To think about giving up sugar for your children…. Sometimes, the thought is actually harder than the doing!  But if you can manage to read this post, you should have more motivation.  I will then tell you how I can take you on a magic carpet ride out of sugarville and off to creating your vibrant children…

Sugar.

There is no vaccination for it.  Each mouthful of the ‘sweet poison’ your child takes, is detrimental to their health.  Most parents believe that, for their children, having some sugar as a treat is only natural.  They also may not know there are viable alternatives to foods with added sugar.  But knowledge is power.  Knowing how sugar affects your child’s health both now and in the future can allow you to take a stand for your child’s health.

The effects.

1. It destroys your child’s immunity.  And this leads to the full gamut of childhood health issues relating to immunity :
   • frequent colds and flu (and never-ending snot)
   • the annual gastro bout
   • viruses such as hand/foot/mouth or molluscum wart virus

It feels as though the sickness will never end.  A sick child is COMMON yes, but it is not NORMAL

2. It feeds candida overgrowth.  The yeast responsible for not only thrush but also nappy rash, cradle cap, sugar cravings, low blood sugar and again, lowered immunity.

It feels as though your child is less-than-vibrant.

3. It causes inflammation in the body.  It feeds candida, which can invade and aggravate the whole body.  It is now coming to light that this leaves cells open to cancer + disease down the track.

Inflammation can appear as ‘fat’ (even on little ones), inflamed brain (behavioural issues), inflamed gut (digestive issues) and so on..

4. It causes brain fog.  Your child cannot think as logically and rationally.  Nor can they be as creative.  It also affects their attention and ability to concentrate.  To play and learn.

It feels as though your child has ‘ADHD’ and can’t do anything constructively.

5. It makes it hard for their bodies to be still.  This affects getting to sleep and sitting for periods while learning.

It feels as though your child will never stop.  And your head spins with them.

6. It makes it difficult for your child to regulate their emotions.  Your child is more likely to have meltdowns.  They are more difficult to be reasoned with.

It feels as though you are on the emotional rollercoaster with them.

7. It causes digestive issues. Namely constipation.

It feels as though they will never be able to do normal poos again.

8. It masks their tastebuds. Anything other than sweet tastes absolutely terrible.

It feels like your kids will never learn to like vegetables.

9. It shapes their palate for the rest of their lives. The majority of foods you’ll eat for the rest of your life is decided by 4 years of age. It is important introduce flavours other than sweet.

It feels like your kids are fairly fussy.

10. It is linked with future health issues such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, mental health issues, diabetes, inflammation (leading to most forms of cancer and disease) and many, many more…

It is easy to bury your head in the sand over this one….

What to do.

1. Get to know where sugar creeps up. It’s in more places than you realise.
2. Begin to reduce sugar.
3. Talk to your children about sugar and its effects.
4. Notice the positive changes.
5. Get help to deal with learning about how to read ingredient labels, educating the family and helping the fussy (or addicted) ones make the transitions.