How I Talk to My Kids About Sugar

Firstly, I’m not a child psychologist, nor am I a paediatric dietitian, I’m simply a Mum who has done her homework and recognises the two extremes. I believe it’s something to give thought to as parents, and have a strategy for, because sugar is all around us, hidden and in plain daylight, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

👉 The two dynamics: The first is the childhood obesity epidemic in NZ, which if we allow too much processed sugar and trans fats, could in fact set our kids on the pathway to being a part of that concerning statistic.
👉 The other end of the pendulum, if we demonise sugar, science shows us that “restricting access to palatable foods affects children’s behavioural response, food selection, and intake” again steering them on a path of possible disordered eating in the future. (https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/69/6/1264/4714994)

So here’s what I’ve settled on and what seems to be working for our young family so far.

Hope it is helpful, I’d so love to hear your thoughts in the comments..👇 how do you approach sugar with your kids??

why consider how you talk about sugar

What we know: Research shows us that heavily restricting foods, actually causes kids to want those foods more.

Kids are drawn to what they can’t have, and when they are heavily restricted from “forbidden” foods, they consume those foods in greater quantity as they get older. (source)

let food be to fuel AND fun

My ultimate desire is that my girls will have autonomy in their food choices. It’s my job to help them learn to listen to their bodies when it comes to eating the foods that will be available to them as they grow, including sugary foods.

Yes, food is for sustenance, but it also represents celebration, culture, satisfaction, healing, comfort, connection and pure joy!

ditch the “good” vs “bad" language

In our home we avoid talking about any foods as 'good' and 'bad' and giving morality to certain foods or food groups.

I will often refer to a food as a 'sometimes' foods, so that the kids know that these foods can be enjoyed without guilt at times.

healthy relationship with foods

Ultimately we want to preserve our children’s natural intuitive eating abilities.

This means taking intentional and proactive steps to establish an equal playing field for all foods in your home and not elevating one food group over another.

focus on what foods ‘do’

I prefer to talk about what foods DO in the body, how they support them, vs giving them morality. This brings not only a wonder for our bodies design, but a real appreciation that food influences health AND mood!

I might say a certain vegetable “feeds our good guys in our gut which help us fight harder when we catch a cold”, or this food “helps us concentrate well at school and make good decisions”.

trust their bodies

Lets be clear, as with ALL low tox living, it’s not about perfect!

I prefer to focus on my girls eating an abundance of health promoting foods so that WHEN (not if) they are gifted sweets or highly processed sugary foods, I know that their bodies can handle it and deal with it appropriately.

The same goes for any aspect of low tox living.

control what I can in my own home

If I do buy sweets eg. for stockings or a birthday party, I try to choose better options eg. Funday Natural Sweets, YumEarth or at the least, a brand that uses natural food colourings eg. The Natural Confectionery Company.

When serving these foods, I attempt to also provide a variety of more nutrient dense foods to blunt the sugar's response on the body, in particular, behaviour.

the result so far....

Don't stress if you don't always get it right, I sure don't!

What I have found however, is by not giving sugar power in our home and by not demonising it from an early age, I've seen that when my kids are in situations where there is a lot of sugar, they self-regulate their ingestion pretty well and are often not even interested in the sugar.

‘better’ and ‘best’ sweets

BEST

• YumEarth (from iherb, use NOURISHED1 for discount)

• Funday Natural Sweets, can grab from Chemist Wharehouse or online

• Koochikoo Organic No Sugar Added Lollipops, online

• Dr Johns Healthy Sweets (iherb, NOURSIEHD1 for discount)

• Zollipops, The Clean Teeth Pops (iherb, NOURISHED1 for discount)

BETTER

• The Natural Confectionary Company, at supermarkets

• Noshu Snake Pit Gummy Lollies, online

• Well Naturally, from most supermarkets

• Double D, Smart Sweets are the lowest on the list, but still better than most brands.