The Case Against Bake Sales
Why do we teach our children that the best way to fund the schools, clubs, activities, etc is to sell junk food? Yes, I am talking about school bake sales, cupcakes in class for birthdays and Girl Scout Cookies. Why can't we teach our children that it is as important to eat healthy as it is to get be kind, get good grades and do our best? How do we say that we care, have intention, support and look out for their happiness, when the one of the top ways we show it is by feeding them an inflammation, disease and addiction ridden substance?There is a child obesity epidemic in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has triples since the 1970s and 1 in 5 children in the country is obese.As of this writing, there are 28,889 articles on PubMed related to "childhood obesity".Think of the mixed message we give children (and were given as children) that are a reward we deserve something sweet. Halloween, in class birthday cupcakes, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Year-End Holidays, Easter, the list goes on and on. The idea of moderation equals excuses to eat junk for every celebration and get together as if these gatherings equate to eating junk foods.
“There’s $12 billion spent by the food industry on nutrition ‘research’ that confuses peoples, muddies the waters, declares that Gatorade is a great sports drink and that sugar doesn’t cause obesity.” Mark Hyman
Our biology isn’t adapted to eating highly refined foods
Yet, it’s ~60% of our calories
And every 10% of your calories that’s ultra processed food, your risk of death goes up by 14%
It is obvious that we give our children junk food and promote it as a "treat" and "reward" and "love" because that is how we were raised. I did it myself with my daughter. When potty training her, I gave her a chocolate chip every time she used the potty, at her birthday parties I was sure to order a cake or cupcakes, I baked with her and told her if she finished her dinner she could have dessert.After I studied health and wellness in 2009 and became a certified yoga instructor, all of that changed. I did not deny her sweets, but I completely stopped initiating the offer. I realized that sugar was affecting her mood, ability to relax and focus and her ability to sleep.When my daughter was in the Girl Scouts, I cringed at the idea of pushing cookies on friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. I mentioned to the troop leader that it would be great if we could come up with healthier ways to keep the Girl Scouts funded. After all, during many of the meetings we would discuss healthy eating. As you probably guessed, I was laughed at and told "you are never going to see that happen." Why not?Here are just a few ideas of alternatives: group garage sale (people can get rid of unwanted clothing, furniture, books, appliances, etc), readathon, danceathon, jumpropeathon, walkathon, local business raffle, talent show, student artwork show, bingo night, school supply sale.People who I teach and coach about their sugar addiction often know that sugar is bad. Just like you, they understand that sugar can be deadly, but something is preventing them from breaking their own addiction:
They don’t realize how much sugar they actually eat
They don’t believe that their sugar consumption is tied to an addiction
They’ve tried to quit eating sugar but found it too hard
Our food supply is broken and there is far too much sugar hidden in most of the foods we eat every day. This excess sugar consumption is directly or indirectly to be blamed for our obesity epidemic, developmental issues in children, and even many psychological and behavioral issues, many of which we tend to treat with prescription drugs!
Even crazier is the dependence sugar quickly creates for even more sugar! You will not become obese overnight, or develop heart disease tomorrow, or lose bone density next week, but your sugar addiction will produce these sorts of harmful effects little by little. One cookie here, one sweetened drink there, one teaspoon at a time.Before you know it, your sugar addiction has taken hold and those sweet cravings are present in your life every single day.If you’re here and are looking for a process to help you break your sugar addiction, chances are you’re already too familiar with the sugar craving cycle that looks like this: When you eat sugar, especially the refined variety or even some refined grains and other processed foods that your body quickly converts into sugar, your body goes through a process like this:
The multi-billion dollar food industry has a compelling motivation to encourage our sugar addictions to remain strong. Their businesses require on it. That’s why they sneak sugar into our foods, labeling those foods as “low fat” or “free from artificial flavors.” Those statements may be true, but they are masking sugar in their products with the false claim of being healthy.
For example, many yogurts (often marketed as a healthy snack) contain up to 30 grams of sugar per serving. That is not an exaggeration, the yogurt you’re eating, and feeding to your family, may contain more sugar than a chocolate bar!The same is true for breakfast cereals, granola bars, fruit juices, and many other relatively “healthy” foods that we eat regularly.
Are You Really Addicted to Sugar?
Do you try to eat a pretty healthy FIERCE diet? Do you watch your calorie intake? Do you eat some fresh fruits and vegetables most days?Despite our best efforts, most people are still eating way too much sugar. The average adult eats about 152 pounds of sugar every year.Even if you’re not reaching for ice cream, cookies, and baked desserts every day, you’re still likely eating a lot of sugar simply because it’s so hard to avoid these days. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, many other refined grains and processed foods act just like sugar once you eat them – they spike your blood sugar and the nasty sugar craving cycle begins.So how much sugar is hiding in your food?Think about this:A food label can claim that it’s “low in sugar” if it contains less than 5 grams per 100 grams of that food. A sugar cube, like those you might put if your coffee, contain 4 grams of sugar. Now, with those reference points, take a look at these examples:As you can see, sugar is hiding everywhere, and with every bite you are feeding your sugar addiction!
Is a Sugar Addiction as Powerful as Cocaine Addiction?
I think we’d all agree that cocaine is a very addictive substance. So how does your sugar addiction compare?Consuming sugar sparks the area of the brain often referred to as the “reward center.” When the area is stimulated, it releases dopamine, and you begin to feel very good very fast.The more sugar your food contains, the more dopamine is released, and the bigger “high” or "rush" you experience.
Just like cocaine, cigarettes, alcohol, etc., your brain requires more sugar in order to get the same high. Your dopamine receptors become less sensitive to the presence of sugar, and your addiction to grows stronger.
Some people even experience physiological changes within the brain when they eat sugary or highly refined foods. Their brains change and their sugar addiction gets stronger.It is important to realize that sugar addiction is NOT just an emotional reliance on sweets and refined foods. If you can’t resist sugar, don’t be too hard on yourself. It has nothing to do with your willpower, or your desire to change – your body has learned to depend on sugar and, just like a cocaine addict goes through tremendous withdrawal symptoms if they were to cut out cocaine, eliminating sugar from your diet can feel impossible. You get VERY cranky.This can all sound very depressing, but don’t worry because there is hope.There is a sugar addiction cure!Your addiction to sugar and refined foods is strong, but your body and brain can be freed from this addiction VERY quickly if you take the right steps.Today with a possible pandemic sweeping over the world in the form of the Corona Virus, isn't it the right time to stay as healthy and FIERCE as we can to keep our immune systems strong? Why do we focus on getting as many people as possible health care, while simultaneously allowing lobbyists to push sugar into as many of the foods we eat as possible? Wouldn't the healthcare system be able to handle the population if LESS people got diseases? I will be exploring these aspects in upcoming posts as I see this as a critical mission.I aim to convert cutting sugar out of people's lives almost entirely. I am more than willing to come to your school, community center, place of worship, place of business to talk about the various health risks of breaking the sugar addiction and offers solutions.If you would like coaching about this or any other health related topic, please reach out today.Please share this article with anyone you think might be interested. And please add your comments.