What’s in your (kids) snack? Part 2 - Sneaky Sugars can lead to Adult Afflictions

We’ve all seen the “sugar high” in our own kiddos, and oftentimes scale is ignored when it comes to sizing kids treats - with everything from cookies to ice cream cones being more appropriate for an adult’s height/weight than a young child’s.  But beyond the inevitable crash, this feeding can border on an addiction, impacting behavior, cognition and ultimately, causing disease.  

In his book, Metabolical (which we introduced in Part 1), Dr. Robert Lustig’s most shocking evidence of this impact is in the way fructose is metabolized.  The liver sees it the same as it does alcohol, meaning that, “when consumed chronically and in high doses, fructose is similarly toxic and abused, unrelated to its calories or effects on weight,” and further, “That’s why our children now get the diseases of alcohol (Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease), without ever taking a drink.”

Whoa, right? Thankfully, Lustig does see hope, in education, both of parents, and kids directly. Current and future generations have the ability to make choices, essentially “voting” with not only ballots but dollars and forks.  

So where to start?  Read labels, talk to your kids, and consider swapping their go-to sweetened juice beverage with an option such as Vitaminis in your snack routine. Replacing less than desirable ingredients with both nutrients and minerals that support kids' systems is a simple step in the right direction.