Normally I am not one to get on the band wagon when it comes to a particular eating style or diet because I find it forces you to limit yourself, starve yourself or worse eat unhealthily, but what I am about to say is different.
I have been blown away by the recent research about sugar and the effects it has on the body’s systems, the diseases, like cancer, diabetes and dimentia to which it is linked, not to mention mood swings and brain fog.
Sadly, we are not given this research on a grander scale to help make informed choices for our families health. Without getting preachy, I want to invite everyone to take this challenge: Try to strike more sugar from your diet.
I love sugar. It’s where I often find comfort and, I must admit, I will have trouble giving it up completely. I know to some extent that it will always be a part of my diet but I can reduce my intake by being smart and using other sources to satisfy my sweet tooth. Why not watch Sugar: the Movie or the interesting CBC Fifth Estate documentary, The Secrets of Sugar as they sparked interesting conversations between myself, my husband and my 10 yr old daughter.
If you are considering making a change, the more people in your household you involve the better. Another interesting watch is Hungry for Change. This actually made my 10 yr old pause and think about the amount of sugar that exists in some of the things she believed were healthy! I found that by watching these documentaries together as a family it helped her be more interested in making the change. It’s not that mom and dad were depriving her of something; we were actually trying to help her make a better choice. Now it’s unrealistic for me to suggest that we will strike sugar completely, but what we are doing is really making better choices at the supermarket: reading labels, and not being seduced by slick marketing that can mislead. I encourage you all to read the ingredients and look for the products that contain real food. The less processed the better. Start the school year off right and reduce the amount of sugar in the diets of your kids and watch their focus in class change. It’s amazing the changes I have seen in our house already! It inspires me and convinces us that, as a family, we are on the right track. Does this mean i will never have sweets? Nope! I love a great dessert! But what I have noticed is a decrease in my cravings; and when I have one, just a little satisfies me.
If this sounds like something you have been thinking of doing in your own home, give it a try and let me know how it’s going. |
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