Is your child addicted to sugar? I actually started questioning this myself with the question:
“Can a one-year-old be addicted to sugar?”
That should be a rhetorical question. At my house, it?s not. And, if a one-year-old can be addicted to sugar, mine is.
How do I know? Let me tell you a story about a candy bowl. I placed a pretty blue bowl on our piano after a hard fought win at my 16-year-old daughter?s recent dinner theatre auction. It was made by the ceramics teacher and filled with the most fabulous caramels. They were notorious and I was addicted.
A Candy Bowl and A Toddler
The problem was that every time I walked by the piano, I stopped to play it. Just kidding – that bench is still covered in dust. I ate a caramel, of course.
And guess who noticed? My one-year-old daughter. The sins of the parents?
Within a week, I was feeling guilty about those sweet blue eyes staring up at me and pointing her little finger. She even worked up some ?Umm? sounds for added flare. I gave in and gave her just a tiny corner of the caramel.
That did not make it better. Now, she pointed, made noises, and threw a fit if she didn?t get one of those delicious caramels. We were headed down the wrong path and no one knew it better than me.
Luckily, this addiction was interrupted by a vacation. That?s when my suspicion of sugar addiction in a one-year-old was confirmed. While in the airport, my one-year-old, Eliza, got ahold of her older brother?s water. Right next to that was her sister?s Sprite and, unnoticed by us, she moved on to the Sprite. When we figured out the mix up, she was attached. We couldn?t get her off the Sprite. The water? Please, forgotten.
Who is Really to Blame?
And what does every good Mom do about a suspected sugar addiction in their one-year-old child? Blame myself entirely, of course. Well, usually I blame her Dad but this one was on me.
You see Eliza?s little life started with the dreaded word – Gestational Diabetes during my pregnancy. And how can I blame him for that sugar addiction? He did provide me with the Chik-fil-a chocolate chip cookies but I requested them ? and ate them.
Gestational Diabetes = High Sugar before Birth
Studies have shown that babies born to mother?s with gestational diabetes have three times the risk of obesity and diabetes in later life. Well, that stinks.
What am I going to do about it? Move the candy bowl. Actually, not even necessary. Believe it or not, when we came back from vacation, Eliza had all but forgotten the candy bowl on the piano. Babies are SO impressionable.
What if your child is addicted to sugar?
First of all, thanks to her Mother, the bowl was now empty and will stay that way. Second, we are staging an early intervention. If you are at all like me, you will do anything for your kids. And sometimes you need them to provide that wake up call you need.
Watching Eliza, I am forced to realize how much I influence her. She doesn?t control the sugar in our house or what goes on her plate. I do. The AAP recommendation ?The Parent Provides, the Child Decides? strikes again. It is MY job to change this for her. I decide what to bring in the home, what goes on her plate, and when she eats again.
And with this in mind, I am starting my own and my family?s diet revolution, Doctor Mom E?s segment on Diet Enlightened. Join me …
Diet Enlightened
What?s my goal?I am a little obsessed you might say. I may or may not have about 20 books on my desk to get to the bottom of this. I?m delving into everything from sugar addiction to psychology to fad diets to get to the bottom of the right plans for healthy living for myself, my family, and you all too. And I have so much more to come?
Simple Solution: Sugar Addicted one-year-olds are WAY more likely to become obese diabetic adults. And I?m holding myself responsible. If you needs healthier habits for yourself or your family, get excited for my research and posts on Doctor Mom E?s Diet Enlightened.
In the meantime, REMOVE THE ‘CANDY BOWLS’ IN YOUR HOME and start your own revolution. You have to start somewhere.
For more Blog Posts on Diet and Toddlers, check out: https://doctormome.com/post/what-should-my-one-year-old-be-eating/
https://doctormome.com/post/when-should-my-baby-start-solid-foods/
https://doctormome.com/post/i-cant-lose-weight-is-it-my-thyroid/
For more information on Sugar and Your Child, check out: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sugar-how-bad-are-sweets-for-your-kids/
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/135/3/416.long
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/know-your-limit-for-added-sugars.html