Sugar is in the news. In fact, it's BIG news -- sugar is BAD!
Sugar is the cause of obesity in our country and around the world. Sugar is responsible for heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Everywhere I look, sugar is getting a bad rap.
What I want to know is what mom or dad doesn't already know this!
How many times as a kid did you hear... "Don't eat any sweets before dinner, honey - it'll ruin your appetite." Or, "No more junk food! He's bouncing off the walls!"
So, the fact that sugar is bad is NOT news.
The REAL news is the insidious nature of the food industry's dumping so many different refined sugars into our food. Everything from bread to sausage. Sugar intake has sky-rocketed over the last 80 years from 20 pounds of sugar per person per year to current USDA estimates of 158 to 170 pounds of sugar intake per person per year. Who knew? (Actually, the FDA did.)
Think about it - five ounces of sugar is equivalent to 30 teaspoons. You need three times that amount to equal one pound. And, we're consuming 158 pounds of this a year. Or a little over three pounds a day!
Why is this important? Because what we eat affects not only how we feel, but how we think, how we are able to process information, how we learn (or don't learn).
Sugar affects our immune systems causing increased susceptibility to colds and viruses. It can cause hyperactivity, depression, and in plain terms, whiny, cranky kids! Who wants that?
A better question might be "As a homeschooling mom (or dad) how can I create the most optimum learning environment?" Not just "how can I be a better teacher," but, "how can I help my kids to be better learners?"
So, we already know sugar is bad. We already know we should cut back on sugar and refined processed foods and eat more veggies and whole grains. However, unless everyone is convinced and committed - maybe we should use the word "converted" - these changes are very difficult to implement.
There are just so many fast food and quick deli meal options available. Just because I'm a home school mom doesn't necessarily mean I have any more time than a mother who works outside the home. Not if I'm hauling kids to science classes, art classes, music lessons, and then going over math and history and preparing lessons for the next day. I'm just as likely to say, "Hey, let's get a pizza, OK?" Not knocking pizzas here, folks. I love 'em! But just to point out how easy it is to stop in at the grocery store, or Costco, and pick up a take-and-bake pizza or subway sandwich, or what-have-you. Yet, even going for the most healthy quick meals doesn't mean we're eating healthy! Because, as you will learn if you watch the lecture I've linked to below, sugars are hidden in almost everything we eat and drink. They are everywhere!
If we want to make real changes, we first have to be armed with knowledge. Knowledge gives us power. Power to make positive changes in our lives. Face it, there are times when it's Mom who is tired and just as ready to cave in to the request for a burger as the kids. But if the kids are in on the game, they may be just as likely to say, "Hey, Mom, let's make our own!"
So, here are a few ideas to get you going.
First, a highly visual and effective object lesson on sugar intake: Measure 98 teaspoons of sugar into a pile on your kitchen table or counter. (That's a one-pound bag of sugar.) Now, following the math here, if an individual really consumes 158 pounds of sugar per year which is equivalent to 3.038 pounds a day, you really need 294 teaspoons! At this point I hope everyone is saying, "WOW! That's a LOT of sugar." uh-huh! (btw, here's the link to calculate teaspoons to ounces )
Second, make a game of "finding sugar." First list all the different types of sugars that are added to food: malt sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, dextrin, sucrose, glucose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, rice syrup, powdered sugar. Then go on a "shopping trip" in your kitchen. You can tally the various sugars to see which comes up most frequently. Or make a list of the foods that DON'T have any added sugar. Remember lots of foods have naturals sugars. Milk has lactose. Fruit contains fructose and glucose.
Third, there are lots of websites and videos to check out regarding the effects of sugar on the body, so do some research. I really like this lecture on the metabolic breakdown of high fructose corn syrup (high school level and adults) by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, a UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endicrinology. Although this is serious science, Dr. Lustig uses hi-tech graphics and humor to make his lecture really interesting!
Fourth, get everyone in the family to make an Eat Healthy pact. Stock up on healthy snacks (make sure to READ those labels.) Think carrots, nuts, crackers and cheese. While Jorge Cruise recommends only 15 grams of sugar a day, that is really drastic. Current adult consumption is upwards of 100 plus grams a day. Reducing your family's sugar intake by 50% would be tremendous! Start where you are and work towards your family's goal. It is amazingly easy to cut your sugar intake once you are aware of where the hidden sugars are and the number of grams of sugar in different types of food.
Here's to healthy eating and happy homeschooling!
Sugar is the cause of obesity in our country and around the world. Sugar is responsible for heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Everywhere I look, sugar is getting a bad rap.
What I want to know is what mom or dad doesn't already know this!
How many times as a kid did you hear... "Don't eat any sweets before dinner, honey - it'll ruin your appetite." Or, "No more junk food! He's bouncing off the walls!"
So, the fact that sugar is bad is NOT news.
The REAL news is the insidious nature of the food industry's dumping so many different refined sugars into our food. Everything from bread to sausage. Sugar intake has sky-rocketed over the last 80 years from 20 pounds of sugar per person per year to current USDA estimates of 158 to 170 pounds of sugar intake per person per year. Who knew? (Actually, the FDA did.)
Think about it - five ounces of sugar is equivalent to 30 teaspoons. You need three times that amount to equal one pound. And, we're consuming 158 pounds of this a year. Or a little over three pounds a day!
Why is this important? Because what we eat affects not only how we feel, but how we think, how we are able to process information, how we learn (or don't learn).
Sugar affects our immune systems causing increased susceptibility to colds and viruses. It can cause hyperactivity, depression, and in plain terms, whiny, cranky kids! Who wants that?
A better question might be "As a homeschooling mom (or dad) how can I create the most optimum learning environment?" Not just "how can I be a better teacher," but, "how can I help my kids to be better learners?"
So, we already know sugar is bad. We already know we should cut back on sugar and refined processed foods and eat more veggies and whole grains. However, unless everyone is convinced and committed - maybe we should use the word "converted" - these changes are very difficult to implement.
There are just so many fast food and quick deli meal options available. Just because I'm a home school mom doesn't necessarily mean I have any more time than a mother who works outside the home. Not if I'm hauling kids to science classes, art classes, music lessons, and then going over math and history and preparing lessons for the next day. I'm just as likely to say, "Hey, let's get a pizza, OK?" Not knocking pizzas here, folks. I love 'em! But just to point out how easy it is to stop in at the grocery store, or Costco, and pick up a take-and-bake pizza or subway sandwich, or what-have-you. Yet, even going for the most healthy quick meals doesn't mean we're eating healthy! Because, as you will learn if you watch the lecture I've linked to below, sugars are hidden in almost everything we eat and drink. They are everywhere!
If we want to make real changes, we first have to be armed with knowledge. Knowledge gives us power. Power to make positive changes in our lives. Face it, there are times when it's Mom who is tired and just as ready to cave in to the request for a burger as the kids. But if the kids are in on the game, they may be just as likely to say, "Hey, Mom, let's make our own!"
So, here are a few ideas to get you going.
First, a highly visual and effective object lesson on sugar intake: Measure 98 teaspoons of sugar into a pile on your kitchen table or counter. (That's a one-pound bag of sugar.) Now, following the math here, if an individual really consumes 158 pounds of sugar per year which is equivalent to 3.038 pounds a day, you really need 294 teaspoons! At this point I hope everyone is saying, "WOW! That's a LOT of sugar." uh-huh! (btw, here's the link to calculate teaspoons to ounces )
Second, make a game of "finding sugar." First list all the different types of sugars that are added to food: malt sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, dextrin, sucrose, glucose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, rice syrup, powdered sugar. Then go on a "shopping trip" in your kitchen. You can tally the various sugars to see which comes up most frequently. Or make a list of the foods that DON'T have any added sugar. Remember lots of foods have naturals sugars. Milk has lactose. Fruit contains fructose and glucose.
Third, there are lots of websites and videos to check out regarding the effects of sugar on the body, so do some research. I really like this lecture on the metabolic breakdown of high fructose corn syrup (high school level and adults) by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, a UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endicrinology. Although this is serious science, Dr. Lustig uses hi-tech graphics and humor to make his lecture really interesting!
Fourth, get everyone in the family to make an Eat Healthy pact. Stock up on healthy snacks (make sure to READ those labels.) Think carrots, nuts, crackers and cheese. While Jorge Cruise recommends only 15 grams of sugar a day, that is really drastic. Current adult consumption is upwards of 100 plus grams a day. Reducing your family's sugar intake by 50% would be tremendous! Start where you are and work towards your family's goal. It is amazingly easy to cut your sugar intake once you are aware of where the hidden sugars are and the number of grams of sugar in different types of food.
Here's to healthy eating and happy homeschooling!
