I feel like a hypocrite writing about the dangers of sugar because am  also guilty.i will share how you need to watch your kids’ sugar intake.

I know the dangers of sugar through contents I have  read online and engaging with Nutritionists.

 It doesn’t matter if one’s sugar is either white or brown.

Processed sugar is dangerous to our kids health  and pretty much everyone’s health.However, the awareness of the negative effects of sugar has not stopped any of us from consumption.

4 Facts to Consider on Sugar Effect

 The following facts is why sugar is such a difficult addiction to  sto  :

• Sugar is eight times  more addictive than cocaine.

• The average American consumes 50+ pounds of hidden sugar every year.
•  False claims  by manufacturer that sugar is made from a “natural” source and most  consumers believe them.

• Heroin and opium  are obtained from “natural” sources, yet all of these “natural” things are processed into something dangerous to our health.

You’re not alone when it comes to the struggle to eat less sugar.

According to a research conducted by an American Health journal, Healthline in 2016, they asked  about 3,223 Americans  across the country about their sugar consumption  and added sugar in food.

Below are some of the facts generated from the survey :

•  62% of the respondent are concerned about the impact of sugar and how it affects their waistline.

•  40%  of respondents are likely to feel guiltier about eating too much sugar versus carbohydrates (22%) or fat (18%). 

• One-third of those surveyed want to take

• Strangely, 2 in 3 guess wrong on which popular food items contain more sugar. 

People are three times more likely to choose sweetened packaged cereal over the trendy “avo toast”.

 

Breaking Free Is Hard To Do

We  all agree and certify sugar is bad but our daily cravings may be winning out over this knowledge. 

• Although 86 percent of survey respondents believe they’re knowledgeable about the negative impact of sugar on health.

• 40 percent are still eating too much — and are feeling guilty about it. 

• 65 percent think a friend or family member could be addicted to sugar.

It is worthy of that the majority of respondents to the survey were Healthline.com newsletter subscribers, who s more health-savvy.

Research has shown that the brain treats sugar in much the same way as other addictive drugs.

 

 Experimental research  conducted in 2014 at the University of California, Davis revealed that sugar, not aspartame, blocked the stress hormone cortisol from being released. 

When breaking up with sugar, we need to watch out for both our emotional and social triggers.Expert advise that being more mindful of our emotions, including stress, will make it easier to change our  behaviour.

 

Know the numbers: “Sugar is good ‘4’ nothing”

• Consumers aren’t aware of the sugar content in some of the most common, popular food items, especially products associated with healthy eating claims, such as flavored yogurt, granola, and energy bars. 

• 49% of respondents say it’s hard to know how much sugar they are consuming .

• 1 in 3 (38%) don’t trust food brand  labels. 

• 70% don’t know what a gram of sugar is equivalent to in teaspoons or calories.

• Among the 30%  who think they know the measurement, only half are able to correctly answer that 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams (or 16 calories) of sugar.

 The American Heart Association’s recommended :

• Intake of added sugars is no more than 36 grams or  9 teaspoons, or 150 calories a day for men.

• Intake of 24g or  6 teaspoons, or 100 calories a day for women.

• A  perfect way to master  mathematical problem is by  knowing  your times tables for four:

• 36 grams divided by 4 grams equals 9 teaspoons. 

• 24 grams divided by 4 grams equals 6 teaspoons. 

• Repeat it again: 

       4 grams equals 1 teaspoon. 

The number 4 numeral is now  is an important number to remember when trying to keep track of daily intake when reading food labels.

Say for instance, if you eat one serving of Stonyfield Organic Smooth & Creamy Low-fat Strawberry yogurt (20g of sugar).

One serving of Bear Naked Chocolate Elation Granola(7g of sugar), you’ve already eaten 27 grams of sugar before heading to work or school.

If you’re a woman, you’ve just exceeded your daily recommended limit for added sugar in your food by 2g.

 

 If you’re a man you will still have  a few grams left for the rest of the day. Yet our survey revealed that only 5 percent thought breakfast was the biggest issue when it comes to avoiding sugar.

 

New Nutrition Label facts

New nutrition facts labels have been launched in developed countries like the UK and United States in  July 26, 2018. 

The only hope is that these new labels will show more clearly  how much total and added sugar is in our packaged foods to the end users.

That’s promising because right now, according to the  survey, a good number of  people don’t know how to read food labels as it relates to their overall health.

The real truth is, we’re still eating too much sugar and may not know it. 

“Some estimates put the average adult intake at close to 130 pounds of sugar a year — an astonishing amount of any substance, much less one with such disastrous health implications,”

 wrote Dr. Frank Lipman, founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City.

 

Dangers of Excessive  Sugar in Kids.

• Excessive sugar intake can cause  is diarrhoea in children. 

• Sugar can suppress your child’s immune system and damage its defences against infectious disease. 

• Sugar can increase the rise  of adrenaline in children.

• Excessive consumption of  sugar can cause issues with your child’s eyesight.

• Consumption of too many foods containing sugar such as sodas, candy  can cause  indigestion in kids.

• Sugar has been linked to increased in asthma in kids and teens whether it is  brown or white sugar.

• Excessive consumption of  sugar  can cause a decrease in  insulin sensitivity which can eventually lead to  diabetes.

• Research has shown that teens who consume too much refined sugar  can damage areas of their brains, mainly the hippocampus area.

 

4 Ways of Avoiding The Sugar Bug

• Start  engaging your kids early by  teaching them about foods that build the brain and foods that impair brain function. 

• Engage with your children and together come up with a plan of how you can get rid of the excess sugar in their diet.  Drink ONE soda per week instead of soda everyday. Discard candy bars and sugary snacks in place of healthy snacks such as cheese or nuts.

• Monitor how much sugar your child is consuming.

• Banana,Cucumbers,Eggs,Water,Honey and Veggies are good substitutes when your children want something sweet.

• One food group that helps to curb sugar cravings are fermented foods. 

Sugary diets with food containing lutein and zeaxanthin such as avocados, eggs, carrot and oils such as cod liver oil.

 

The Good News

The key to a happy and healthy body is giving your body what it needs. 

Replacing processed sugars with more healthful natural sources to satiate and replace physical cravings is the first step,

 

“Our survey told us that we really need to do more for our millions of monthly visitors,” said David Kopp, Healthline’s CEO. 

 

“Our findings pointed to simple education about sugar as the major missing ingredient for people who already want to limit their sugar. When I broke up with sugar, the first few days were hard, but it ended up being easier and far more rewarding than I expected.”

 

Once you are determine to get  your kids’ diets off sugar,  you notice improvement in thinking and willingness to learn. You will also see a difference in everyone’s moods, emotions, energy, and outlook on life.

How do you control the kids sugar intake in your household? Any great ideas that work?

Please feel free to comment in the section below.