We have always played a major role in educating our families
about the negative impact of refined sugar in a child’s diet.
Our commitment is to keep it to a minimum in terms of our
food offerings and to transfer that approach to their daily lives.
On a year round ongoing basis, your child needs to know
that sugar is not good for their health.
Never reward them with a sugar item,
instead choose something healthy, creative or educational.
Unfortunately, in our culture with associate sugar items as
rewards.
The best way to ensure the best results is for you, as
parents, to set an example for them.
Even when you have this approach, the holiday season is a
challenge, particularly starting with Halloween and the ongoing party season.
Some of these strategies have provided the best results:
1. No sugar treats at all obviously is ideal, and
committed parents are successful at achieving that result.
2. For those families to want to do the right thing
while allowing some flexibility, one way is to allow your child to have one
candy of their choice each day for one week after Halloween and then discard
the rest.
3. Count how many treats they have collected and
give them a small financial compensation for each so they can purchase an
education or creative item with the proceeds. You could also allow them to
donate it to charity, or even put said funds in a savings account.
4. This might be a good opportunity to teach them
how to read an ingredient label so they better understand what they are putting
into their system.
**Remember, the tone for the
holiday season will be set by how you handle Halloween!
5. Do apply very clear restrictions to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and any major holidays that are part of
your culture. This also includes holiday parties.
6. A conversation should occur prior to each of
these events. Be consistent and firm about your plans and the season will be
positively manageable.
7. Make sure your child has nutritional meals and
plenty of sleep!
Set a good example! Let your children see that you are also
carefully managing your own diet. This is the best example!
Good luck!
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