Sugar = Evil.
For a long time I focused on chemicals in our food, water,
soap and clothing. I focused on going as
organic as I could. Turns out I wasn’t addressing the elephant in the room.
And that is….. sugar!
I knew that my kids shouldn’t have too much of it. And I have tried to limit where I can. (We
alternate fruit night and sweet night in my house) But it turns out to be one
of the most important things you can do.
I learned all this when I listened to a podcast interview
that Alec Baldwin had with Dr. Robert Lustig. You should give a listen here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/
Or check out Dr. Lustig’s lecture on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
According to Dr Lustig – there’s a reason that obesity, and
specifically child obesity is on the rise and it all has to do with SUGAR. NOT
FAT!
It can get scientific at times but it all makes perfect
sense. Eating sugar makes you want to eat more sugar and also suppresses
chemicals in your body that tell your brain to exercise. I am summarizing, it’s
not that simple but you get the gist.
And, if you think “oh I don’t eat sugar” I bet you are
WRONG. I thought that too. But there is so much HIDDEN sugar in all foods such
as ketchup, salad dressing, bbq sauce, other sauces etc etc.
If you add it all up, it really gets to be a lot.
The goal for an adult is to stick to 22 grams a day. To help
you understand this – consider this measurement: One teaspoon of granulated
white sugar is close to four grams.
I spent an eye opening day counting how many grams I have
consumed (bread and milk also have sugar) and I was completely shocked.
Go ahead and try it – see what you come up with!
Now consider this – you think you are giving your kids juice
and that it’s healthy but guess what?
12 ounces of apple juice has 42 grams of sugar in it. That’s
like putting 10 teaspoons of granulated sugar down your child’s throat! You
wouldn’t do that would you!
To check some other beverages, visit www.hookedonjuice.com.
It’s all science kids. And it makes sense. If your kid is
overweight and you feel that they are active and do eat healthy – you might
want to take a look at their sugar intake. It just might be the thing
preventing them to lose weight.
