Artificial sweeteners are one thing that I'm unable to completely avoid - my 3-year old is an insulin dependent diabetic. Without artificial sweeteners, even something as seemingly "small" as any drink other than water would require an injection. I wish it wasn't like this, but there's nothing I can do about it. Natural sugars are OK in some foods, but others send his blood sugars skyrocketing. I try to limit sweeteners for myself as much as possible, but if I'm doing any baking at home I do often have to cut regular sugar with a substitute to lessen the effects on my son - I just can't always avoid the artifical stuff. We try to limit our son's artifically sweetened products to soda or drink mixes like Crystal Light, syrup, yogurt, and sometimes ice cream.
I'm a little more sensitive to the debates about sugar vs. artifical sweeteners than I should be, I guess - it does bother me when people make harsh comments about parents who give things like Splenda or aspartame to their kids (not meaning anyone here! ), not realizing that not everyone gets to make a choice. I've had people make the rudest comments to me about giving my son diet pop, or roll their eyes when I ask about carb counts for food in restaurants - guess they think I have him on Atkin's, too Some people are just so quick to judge, without knowing any of the facts (sorry for the vent!!).
I have to say, though, if there were a way for me to completely avoid the artifical stuff, I would.
Susie, not to question you but I'm curious (and I don't have kids myself so bear with me).
Why give your child soda or crystal light or anything sweet to drink in the first place? I mean, when they are that young, do they know the options available unless you present it to them? If you give your child water or maybe unsweetened koolaid or unsweetened herbal tea, would they know the difference? I find that the taste of sweet is really a learned thing and eating/drinking a lot of sweet things kind of numbs you to the taste of natural sweetness.
Do you need to bake items that have sugar or sweeteners in them? Could you do without?
As I said, I'm just curious and I don't have kids but I know what I do without and I don't feel like I'm suffering.
Well, i use splenda. And once in a while i drink some diet soda (aspartame) Sometimes i think maybe i should stop using them, but i'm not that worried. Think of all the other chemicals you are around and/or ingest, like the pesticides on produce. (Unless you get organic, which is hard to find where i live and when you can find it, its way expensive) I dont get any side-effects i.e. it doesnt make me hungrier, it doesnt give me headaches, or anything like that. Eventually ill cut them out, but right now they help me quite a bit with my eating and my main focus is to lose weight. When i get that relatively under control, i'll focus on health. (Really, i eat quite healthfully now, with the exception of the artificial sweeteners) Except for lately, we've been having a lot of family dinners and stuff since my Aunt and her granddaughter are visiting form Texas. Hopefully i can get things back on track after they leave.
I'm trying to cut down on Splenda. I used to use quite a few packets per day. I'm using honey in my tea now. I still use splenda in my raspberry smoothies, since they are so tart that they would need too much sugar to tame. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 10% daily calories from added sugars, so I try to stick by that. I'm also trying to avoid white sugar and use honey or less processed sugars. Most experts think that less processed sugars aren't really much better for us, but I'm doing it because it's better for the environment. Sugar processing has been very damaging in many ways.
While I still use a little Splenda, my main sweetener is Stevia. I like the white concentrated powder...only takes a pinch. The mistake beginners make is to use too much, which causes a bitter aftertaste.
For instance, when making a GALLON of iced herbal tea, I would use about a level 1/4 teaspoon of stevia (adjust to taste). It's potent!
But I love it in hot tea, ice tea, and you can get cookbooks that have sugar-free desserts, sauces, baked goods, etc that use stevia.
It is supposed to be safe for diabetics, because it doesn't affect BG levels...
I like to buy mine from N.O.W. Brand foods, it is good quality, and seems about the cheapest around in my neck of the woods. It really isn't as expensive as it might seem...a jar lasts a long time.
Artificial sweeteners are one thing that I'm unable to completely avoid - my 3-year old is an insulin dependent diabetic. Without artificial sweeteners, even something as seemingly "small" as any drink other than water would require an injection. I wish it wasn't like this, but there's nothing I can do about it. Natural sugars are OK in some foods, but others send his blood sugars skyrocketing.....
Hi Susie,
I don't know if you are interested in trying something new...but here is a link to a site that has stevia-sweetened drink mixes. I have used all four flavors, but my favorites are Cherry and Grape. (called Stevia Tropical and Stevia Spring).Mmmmmm!
I just noticed the hot cocoa mix...haven't tried it yet..sounds good,though.
Stevia is supposed to be safe for diabetics...you can read the research there at the site...or do a search on google.
Susie, not to question you but I'm curious (and I don't have kids myself so bear with me).
Why give your child soda or crystal light or anything sweet to drink in the first place? I mean, when they are that young, do they know the options available unless you present it to them? If you give your child water or maybe unsweetened koolaid or unsweetened herbal tea, would they know the difference? I find that the taste of sweet is really a learned thing and eating/drinking a lot of sweet things kind of numbs you to the taste of natural sweetness.
Do you need to bake items that have sugar or sweeteners in them? Could you do without?
As I said, I'm just curious and I don't have kids but I know what I do without and I don't feel like I'm suffering.
No worries
For the most part, my son does drink water mainly, and typically enjoys "sweets" of apples, bananas, etc. - things without added sugars. I have to say, though, that the idea of only ever drinking water and never tasting anything with sugar added is kind of bleak - the dieticians on our diabetes team agree it's not really a practical goal. Even naturally sweetened foods will typically require an injection of insulin, so sometimes the goal is to prevent him needing another shot - he already gets about 7 a day. My son is young, but he's also starting preschool in the fall, and will for the first time be eating snacks with other children, participating in class birthday parties, etc. - while I agree that "just because other kids do it, doesn't make it right", it's pretty hard to explain to a 3 or 4 year old why the other kids get to drink juice or punch at the party, and he can have only water, which is all he ever gets to drink (doubly hard when he already feels so different, needing BS checks and injections throughout the day, and sometimes having to sit while other kids play because his blood sugar is too low). If no other option existed, fine - but other options DO exist. Imagine being the only kid in class not eating a small piece of birthday cake, while everyone around you enjoys it. Not because you said "no, thank you", but because someone else said "no, you can't". As an adult, if you make that choice, you know how to cope with the consequences - little kids don't, all they see is that they don't get to be like everyone else. Life is like that sometimes, sure - but in this case, it doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't mean our son eats sugary or artifically sweet stuff all the time - far, far from it! But we do allow these items on occasion, when it helps to keep things more "normal" for him.
I think you making a choice to live this way is quite different than never having a choice to begin with. You got to come around to this way of thinking, to determine that it was the right path for you, to realize that it's not suffering - I've had that luxury, too. "The grass is always greener..." can go both ways, though - we're striving for balance and flexibility now, so we hopefully don't run into issues where our son is sneaking foods when he's older (it happens with diabetic kids more than you'd believe!), because he feels we never let him have them at home. For a non-diabetic child, this wouldn't be a big deal, and might not be something to even worry about at this age - but for my son, his doing this and not telling us could land him in hospital, so we're doing all we can to prevent those feelings of deprivation from building up.
It's just different - and it's so hard to explain to someone who's not living it! You're completely free to disagree with me, of course - I would just caution, though, that unless you've been in this same situation it's impossible to know what you would do.
OK - I can't edit my post for some reason, but just wanted to say that the last part of my message sounds snarky, which wasn't what I had intended! I hope I haven't offended you, Nelie - I was basically just trying to reiterate that it IS so different when you're living something, and you sometimes find yourself making decisions you never expected to make. I still can't come up with a good way to say what I mean, so I'll just hope you understand what I'm trying to get at.
One thing I forgot to mention with regards to avoiding sugar and sweet things - it's tough, because whenever my son gets a low blood sugar (which will happen a few times a week), we HAVE to use sugar to treat it. This is the time when he does get juice, or regular soda, or glucose tabs, or even CakeMate icing in an emergency. It's tricky - it's not like I can never let him taste anything with sugar, which would for sure be an easy way to keep him from ever wanting anything sweet.
Wow Suzie, I give ya a lot of credit for dealing with a three year old diabetic. Being a toddler is hard enough...never mind all the other pricks and injections. Poor baby. How did you find out that he is a diabetic???
What a wonderful mother you are! Your son will always remember that. Keep up the good work!
I have two young ones (1 and 5) and I give them sweets every now and then, too. I don't want to deprive them totally of sweets. They aren't trying to lose weight at their young ages. So my goal with them is to teach proper nutrition first and foremost. But I also want to teach them moderation of not so healthy things. They aren't always going to be fed by me. At school, at grandmom and grandpop's house, out with friends, etc. they will be offered things that I wouldn't normally feed them. I don't want them to go into sugar shock! They need to know that a little bit of whatever is okay! As long as you are building the proper nutritional foundation, I honestly don't see anything wrong with allowing your son a 'taste' of supposed forbidden treats!
This hit home for me the other day when my 5 year old told me that she had soda downstairs that Pop-pop (my dad) gave to her. She said it like it was a confession! She had her head down and was visibly guilty about it! The next day, my mom told me that she asked her to give her some soda in this opaque cup so that mommy (me) wouldn't see what it was when I came downstairs! She was trying to hide it from me!!! I couldn't believe it! I told her that it was okay to have soda once in a while. I asked her what she should have most of the time, and she said water, which she loves. But I made sure she knew that first of all, she didn't have to hide anything from me, ever! And secondly, that it is OKAY to have not-so-healthy things every now and then. It really is OKAY! That was really upsetting for me.
Life is full of moments where food is used as a celebratory thing. We'd be foolish to think that completely restricting ANYTHING will work in the long term. Why do so many people fail at these ridiculous diets??? That's what is so great about SuperFoods/whole foods. You can eat 90% healthy for the day and enjoy a 10% indulgent treat. Nothing wrong with that, IMHO!
Anyways, just wanted to let you know that you could be the next Mother Of The Year! I'll nominate you!!!!
Chemicals are not good for anyone. I think it's terrible that the only choice for diabetics is that sugar free crap that's filled with chemicals. It's like we know you're sick but we're gonna try to make you sicker. There should be more natural choices. The FDA should care more, but it's all about the money, and it's ashame. All atificial sweetners come from the lab, some are made out of coal tar. How can anyone say it's safe? Who would put gasoline in their coffee? It's dangerous. Sugar is better than coal tar. I use raw sugar, orgainic sugar and stevia.
It's not our biggest problem, I just don't understand how anyone can say it's safe for us to put coal tar in our bodies.
I found this on the internet. Don't know if it's true or not but it makes sense that taking this stuff everyday could be harmful.
I was just reading last night in Superfoods RX how calcium intake of children is a huge concern because soda has replaced milk as the standard drink. I would say most of our current drink choices have really come around in the last 100 years with soda and various "fake" juices (koolaid, etc).
I personally don't care if I drink another soda in my life. I gave up sugar sodas 8 years ago and I've recently given up diet sodas. I really do enjoy my choices and I do realize they are my choices.
Here is a summary:
* I drink a good amount of water, sometimes with a slice of lemon.
* I drink only water in restaurants now. Not only is it beneficial but it also cuts down on cost of paying up to 3 dollars for a drink plus added on tax and tip.
* My fridge is stocked with 3 various kinds of herbal and regular iced tea (2 caffeine free, 1 with caffeine). I have different flavors to choose from. I think my favorite fruity one is cranberry apple.
* When I travel on airplanes, I ask for club soda (which is just carbonated water) and a lime wedge. If I really cared for soda more, I'd probably buy club soda at home and mix it with either a splash of fruit juice or my herbal teas.
* In cooler months, I'll drink hot tea.
Do I miss sugar? No Do I miss artificial sugar? No
Of course there are issues with restricting kids from something which their peers may have but it is done with certain foods such as for those that are vegetarian, those that have certain religious restrictions, etc. Anyway, it isn't for everyone but I think it is possible if someone wants to make the choice.
Life is full of moments where food is used as a celebratory thing. We'd be foolish to think that completely restricting ANYTHING will work in the long term. Why do so many people fail at these ridiculous diets??? That's what is so great about SuperFoods/whole foods. You can eat 90% healthy for the day and enjoy a 10% indulgent treat. Nothing wrong with that, IMHO!
AMEN! This reflects my thinking as well. Balance is so important to me. I choose not to restrict/eliminate any foods. I also agree that it's important to be able to participate fully in family/group celebrations by enjoying foods that are integral to the event (i.e. Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc.). "Breaking bread" with those we care for is an important part of creating closeness, good memories, a sense of belonging. Being part of a community (whatever that means to each of us) means sharing common experiences and food can be a key part of this, IMO. Not to make too much of this, but it's taking the "whole foods" mindset and applying it to another aspect of our lives. Sharing meals with others can be part of creating "wholeness" in our lives.
Last edited by BreakingFree; 08-10-2006 at 10:49 AM.
Of course there are issues with restricting kids from something which their peers may have but it is done with certain foods such as for those that are vegetarian, those that have certain religious restrictions, etc. Anyway, it isn't for everyone but I think it is possible if someone wants to make the choice.
I agree completely. IF someone wants to make that choice, it is possible. Is it always a good thing to do to children? I don't know. Severe restrictions of food can cause hoarding and sneaking around to get whatever it is that is off limits. It can also create the belief that certain foods are the enemy. And some of us know all too well what that can lead to; anorexia, bulimia, starvation, deprivation, gorging, etc.
I have a sister who was raised in the Muslim faith, so of course this meant that she was not to consume any pork products whatsoever! When she came to visit, my parents made sure that she had other meat options. However, as a child, I remember her eating bacon when they weren't around. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I don't believe that children can always uphold the same self-control that many adults profess to have. And as I said in my previous post, it was an awful feeling to know that my own child felt the need to hide food consumption (soda) from me out of guilt for drinking it in the first place! That is not a healthy reaction that a child should have from consuming something, unhealthy food or not!
Anyways, I still believe that moderation is more important than strict food restriction. But, do what works for you and your family. I make the choice to not make any foods completely off limits from my kids. Our rule is simple: Healthy choices, first and foremost. Treats, in moderation, and only on rare occasions. This teaches them self control, respect of food and more importantly, respect of their bodies. And it's working for us! Olivia (5) will only ask for a little bit of a treat. She doesn't like too much sugary stuff. She will actually say if something is too sweet and that she doesn't want anymore! Well, except for Rita's water ice on a super hot day!
), not realizing that not everyone gets to make a choice. I've had people make the rudest comments to me about giving my son diet pop, or roll their eyes when I ask about carb counts for food in restaurants - guess they think I have him on Atkin's, too 
Some people are just so quick to judge, without knowing any of the facts (sorry for the vent!!).
