It seems that I wage a daily battle against sugar. This season, more so than other months. Between Halloween, my son’s birthday, and my husband’s birthday, we have been floating through a sea of candy, chocolate and cake. Coming up in three short weeks, Thanksgiving itself, with several pies for dessert.
Look, I am health-minded enough to say, “No candy.” But my husband thinks our kids should be allowed to have a bit of candy now and then, as long as they behave. Thank God for my husband, who balances me out. So we dance this dance daily, negotiating how many pieces of candy corn we should allow or if we should allow any at all.
It is our responsibility as parents to raise children who understand nutrition and what is good for their bodies. Sugar is not good for your body. Period. Taste buds do not have to be trained to like sugar. It is concentrated enough to overwhelm and give an addiction after a few tries. American sweets seem to have a lot more sugar than European ones, too.
A friend of mine has not given her daughter, who is two, any sugar yet. As a result, this child is calm, peaceful, and reasons from cause to effect. Yes, even at two. I watched it happen and it helped me stay even more resolute against sugary foods.
Here’s how we set up some limits. We took the kids trick-or-treating in downtown Gatlinburg, and now they have two buckets full of candy – I told them we will make it last through Easter. By the way, this article in Today’s Christian Woman expresses very well why we allow trick-or-treating in our family.
I made a couple of LEGO brick cakes for my son’s birthday party. The first one just did not seem enough for all the guests. Now, what to do with all the leftover cake? I would share it with others, but I have tried in the past and been refused. I will probably end up throwing it away.
Better in the trash than in our bodies, wreaking havoc and weakening our immune system. Did you see that diabetes is at an all time high in New York City? We are all sugared up. It needs to stop. As we raise the next generation, let’s teach them to stay away from empty calories as much as possible. And the best way to teach them is by example.