We all know that sugar is bad for us. It's loaded with empty calories and has been linked to a host of health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. And yet, we continue to give it to our children on a daily basis, in the form of sugary drinks, cookies, and candy. Why? Because sugar is addictive. It's also cheap, which makes it an easy way to keep our kids happy. But at what cost?
The Dangers of Sugar
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that is found in many foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. When we eat foods that contain sugar, the sugar is broken down into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. This spike in blood sugar levels can lead to a host of health problems, including:
Obesity: Sugar is high in calories and can contribute to weight gain.
Type 2 Diabetes: Sugar can cause your body to become resistant to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels. This can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Heart Disease: Sugar can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by causing inflammation and raising your triglyceride levels.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Sugar can lead to the accumulation of fat in the liver, which can eventually lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Tooth Decay: Sugar promotes the growth of bacteria in the mouth, which can lead to tooth decay.
Sugar is a dangerous substance that we should all avoid. It's time to break our addiction to sugar and take steps to protect our children from its harmful effects. We need to be more mindful about the foods we're eating and make sure that we're reading labels carefully. We also need to limit our children's exposure to sugary drinks and snacks by offering them healthy alternatives instead. Let's make a commitment to ourselves and our children to break the cycle of sugar addiction and live healthier lives.
Now I will rant about it haha. If you want more rants, follow along!
Dr. Kathryn King ND (00:01):
Dr. Kathryn King here. And today I would like to just go on a rant. So we are coming up to Halloween, and I am about to hear one of my least favorite sentences over and over again. And that sentence is everything in moderation. And you know what? No, no, no, no, no, no. <laugh>. This is not okay. So everything in moderation, this is usually said to me, uh, in terms of food, right? So we're talking about people want to eat a cinnamon bun for breakfast. We eat half the Halloween candy before Halloween night, or, uh, or just justify almost any behavior that they know is not good for them, uh, not good for their mental or physical health, whatever it may be. And so, fine, you know what, if you would like to use that sentence to justify your own behavior, uh, go for it. Uh, this has nothing to do with me.
Dr. Kathryn King ND (00:57):
And so everything in moderation, if, if you are going to chant this to yourself before you make a bad decision to, uh, uh, relieve some of your guilt, if it's there or whatever it may be, that's your, that's on you. You do it every you want. However, what I don't like is when people use this phrase, everything in moderation to shame me or somebody else who is trying to make good decisions for themselves. Okay? So if I don't wanna eat your chocolate bar that you're offering to me and you like smug me, smugly, tell me, you know, like, well, everything in moderation, you know, balance is key. Um, no, this is not fair. I'm working really hard to make the correct decisions for myself and my health. And this drives me nuts. And it drives me nuts because I see people do it to other people who are trying to make good decisions for themselves, and it makes them feel bad.
Dr. Kathryn King ND (01:55):
And the worst part is, is, uh, the number of times patients have told me that they have taken their children off of the elimination diets that were working, which is literally usually just gluten and sugar. Um, because someone, one of their friends or their family members has shamed them. Like, Well, what can he possibly eat? The poor guy, He must be suffering so much. You know, everything in moderation care cake won't kill you. Like, I know, but it might make you really depressed. Also, in terms of sugar, You know what, uh, that's another thing is they try and say, uh, there's a really funny meme about, you know, um, <laugh> banana bread, uh, being compared to heart drugs and fine, uh, you're right. Like one piece of banana bread is not going to do the same thing to her life that, you know, doing meth one time might do, as far as I know. But sugar is addictive and long term studies, it's wildly detrimental to your health. So I don't understand how,
Dr. Kathryn King ND (02:59):
Where are we drawing this line? Like, how is sugar on the okay side of the line? It should not be, We should not be shoving it down our youngest people's throats, literally like as a ritual, Halloween and Christmas, What the heck is even happening Easter, All these sugar based holidays. Insane. I think in 20 years we're gonna look back and be like, I can't believe we did that. Let's start now. Let's not do this anymore. Let's come up with other ideas. The one that I've seen the most often is the switch Witch. This is beautiful. Your kids go trick or treating, they get to dress up, they collect all their candies, they pick their top five. Everything else goes in a bag in the hallway overnight, and the switch switch comes and brings their, the gift that they've been wanting, Okay? Takes the candies away. What else can we do, guys? How can we celebrate holidays without sugar? This is a question, so I don't wanna hear this. Everything in moderation. Please don't say this to me. What I wanna hear is ideas on how to celebrate holidays specifically with children and not make it sugar based. Give it to me.