The White sugar
The elephant in the room. Sugar (sucrose) is one of the most common ingredients in almost every food our children eat and it is also usually one of the top three ingredients. This means that kids are eating a lot of sugar on a daily basis far more than recommended amount. Not surprisingly, it is also one of the worst ones, especially the white sugar. Use of white sugar is proven to cause obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions in kids as young as five years old. With the rise in obesity and diabetes across North American, this is one product that should be limited in food. Most sugar is entering our children’s system through sugary pops, packaged foods, sweets, candy, bread etc.
What exactly is white sugar:
White sugar is 100% refined sugar. This means it has almost zero health benefits apart from the sweet taste that it provides. Sugar is marketed as energy food as it makes children hyper. In reality it is causing havoc our children’s health. It is time to minimize this non-food item that is sold as nutritionally healthy.
What it does:
Refined white sugar is proven to cause Diabetes, hyperactivity, immune suppression, low energy, obesity, mood swings, depression, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol increase in children and adults.
Healthier alternatives:
Plant based sweetener or molasses sugar is a better choice than white refined sugar. You can find these in most grocery stores and natural health stores.
Instead of white sugars, go for vitamin C immune boosting fruits or natural fruit juices. Sugar throws off our kids’ immune system, making children more susceptible to infections and illnesses.
Add probiotics to diet avoid fatty and deep-fried foods and take away white sugar.
Yeast in Stomach:
Children nowadays are eating excessive amounts of sugar through processed foods and pops. Excessive amount of sugar creates harmful yeast called candida to overgrow in their tummies. This can throw off body’s digestive system creating health problems like dark circles under eyes, yeast infections, depression, headaches, brain fog, white tongue or thrush, dry eyes, weight gain and sugar cravings.
Probiotics are a live healthy bacterium that can control and balance yeast in the stomach. There are many probiotic yoghurts available in supermarkets that can help with yeast overgrowth.
Pop/ Soft Drinks:
School cafeterias, food courts, leisure centers are equipped with unhealthy snack and pop machines. The pop is marketing very cleverly to kids nowadays and it is not easy to tune out the marketing. Drinking pop leads to insulin spikes in young children thereby leading to a host of medical issues like diabetes, obesity and hyper behaviour.
Water and Juices
Water tested across many cities has been found to have lead, chromium and many other metals that you can harm the system. For your children’s healthy, purchase a water filter. This will take out most if not all harmful metals and chemicals in the tap water.
Spreads and Jams:
Most spreads and jams are made on a large-scale manufacturing and contain preservatives that extend their shelf life. From hydrogenated oils to white refined sugar, these jams are filled with unhealthy ingredients. Instead of eating these chemicals filled food, try switching to hummus or avocado spread.
