Life Without Sugar - article from the Guardian
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Samby_v1
Posts: 202 Member
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/14/life-without-sugar-family-challenge-diet?CMP=fb_gu
Thoughts?
Seeing as I don't have children and have do have time to cook, a lot of the difficulties the writer faced don't really effect me. How do MFP's mums and moms and dads feel about it?
Thoughts?
Seeing as I don't have children and have do have time to cook, a lot of the difficulties the writer faced don't really effect me. How do MFP's mums and moms and dads feel about it?
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Replies
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Seems severe. I get it, though. But I cannot say I would have the heart, or the patience, to do this to my three kids.
I could do this to myself.0 -
A bit too severe for me but some very interesting observations - most common sense.
The response posts on this one should be interesting.
IN
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*bumpity bump bump*0
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One thing I love about this article is that it points out that your tastes can in fact change. All the people out there who think they can't live without drinking sugary sodas and eating sweetened foods all day should read this article.
That said, I think the author was a bit extreme. Most people would probably do just as well by moderating added sugar in their diets instead of outright eliminating it.0 -
One thing I love about this article is that it points out that your tastes can in fact change. All the people out there who think they can't live without drinking sugary sodas and eating sweetened foods all day should read this article.
That said, I think the author was a bit extreme. Most people would probably do just as well by moderating added sugar in their diets instead of outright eliminating it.
I think she was too lenient - those kids live under her roof, they have to live by her rules. - She was too soft on them!!!! (just joking by the way).
I agree a total cut did seem a bit serve and probably a lot of people that try that way of doing it, sadly do give up, when they would probably have more success starting small and building up what they cut.0 -
"The more sugar you eat or drink, the more the body stores it as fat. Hence the links to obesity"
LOL
"As for me, the diet is a drastic change, not from cutting out sweet stuff (I'm not big on biscuits and chocolate) but from eating no carbohydrates at all (all sugar in the end)."
"I seem to live on boiled eggs, almonds, coconut flakes, protein in various forms, avocado and kale. I go to the health food shop in my country town and spend more than £40 on chia seeds, quinoa, flaxseed, more coconut flakes, hazelnuts, coconut water (hideously expensive) and more kale. I'm like a crazed celebrity. By Sherborne standards, I've spent so much in one hit the shopkeeper throws in protein shake samples for free, for my planned smoothies. In Sainsbury's I buy expensive, unsweetened almond milk and a small jar of coconut oil that costs £6. Six pounds! That's the price of a chicken for the kids.
Breakfast is my main problem. The low glycemic index granola from the health shop, bought at vast expense, disappears in one sitting. It's all very well for Hollywood stars to whip up smoothies of avocado, kale, blueberries and chia seeds, but you try doing that without a housekeeper or a nanny when you've got four kids, a job and lunchboxes to pack."
Guess she doesn't know what a carbohydrate is?
"But by day seven, everybody is eating full fat Greek yoghurt sweetened with berries and topped with protein-packed nuts. Perhaps this is a new definition of good mothering? Never mind if the mother can't move."
Good thing lactose isn't a sugar, and berries are sugar free0 -
"Eat fats to fill up, he says: "Historically, we've had this focus on fat but it appears that fat is not inherently fattening. Insulin plays a key role in fat storage and the more insulin you secrete, the more you are likely to become insulin-resistant." Basically, you eat a lot of sugar, you store a lot of weight."
LOL
""Look," he says, "if you have normal kids who exercise, with no weight problems and no history of diabetes, a rule of thumb would be that natural sugars from fruits are OK. But if you brought an obese kid in here, I would certainly be telling you to take the fruit out of the lunchbox. And the granary roll is OK, but only as a vehicle for getting a healthier filling inside them. I can't tell you that a biscuit as a snack is good. It has no nutritional value at all.'"
LOL0 -
One thing I love about this article is that it points out that your tastes can in fact change. All the people out there who think they can't live without drinking sugary sodas and eating sweetened foods all day should read this article.
That said, I think the author was a bit extreme. Most people would probably do just as well by moderating added sugar in their diets instead of outright eliminating it.
I agree with that...I mean as a kid I hated cooked cabbage love it now...
What struck me was the kids and their desire for the "forbidden" foods...I grew up in a household with a diabetic (child diabetic) and we very rarely had sugary stuff in our house...never mind there were 7 kids and we couldn't afford most of it.
We did have some store bought cookies, but mostly my mom made them...never had sugary cereals like fruit loops...and our "treats" were limited to an actual serving...same with my husbands family but that was due to money as well not a diabetic.
I always wanted fruit loops for cereal...so guess what is in my house all the time now...yup fruit loops even as a 40 year old woman....why because it's my house and I can afford them even if they are 9$ a box.
I still make most of our treats but that doesn't mean my son didn't grow up in a house without sugar...I bought all of it...he ate it and now as an adult he isn't fat, he could lose maybe 15lbs but that is the beer...I was for almost 20 years....hmmm interesting. I overate on the foods I loved as an adult partially becasue I couldn't have them as a child.
I do not believe that having added sugar in our food is the problem, I firmly believe that we as a society are less active and still eat a lot of food...not just sugars but food and our kids are suffering from it as well...
What do they do after school now? Sit in front of a computer playing games...or in front of a tv or on their phones..growing up I was told to go outside and play...and that meant tag (which the kids can't play anymore at school because it involves touching), or hide and seek or kick the bucket or hop scotch or jumping rope or riding a bike or swimming...
A lot of kids don't do that anymore...and a lot of parents don't make them.0 -
THIS^^^^ Shout it from the rooftops!One thing I love about this article is that it points out that your tastes can in fact change. All the people out there who think they can't live without drinking sugary sodas and eating sweetened foods all day should read this article.
That said, I think the author was a bit extreme. Most people would probably do just as well by moderating added sugar in their diets instead of outright eliminating it.
I agree with that...I mean as a kid I hated cooked cabbage love it now...
What struck me was the kids and their desire for the "forbidden" foods...I grew up in a household with a diabetic (child diabetic) and we very rarely had sugary stuff in our house...never mind there were 7 kids and we couldn't afford most of it.
We did have some store bought cookies, but mostly my mom made them...never had sugary cereals like fruit loops...and our "treats" were limited to an actual serving...same with my husbands family but that was due to money as well not a diabetic.
I always wanted fruit loops for cereal...so guess what is in my house all the time now...yup fruit loops even as a 40 year old woman....why because it's my house and I can afford them even if they are 9$ a box.
I still make most of our treats but that doesn't mean my son didn't grow up in a house without sugar...I bought all of it...he ate it and now as an adult he isn't fat, he could lose maybe 15lbs but that is the beer...I was for almost 20 years....hmmm interesting. I overate on the foods I loved as an adult partially becasue I couldn't have them as a child.
I do not believe that having added sugar in our food is the problem, I firmly believe that we as a society are less active and still eat a lot of food...not just sugars but food and our kids are suffering from it as well...
What do they do after school now? Sit in front of a computer playing games...or in front of a tv or on their phones..growing up I was told to go outside and play...and that meant tag (which the kids can't play anymore at school because it involves touching), or hide and seek or kick the bucket or hop scotch or jumping rope or riding a bike or swimming...
A lot of kids don't do that anymore...and a lot of parents don't make them.0 -
"The more sugar you eat or drink, the more the body stores it as fat. Hence the links to obesity"
LOL
Yeah, I wasn't aware that your body stores sugar as fat. News to me...0 -
I wish her luck maintaining that sort of discipline when the kids aren't in her immediate control. My mother refused to buy any processed foods, 'snacks' aimed at children, fizzy drinks etc - all it did was mean that my sister and I gorged on those things whenever we could get them, and developed a very unhealthy relationship with a lot of things we'd probably have handled as treats to be had in small quantities, on occasion, had she been less rigid. A child has much less will and ability, on average, to handle feeling deprived/excluded/singled-out/'different' from his/her peers, and the results of this sort of behaviour - whether parentally-imposed or not, are rarely positive.0
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Based on the quotes from the article that appear here, I think it is ludicrous.0
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One thing I love about this article is that it points out that your tastes can in fact change. All the people out there who think they can't live without drinking sugary sodas and eating sweetened foods all day should read this article.
That said, I think the author was a bit extreme. Most people would probably do just as well by moderating added sugar in their diets instead of outright eliminating it.
I agree with that...I mean as a kid I hated cooked cabbage love it now...
What struck me was the kids and their desire for the "forbidden" foods...I grew up in a household with a diabetic (child diabetic) and we very rarely had sugary stuff in our house...never mind there were 7 kids and we couldn't afford most of it.
We did have some store bought cookies, but mostly my mom made them...never had sugary cereals like fruit loops...and our "treats" were limited to an actual serving...same with my husbands family but that was due to money as well not a diabetic.
I always wanted fruit loops for cereal...so guess what is in my house all the time now...yup fruit loops even as a 40 year old woman....why because it's my house and I can afford them even if they are 9$ a box.
I still make most of our treats but that doesn't mean my son didn't grow up in a house without sugar...I bought all of it...he ate it and now as an adult he isn't fat, he could lose maybe 15lbs but that is the beer...I was for almost 20 years....hmmm interesting. I overate on the foods I loved as an adult partially becasue I couldn't have them as a child.
I do not believe that having added sugar in our food is the problem, I firmly believe that we as a society are less active and still eat a lot of food...not just sugars but food and our kids are suffering from it as well...
What do they do after school now? Sit in front of a computer playing games...or in front of a tv or on their phones..growing up I was told to go outside and play...and that meant tag (which the kids can't play anymore at school because it involves touching), or hide and seek or kick the bucket or hop scotch or jumping rope or riding a bike or swimming...
A lot of kids don't do that anymore...and a lot of parents don't make them.
I always at least from my teenage years grew up with baked goods around, I don't eat a lot of them now except during the holidays. I didn't gain weight until I had health problems that are now under control and now I'm losing the weight.
Like you we were told to do our homework and then go outside until dinner, and then when it was daylight we were back outside until our parents called us back in the house to take baths and get ready for bed.
We got in trouble for coming in the house unless we were bleeding!0 -
This reminded me of the Tiger Mom lady or the super religious families around here that as soon as their kids are teenagers, they have no idea what their kids are up to. Yes as a parent it is important to teach your kids not to eat an entire pack of cookies in one sitting, but if they want it as badly as these kids seemed to, it just isn't going to end well. It seemed incredibly short-sided.0
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I wish her luck maintaining that sort of discipline when the kids aren't in her immediate control. My mother refused to buy any processed foods, 'snacks' aimed at children, fizzy drinks etc - all it did was mean that my sister and I gorged on those things whenever we could get them, and developed a very unhealthy relationship with a lot of things we'd probably have handled as treats to be had in small quantities, on occasion, had she been less rigid. A child has much less will and ability, on average, to handle feeling deprived/excluded/singled-out/'different' from his/her peers, and the results of this sort of behaviour - whether parentally-imposed or not, are rarely positive.
^^ This. I worked as a PA one for a man who had a very wealthy and very crazy "healthy" family. I traveled a lot with the family and even when on a three month holiday with them. The mum pretty much lived off of diet coke and SOME veggies. and the kids weren't allowed any sweets, not even fruit.. but the youngest (4) got to have five raisins COUNTED OUT with his breakfast. The 12 year old started gaining weight only eating veggies and lean meats. I found a ton of crisps and sweets in her bag including loads of empty oreo sleeves. And when she confided in me.. she just said she can't help herself and she goes crazy when she gets the chance to eat that type of food. And I have seen other situations where children can't have anything and go nuts once they get the chance. I think this Mum in the article is a bit extreme.0
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