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We are a nation that loves sweet things.

If you read the ingredient label of almost every boxed or packaged food (we’re all reading the labels, aren’t we?), you’ll find that sugar, or some sugar substitute, has been added.

Cereals, breads, macaroni and cheese, beverages, frozen dinners…the list is endless and I’m not even talking about “sweet” treats like cookies, candies and ice cream.

“Today, (beet and cane) sugar has become a devastating American habit; it is quite impossible to find a commercial or canned food of any kind that does not contain it.  In a lifetime, the average American eats three tons of sugar.  Sugar injures the heart, causes overweight, decays teeth and creates diabetes, yet once upon a time it had no place at all in the American diet.  When sweetening was confined to honey and maple syrup, the American was indeed a healthier being.”

This quote is from Eric Sloane’s Once Upon A Time: The Way America Was.  It was published in 1982 and the sugar situation has not gotten better…it has gotten worse and many of the artificial sugar substitutes turned out to be worse than the product they were replacing.

Parents have an obligation to “raise up their children as they would have them go on” in life.  The time to set the parameters of what is good to eat and what is not is when children are young. 

How can we help our children avoid too much sugar and develop good eating habits?

• Read the ingredient labels and put back a product that has unnecessary sugar.
• Know that “sugar” comes in many forms and is called by many different names: glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, maltose, crystalline fructose, polysaccharide, monosaccharide, galactose, dextrose, corn syrup…you get the picture.
• Try making at least some of your menu items from “scratch” because then you will know exactly what you are putting into the food your family is eating. 
• Get into the habit of offering water when children are thirsty…flavored beverages and soda are FULL of sugar…empty calories and no nutrition.  100% juice has lots of “natural” sugar as well…try using ½ juice with ½ water…you will have a healthier, cheaper and more thirst-quenching drink.  Pour this mixture into ice-pop molds and you will have inexpensive and refreshing pops.
• Put a limit on the number of “sweet” treats…keep cut up carrot and cucumber sticks in the fridge.
• Be a good role model…does your child see you having a donut with your coffee, spooning sugar on your morning cereal, eating a chocolate covered ice-cream pop after lunch and then sitting down with a piece of cake after dinner?

If you are looking for some simple healthful recipes that your child can help you prepare in the kitchen, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking provides 100 of them.  Head over to my website and buy a copy of this award-winning book at 50% off the cover price.  You won’t be wondering what to do with your little ones this summer because there are also 100 arts and crafts activities and summaries of the 100 picture books every young child should hear.

Related articles

• The Scoop on Sugar and Sugar Substitutes (everydayhealth.com)
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Type 2 Diabetes (everydayhealth.com)