By: kristin reichert
I loved reading your comment. My mom has told me some of your story and shared some of the things that you and your husband have been doing, and it's really interesting. You are an inspiration! I don't think my family is quite ready to give up sugar(or other forms of sweet things) all together, but it is something that I do feel I want to do eventually and hope to move closer to that a little bit at a time. Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to hearing more about how you guys eat and what you do for your personal diet! By: kristin reichert
Brianna, Thanks for sharing! That is a lot like our approach to desserts. We try to eat healthier versions of desserts and keep our portions small. We also usually only do one dessert a day. I feel that like you said, if you avoid the desserts all together it's hard to teach your child about self-control. Although I will say that the idea of cutting out sugars sounds enticing..but probably not something that my family and I will be doing all together for a while at least.
Since being pregnant, my cravings have gone up, but I feel that I've done a pretty good job at giving into them to a minimum, thank goodness. By: Brianna
I'm just finding your blog, and while we aren't vegan, budget is making meatless meals a necessity more often than not so I find your posts extremely helpful!
As for sugar, my partner and I grew up on the white bread, sno-cone diet so common for the past few decades, and are finding the results horrifying. We're now raising our kids much differently so they can (hopefully) avoid the sugar, refined carb, caffeine addition stuff we struggle with. We have dessert most nights, but the portions are small. We try to stick to the most natural items we can find. No high fructose corn crap, cane sugar or preferably honey or agave, as the less refined the better, in our opinions. Natural ice creams with ingredients I can recognize as things I cook with, lollipops with fruit juice instead of chemicals and food dyes.
We figure, they will have to learn how to balance the sweets they will want to eat versus the foods they should eat to be healthy, so a little will go a long way in the long run. Denying them outright would only make them crave and binge, but a small sucker after a day filled with fruits and veggies will satisfy the "need" without sacrificing their health. Thankfully, this approach seems to be working. They enjoy fruits and veggies, and will often ask for an apple with peanut butter/honey dip over chips for a side dish, and a frozen natural yogurt tube over cookies and candy for dessert. (Do they make soy or coconut yogurt in tubes yet? I wonder if they would freeze as well as milk yogurt? Something to look for, maybe. Our kids love them!) By: Cathy
I used to be a sugar addict...just had to have something sugary 3 or 4 times a day. About 16 months ago I gave up sugar cold turkey. It took about 2 months, but I don't crave it now. I eat fruit 3 times a day...a small apple or a 1/2 a small banana, so I am getting sugar from the foods I eat without all the refined sugar and fat from baked goods or ice cream.
Funny side benefit is I no longer am a mosquito magnet...they don't like me any more.