SUGAR:  THE BIG, BAD WOLF THAT BLOWS DOWN OUR HOUSE OF HEALTH

I recently went to a professional development conference where the speaker presented hard evidence of the harmful effects of sugar.  It scared me into writing this blog.  I had been toying with the idea for a long time.  During that time, I have collected articles, etc. with titles such as "Suicide by Sugar," "Sugar and How it Affects Your Life," "Sugar, the Great Food Deceiver," "Sugar's Hidden Danger"...You get the idea!

For a number of reasons I have been timid about speaking up on this subject.  I have felt that I shouldn't stick my nose into others' nutritional business when I struggle so much myself with nutritional issues. However...as I listened to the presenter at this conference speak about the detrimental effects sugar has on children,  I realized, "Uh-oh.  I'm in the Early Childhood field and it is my business!"  So here we go!

Lets start with the over consumption of sugar.  The American Heart Association is now recommending that sugar consumption be limited for heart health.  Conversely, sugar consumption is increasing in this nation to frightening levels.  The AHA says that maximum consumption for men should be 9 teaspoons a day and 6 teaspoons a day for women.  Obviously, sugar consumption for children should be less than that.

Most kids in the USA today are consuming 32 tsp. of sugar a day.  Sugar consumption in 1999 was 158 pounds per person per year plus 20 pounds of corn syrup.  I'm here to tell you it's not getting any better in 2015, but the effects over time are now evident!  One in eight adults in the US have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and diabetes is diagnosed in youth and children more often and at much younger ages.

Obesity is the most obvious symptom of sugar overdose.  2/3 of adults in the U.S. are obese (and the percentage is higher than that among us baby boomers).  1/3 of children in the U.S. are obese.  The number of overweight children has tripled in a decade.  30% of obese children will develop diabetes. Half of U.S. children have chronic illness which includes diabetes.

Next, take a look at what sugar does in the brain.  Brain imaging shows that a brain on sugar and a brain on cocaine are very similar.  Sugar is addictive!  Brain images the presenter showed us also show that sugar does the same thing to your brain that smoking, alcohol and cocaine do.  You damage yourself with every dose of sugar.  Here's the sugar addiction cycle:
     1.  You eat sugar and crave it because of its addictive properties.
     2.  Blood sugar levels spike
     3.  Blood sugar levels drop rapidly.  Body craves the lost sugar high.
     4.  Hunger and cravings drive you to eat sugar and the cycle repeats itself.

This speaker delivered a great deal of research which shows that autism, ADHD, and other behavioral and health issues are increasing at an alarming rate and that individual children's challenges are more and more severe.  She said, that while there is not one cause, sugar consumption factors in as part of the total load.  It is a key player.

To summarize other harmful effects of sugar, I will quote from author, Linda Allen.  "Sugar can also damage the immune system (compromising the defense against bacteria), produce an acidic stomach environment (ideal for Candida), cause food allergies...increase the size of the liver (disrupting it from filtering toxins and used hormones), and encourages the development of bad bacteria in the colon.  This means more stress on the organs of elimination, more toxins and more yeast infection."

Now, just in case you are filled with despair because you are addicted to sugar and don't feel you can ever overcome it, here is a helpful suggestion from herbalogist, Roger Drummer.  The first thing that goes into your mouth in the morning needs to be protein.  Completely eliminate the typical sugary and refined carb breakfasts so many of us eat, especially children who prefer sugary cereals, pancakes, toast and jam.  Protein is what the brain needs when you "break fast" and will reduce the cravings so that you can successfully avoid sugar the rest of the day.  If you do give sugar to your children, at least balance it with protein.

Good luck.  I know it's hard, but what is happening to all of us is scary.  It is especially frightening to see what is happening to our children.  I saw a tremendous difference years ago when I eliminated sugar from my children's diet.  I know it helps!