Renew You Challenge
Let’s start this week off right!
Here is your newest weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!
The sugar habits in this country (and we’re not the only ones) are truly atrocious. We often hear reports about the sugary beverages kids drink—soft drinks are the biggest single source of added sugar in kid’s diets—but sugary foods contribute even more sugar to kids’ diets than beverages.
New data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that children get 59 percent of added-sugar calories from foods, and 41 percent from beverages. Cynthia Ogden, senior author of the report, states, “Soda consumption is high, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the added sugars in foods such as muffins, cookies, sugar-sweetened cereals, and pasta sauces.”
On average, children eat 322 calories a day from added sugar. Compare that to the American Heart Association’s recommended 100 calories daily for adult women and 150 for men. With one-third of our children overweight or obese, added sugar should be the first to go. Sugar adds nothing but calories, and does little more than fill kids up, leaving less room for needed nutrients found in whole foods like vegetables and fruits.
And remember, added sugar does not even include sugars found in 100 percent fruit juice, which can be quite high indeed. Fruit juices tend to add too much sugar and few nutrients. It’s better to just eat the fruit instead. This week, find the sugar in your kids’ diets (and your own!) and get it out. You’ll likely have to make some major adjustments.