6 Steps to Stop The Sugar Spiral

We all know about the adage "teach them when they're young". There is no better application of this saying than when it comes to diet, in particular sugar in the diet of our children.

Sugar Addiction... How does it happen? 

From the day we are born we begin learning about our environment and form cognitive patterns that last a lifetime. Happy daily childhood experiences of ice-creams in the park and chocolate YoGo's after school may be setting our kids up for a lifetime battle with sugar addiction, excess weight, mood and behavioural disturbances, depression and other nasties.

Our society today is saturated with sugar filled delights... some of it blatantly visible, some of it secreted away in our everyday consumables, veritable 'Brown Bag O' Surprises'. Media pumps our kids daily with suggestions of sugar consumption, but perhaps more important is what our children are learning by parental attitudes toward foods.

Kids learn best by example. If we as parents behave and talk about sugar as if it is akin to the devil, our children will adopt this attitude and possibly rebel with sugar binges as they hit their teens, despite our good intentions to keep them healthy. On the other hand, by keeping sweet biscuits, lollies, chocolate yoghurt, processed and tinned foods (which have HEAPS of sugar hidden inside) readily available in the pantry, are we sending them the unconscious message that sugar is harmless?
Why Shut Down Sugar? 

There is plenty of evidence now about the effect that sugar has on the mind and body of children, too many to mention here. But in a nutshell, it contributes to childhood and later life obesity, causes hyperactivity and severe behavioural problems, increases the chance of mal-nutrition, leads to Hypoglycaemia and Diabetes, and contributes to everyday illnesses due to a compromised immune system.

Moderation and Education is Key Helping our children to understand that moderation is the key to all things in life is probably the best option when it comes to regulating their sugar intake. Personally, I like to keep the house free from sugary delights so that when we go out to a friend's birthday party or 'out on the town' the occasional slip up or unavoidable cupcake with double fudge chocolate icing, the fall out is manageable. But, more importantly, I also educate my children by demonstration, conversation and observation.

DEMONSTRATION: It is truly amazing how easy it is to teach our kids about the 'real' story of food. They love to learn about where vegetables come from, and really engage in helping to grow veggies and cook healthy home cooked meals. There's an added bonus... they're far more likely to eat something they've grown, cooked or collected themselves!

CONVERSATION: Talking to kids about sugar is also really effective. Rather than labelling sugar as 'BAD' and fruit as "GOOD", talk about what too much sugar does to their growing bodies, ie... "too much sugar can make you really tired so you don't have enough energy to play darling".

OBSERVATION: On the odd occasion when a child does eat something high in sugar, parents have a great opportunity to suggest that children notice their own reactions to foods. 
Calmly and kindly bringing the child's attention to their erratic behaviour after eating an occasional chuppa chup has a far greater impact on their comprehension and learning capacity than banning sugary foods from their diet altogether. 

Observation of their own body and mind also helps them to be empowered to make their own dietary choices and be responsible for the consequences of their choices, healthy or not.

Stopping the Sugar Spiral 

Avoiding sugar in everyday life can be a daunting prospect at first. But going back to dietary basics is the best possible way of minimising the sugar intake of our children: cooking at home with the kids instead of takeaway, packing wholesome lunches and snacks that are sugar free, looking diligently at the sugar content on packaged foods... it's really just an issue of organisation and a personal attitude that is educational rather than judgmental - we are never going to get our child rearing completely 'right' and that's okay. We just need to 'do our best'.

Here's my top 6 STEPS TO STOPPING THE SUGAR SPIRAL.

1. Remove all chocolate, candy, lollies, packaged sweet biscuits etc. from the cupboards - Replace with nuts, seeds, fruit, home baked cookies etc.

2. Reward (or bribe?!!) children with healthy lifestyle alternatives - Give frozen whole fruits eg frozen grapes or blueberries, a trip to the park, swimming at the beach, a family bike ride, a new colouring book, or one-on-one time with mum, as a 'treat' rather than lollies (my kids believe that frozen blueberries are the best treats in the whole world, next to a hot bubble bath!)

3. Use alternative NATURAL sweeteners in cooking - Avoid processed sugar including raw, and sweeteners like 'Sweet n Low', Equal etc. (they are known carcinogens). Xylitol and Stevia are not synthetic or highly processed making them the replacement best choices. Fresh fruit purees are another great option for sweetening foods.

4. Give your children a healthy high protein breakfast - This avoids mid-morning blood sugar drops that make kids crave unhealthy energy choices. 5. Avoid commercial cereals - They are ridiculously high in sugar. Make your own using dried fruit, nuts and oats.

5. Limit packaged fruit juices to one drink per day, if at all - It's highly concentrated in sugar without the benefits of fibre and nutrients from live whole fruit. Replace with plenty of filtered water with a squeeze of orange or lemon juice. Freshly squeezed juice is fine if a mixture of fruit and veggies. A tasty one that kids can't refuse is carrot, apple and ginger.

6. Replace flavoured yogurts with plain - top with fresh fruit, nuts and a little unprocessed honey for delicious sweetness without the empty calories.
Good luck!