Unless as a family you’ve opted to go entirely sugar-free, the chances are there are days (or sometimes weeks) when you feel that your family is eating too much sugar. While most of us enjoy a sweet treat every now and again, it can be hard to monitor exactly what your kids are eating, especially if they are getting snacks from school, grandparents, and at friends’ houses. Here are three simple ways to take back some control of your family’s sugar consumption, so that you can all feel healthier.
Set Sugar Free Days
Whether you decide that the working week is going to be sugar-free or opt for an every-other-day model, establishing a clear routine around sugar can make everyone more aware of what they are eating. Kids will generally resist any kind of restriction on sweet treats, but the benefit of this approach is that you’re not canceling all sugar from their diets, you are limiting it and monitoring it.
Add More Fruit and Vegetables
Although you can’t cancel out donuts, cakes, and cookies with lots of fruit and vegetables, upping the amount of fresh produce that your family is eating can have a really positive effect overall. If you’re all filling up on cauliflower mash, stuffed eggplants, zucchini salad, and peaches with yogurt for dessert, your kids are less likely to come looking for candy and chocolate an hour after dinner. If you’re struggling with fussy eaters, introduce one new fruit or vegetable into the family diet at a time, and experiment with different ways of preparing them.
Make Sweet Treats From Scratch
The issue with many sweet treats is that they contain lots of emulsifiers, colors, flavorings, and other synthetic ingredients, as well as sugar. Researchers are still looking into the effects of some of these additives, but it’s clear that we should all do our best to avoid them where possible. Why not set a family rule that any sweet treats will be homemade? You don’t need to take on all of the work for this, there are lots of simple recipes which kids can make with some adult supervision. Unless someone in your household is a really committed baker, this rule will also lead to an overall reduction in the amount of sugar you’re all consuming.