When my son was about 4 he asked our pediatrician if it was OK if he ate sugar daily. The doctor said, "Yes," and that began our routine of eating sugar at least twice a day—after lunch and dinner. I had heard sugar was bad for kids and here's our doctor telling me it's totally fine. So who was I to argue? But I'm his mom, that's who, and my inner instincts were telling me daily sugar was more than he needed.
But somehow our generation has become the "desserts are mandatory" parents. Perhaps it's the advertising that promotes the sugary sweets, sugar cereals and sugar in sports drinks—not to mention the sugars in the chocolate milks or the brightly colored yogurts. It's enough to make you think.
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My son has also had lung issues, practically since he was born, and I heard that sugar caused inflammation. So it dawned on me—why not see what happens if he cut out sugar for one week? Of course, like any kid, the thought of not eating sugar didn't seem that appealing to him. But I convinced him we could do anything for one week. And so he relented.
By the end of the week he developed a cold. Normally his colds turn into a slew of other health problems ranging from bronchitis, to asthma, to a trip to the ER or a need for antibiotics. But guess what? This time he didn't get any of them! His first cold since he was born, and it went away, as a cold! I was elated. Since my son hates all of those things—especially antibiotics—he was thrilled, too. He actually realized the benefit of losing the sugar. His colds since have ended in the same benign manner.
I want him to learn firsthand what the results will be so that he can make his own educated decisions.
I haven't cut sugar out of his life completely, because heck, he's a kid. And seeing all your friends eat something you can't makes it more tempting to binge later in life when you're not being monitored by your mom. But we do limit him to eating it just on weekends. Since we've done that, the asthma he used to have is gone. And those times when his friends bring who-knows-what-kind-of packaged cookie to school, or he goes to a party where there's a slew of tasty treats, he does develop asthma-like symptoms again.
So I see the connection firsthand and so does he. Luckily (most of the time) it's enough to make him want to ditch sugar on his own. I want him to learn firsthand what the results will be so that he can make his own educated decisions. All I can do is just remind him the repercussions of eating too much.
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My son has not used his inhaler in two years since we've lessened his sugar intake. I'm proud of him for making these lifestyle changes, and he's proud of himself, too. In fact, when he sees his friends eat junk food or too much sugar, he's the first one to point out that they aren't eating well. Maybe it just takes a little education for our kids to see what happens when you eat healthier. It worked for my son. He's learned he doesn't need the extra sugar. Heck, he's sweet enough without it anyway. But aren't all kids?
