When I trained in medical school… we didn’t even learn about the management of Type II Diabetes in children… it didn’t exist. We didn’t see children with strokes, hypertension, or heart disease. Three decades later our children are suffering from these diseases at an alarming rate.
Do you remember having to stop running around as a child out of sheer exhaustion? I don’t either. Things are different these days. Radically different.
- One in three children are overweight, and
- One in five are obese.
- This is the first generation that may not live beyond the life expectancy of their parents.
Obesity … and it’s related illnesses and disability will be the number one cause of death and chronic disease in the US and other parts of the developed world.
Sugar is the problem
A calorie is NOT a calorie … period. If you consume 100 calories of nuts, the fiber and other components in the nuts slow the way you absorb the sugars in the nuts. The liver “sees” the sugar quite differently than if you consume 100 calories of sugar via juice, sports drinks, snacks or any other processed food. When we consume sugar in those drinks and foods it all hits the liver at once. That’s because there is nothing naturally bound to the sugar to slow it down. When that sugar hits the liver, it revs up to meet the demand, which leads to an increase in insulin. The insulin tells the liver to turn that sugar into fat. Worse … the insulin tells your brain that you are hungry! And the cycle repeats itself… over and over and over.
Increasing exercise is NOT the answer
YES .. exercise is important. YES our children should be outside running around. BUT… they couldn’t possibly run enough to burn off the calories that they’ve ingested all day by eating processed foods.
What to do ?
Some simple tips … from the folks at Responsible Foods.
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Eat real foods, whole foods, with one ingredient.
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Drink water.
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On social media, express support for policy changes that limit added sugar.
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Exercise. Any amount.
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Read the ingredients. The fewer, the better. Can’t pronounce it? Don’t eat it.
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If you are serving treats, also offer fruit, veggies and other real food options.
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Be skeptical of health claims on packaged foods. The Low-Fat label has been exploited to conceal high quantities of sugar.
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Avoid soda, sports drinks, sweet teas and juice.
We are the solution to the problem …. we are the solution to the number one health crisis faced by our children today.
We can do this … It will be hard … but it’s worth it!
Disclaimer: this information is for your education and should not be considered medical advice regarding diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Some links on this page may be affiliate links. Read the full disclaimer.
Hey Howard
Good post.
It would be interesting to see how consumption of processed foods in our country compares to countries that don’t eat as much processed food. I bet their incidence in their kids is lower of Diabetes type II.
Bobby Clarke, the famous hockey played from the days of the Broadstreet Bullies was a Type I diabetic, who, obviously exercised a lot, especially when he was high-sticking the Rangers, and I believe, from anecdotes, that he rarely used insulin.
He’s a special case, though, and is not a suggestion to alter your attitude toward your doctors advice.
john bennett md
Thanks for stopping by John!
The documentary “Fed Up” runs through a few of those statistics. It is an eye-popping documentary that I strongly suggest everyone sees.
Thanks again,
Howard
I am not a doctor, but have been struggling with losing weight over the course of the last couple years. Finally, I decided to try eating foods with less sugar. I try to eat and drink a total of 25 – 35 grams of sugar a day. Well, in two months I lost 17 lbs. I was also working out which helped, but I was working out before this change in my eating habits too.
Anyways, I posted this personal success story on a very popular fitness website (myfitnesspal.com). You wouldn’t believe the nasty comments about how sugar had nothing to do with it and that I must be a complete idiot to think that a sugar calorie is any different than healthy food calories. I tried to defend myself, but I was pretty much blasted by everyone. There were 153 comments by different users. Only 2 other people agreed with what I was saying.
Any ways, I am glad to know that you have posted this and I am not crazy!
Good going Eric! The proof is out there.. and there story in going to take a long time to mainstream.
Congrats on your weight loss.
Howard Luks