Sugar Sugar
I have been giving something a lot of thought lately. I am thinking about my son and sugar. We are not a family that consumes a lot of it – but lately we have been very lazy about how much we allow our kids to have. I have always felt that we balance our healthy diet with fun foods – the kid enjoy a bowl of fruit and yogurt as much as a bowl of ice cream. However, with my son’s unpredictable energy levels and erradic behavior becoming more constant I have decided to think about his diet a little more. I am starting with sugar.
Since I started poking around for info about it – I have found some astounding numbers about our culture’s relationship with sugar. Check this out:
Children do not need to eat large amounts of sugar. In the 1800s, the average American consumed 12 pounds of sugar per year. By 1975, however, after the overwhelming success of the refined-food industry, the 12 pounds had jumped to a world-leading 118 pounds per year, and jumped again to 137.5 pounds per capita (for every man, woman, and child) by 1990. (Food Consumption, Prices and Expenditures, United States Department of Agriculture, 1991).
No wonder we are dealing with obesity issues, no? I think, as a family, we might think about being more watchful about how much we consume. This includes juices and sugar found in granola and breads. It might just do us all some good to take it into consideration – not just the kids.
We water down our daughter’s juice and we try to never let her eat junk food (McDonald’s, etc…). That’s not to say that we don’t ever let her eat junk food, just not very often.
I think the obesity rate is up not just becuase of sugar consumption, but because the worst foods for you are also the cheapest and most easily available. Coupled with a desire for convenience and parents that are uneducated about good nutrition, you get fatter kids.