withdrawal?

1.Educate your family:Find out how it is affecting your family by either doing the research yourself or enlisting in the help of a professional.

2.Have a Family  Meal/Snack Preparation at least once a week:Take an hour or two over the weekend to create prepackaged snacks and to prep anything that you may need for meals.

 

3.Teach the whole family how to read the ingredients label:Watch for these on the ingredient label; brown sugar, granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, powdered sugar, white sugar, sucrose. You will not eliminate all sugars from your house at once, just focus on only eating the others in moderation. Once you have eliminated these first ones, start eliminating some of the more unfamiliar ones.  (barley malt, beet sugar, brown rice syrup, cane juice, confectioners sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, date sugar, dextrin, dextrose, fructooliosaccharides, fructose, fruit juice concentration, galactose, glucose, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, malted barley, maltitol, maltose, mannitol, maple syrup, microcrystalline cellulose, molasses, polydextrose, raisin juice, raisin syrup, raw sugar, sorbitol, sucanat, sugar cane, turbinado sugar, xylitol.)

4.Don’t let it overwhelm your family:This isn’t an easy lifestyle change to make. Don’t get so overwhelmed that you give up and fall back to old habits. If one day your family has a few less healthy choices, just make sure that the following days you get back on track.

5.Use Sweet Fruits and Veggies to curb your families sweet tooth:The best way to do this is to use fruit as a dessert and veggies as a late night snack. You will find that eating these more sustainable foods may even help your family sleep better at night.

6. Allow your family to consume some sugar in moderation: It is important that your family isn’t having withdrawls to the point that when they are offered sugar they gorge. Make sure to allow them to have it in moderation and they may surprise you when they turn down a sweet treat knowing they already had their sugar for the day/week. This also allows you to control the kind of sugar they are putting in their body. Remember it isn’t ALL bad J 

It is so important that you include your family in this learning opportunity. You want to make sure that they understand why they can’t eat it and how it affects their tiny little bodies. They won’t always be with you for you to manage what they eat. Teach them to make healthy choices, or find a program/individual to help you educate them.  

Healthfully Yours, 
Lori Graham
Integrative Health Nutrition Coach

HomemadeChocolate Almond Bark

Head on over to our recipe page to check out our latest one!!!

The WHOLE family will LOVE it and it is so simple the kiddos cans help thru the entire process!!!!

http://mindsonthemove.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html

10 day FREE family Challenge (#1-Add more fruits)

This challenge will begin June 8. There is an event set up over at our facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/events/1096155043733360/

During this 10 day challenge your family will focus on including fruit every day in a different way. This doesn’t mean you can’t include fruit other ways also. The more fruits your family eats the more of an impact their nutritional value will have on your family’s health.

Before the Challenge:

Ø  Make challenge cards and find a jar/hat/box to put them in. If you can find time have the kids decorate the cards. This will make them proud to use them.

Ø  Ask your family what kinds of fruits they want around the house. Make a list. Take them with you. (Can even let them pick out their own, the more hands on they are the better) Try to choose fresh fruit, but if not possible use frozen or canned.

Ø  Pick a reward that captures your family’s interest. Post it somewhere every one can see it daily. Use a picture if more motivating. (Could possibly post it on the fridge or a door)

Ø  Talk to your family about why it is important to add more fruits to your diet

§  They help to fill you up so there is less room for processed ‘junk’ food

§  They provide our body with essential minerals and vitamins that helps the body feel good and have more energy

§  They provide brain fuel

§  They provide fiber to help keep digestive tract healthy (Helps regulate bowel movement)

Ø  Answer any questions your family may have. If you can’t answer them tell them you don’t know but you will find out. It can be a learning experience for both of you. Email me and I will help you find the correct answer.

Challenges:

1.     Eat a fruit at every meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner)

2.     Eat a red fruit today

3.     Eat a orange fruit today

4.     Only eat fruit as a snack today

5.     Eat fruit for breakfast today

6.     Eat a fruit smoothie (Use 3 of your favorite fruits/natural sweetener/greek yogurt) <I will post some examples>

7.     Eat a salad with fruit today <I will post some examples>

8.     Eat 3 different colored fruits today

9.     Bake a whole grain with fruit as an ingredient <I will post some examples>

10. Eat 5 fruits today

*Depending on your kids age level and interest you can adjust these challenges to fit their needs

During Challenge:

v The night before the challenge starts have a family member draw a challenge card. You will choose a card each night for the following day. (Please post what your families daily challenge is on our event page when you can. This will help us support one another as well as discuss any negative and positive experiences your family is having because of the daily challenge.)

v Discuss the challenge daily. Allow each family member to share how they think the daily challenge was and what they could of done to improve their efforts.

v Talk about the fact of the day with them. Leave about 5-10 minutes open to see where the conversation takes you.

o   A strawberry is not an actual berry, but a banana is.

o   Orangutans LOVE mangoes

o   Apples float in water because they are 25% air

o   Mangoes are the #1 fruit in the world

o   Kiwi contains twice as much vitamin C as oranges

o   Over 7,000 different types of apples are grown all over the world

o   Grapes can no longer ripen once picked

o   The natural sugar in an apple is more potent than caffeine in coffee

o   A watermelon contains 92% water

o   Raisins are dried grapes

v TIP: Make sure to keep it fun and positive. As a parent you must lead by example. They will be watching your reaction and effort to every challenge.  

After Challenge:

ü  Keep a focus on fruits

ü  Talk about them

ü  Ask if your family is still eating them daily.

ü  TIP: You don’t want to put a lot of pressure on it so that it turns them away. Make sure to keep all discussions light and fun. The more positive you are the more positive they will be.

This challenge is a great way to help make fruit a staple in your child’s nutrition. The more comfortable with fruit they are, the more willing they will be to include it daily.

Lets DO this!!!! Your family’s first healthy lifestyle change is heading your way!!!!!!! We are so excited to help you get started on your journey. Your family is important and we know knowledge is power. So lets get to learning!!!

We can’t WAIT to hear all about it J We will also be giving away a set of the USDA food pyramid coloring books (6). They will go to the family who has the made the most effort to keep us updated on their journey. This can be by posting on our event page or if you feel more comfortable you can message us privately. We will announce the winner on our event page.

Join our Event at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1096155043733360/

or

www.facebook.com/mindsonthemovefoundation

Healthfully yours,

Lori and Erin