No child in the United States of America should ever have to go without eating enough sugar for breakfast.
One 1/2 cup of cereal is an average of 3 teaspoons sugar. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon.
Cereal, doughnuts, pop tarts, breakfast drinks, power bars, pancakes, waffles, packaged cupcakes. “No fair” whines my 10 year old when I put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him, He would rather have cereal. “We need sugar”, he grumbles. He would be more than happy with Will Ferrel’s Diet in Elf.
Eating enough sugar for elves includes four main food groups candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup. For my child it would be cereal, candy, doughnuts and plain pasta. I asked him to list why it was important to have sugar. He replied:
It makes me feel good
I like the taste
Makes me happy when I eat it
It is easy to eat
It gives me energy
Is My Kid Eating Enough Sugar
This is one smart kid! Sugar does spike our dopamine levels which we associate with rewards. Do a great job on something, why not treat yourself to a cookie? Sadly one cookie is never enough. Sugar also triggers the calming hormone of serotonin. Why put your kid on expensive antidepressants to lift his mood when a 50 cent doughnut will do. What my child already knows is that sugar will give him an energy fix, a pick me up to stop the yawning. Eating to much sugar at once spikes the insulin so high that the body can’t recover and you feel tired. Eating enough sugar to clear out this tired feeling leaves the immune system and brain in a stupor ready for a long nap.
What my son does not see is the brain fart, I mean fog, that happens after. You have all seen it. Feed your kiddos ice cream late in the afternoon or a breakfast of doughnuts and chocolate milk and watch them loose it when you give a simple direction like get in the car. Those little sugar molecules create free radicals in the brain tissue that cause a farting effect in the brain. Might as well take them to the park and call it a day.
Look we all know what to do but the fact is as parents most of us can’t or won’t clean up our own diets. Plus the social ramifications are huge. How can you subject your kid to being the only one at the party without cake and ice cream. Few basics:
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Fiber off sets insulin, eat the whole apple instead of drinking juice
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Set up a reward system that triggers dopamine without sugar, trip to the park, a massage, playing their favorite game, listening
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Make the sugary treat an event so that it is not an expected after dinner or afternoon activity the body craves daily out of habit
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Verbal praise, hugs, special time with parents go a long why to increase the calming serotonin
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Exercise raise endorphins that help energize the body
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Get enough sleep
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Give your children information about sugar and food in general like you would about drugs, sex, and punk music
Are you and your family eating enough sugar in the so called healthy food? I watched this engaging film with my 8 & 10 year old sons and we all learned a lot about yogurt, juice, granola and other kid friendly foods. The movie is truly kid friendly and entertaining. It is found on both Amazon and Google Play–a life changing experience.
According to That Sugar Film Americans are lagging behind. In the United State we are only eating enough sugar to fill 28 teaspoons a day while out Aussie counter parts are at the large Jamba Juice level of 40 teaspoon of sugar a day. Come on American Moms toss in the pop tarts and fill up those juice glasses; we are falling behind!
Resources
Your Brain on Sugar by WebMd
How to Talk to Children About Addictive Foods by Susan Pierce Thompson, Phd
Other Helpful Articles:
Healthy and Quick Snacks Kids Can Make
Encourage Healthy Eating Habits and Stop the Food Fight
Why I don’t Nag My Kids To Eat Healthy
How I Get My Kids to Eat Veggies
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