Image via Wikipedia by Holly Rigsby, Author Fit Yummy Mummy
From the High Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial…
“Wow, you don’t care what the kids eat, huh?”
“You know what they say about it”……Silence, for this mom is STUMPED
Come back: “There’s no artificial ingredients and like sugar it is okay in moderation”
In Moderation……….That is the KEY, right?
When it comes to a sound health and fitness plan, anything is okay on moderation.
And my son Tyler will be the first to tell you that it is okay to have ice cream and go to McDonald’s…..Once in awhile.
He even asks if it is “once in awhile yet”, especially if McDonald’s is advertising a movie related toy that he is “into”.
So what IS the problem?
Well the commercial is right in the fact that, in moderation, the consumption is okay, just like regular sugar.
However, HFCS is found in almost every type of processed food.
“In Moderation” does not mean “consume 5 to 6 times a day” – when in fact, our children are!
Surprised?
Wait until you Take a Look in your pantry, your fridge, your snack drawer.
You will find it in
~ flavored milk
~ juices
~ juice boxes
~ granola snack bars
~ cereals
~ peanut butter
~ fruit chews
~ dried fruit
~ fruit cups
~ yogurt
~ whole wheat bread
~ whole wheat crackers
~ and many other “healthy”sounding food items.
HFCS can even be innocently consumed while dining on spaghetti, seasoning with Worcester sauce, topping a salad, or dipping something into catsup.
As a Busy Moms it seems to be so much easier to choose a more convenient form of “health” foods for their children.
When in fact, the foods chosen are processed and contain HFCS.
Based on the list above, it is highly likely your child is consuming these empty calories 5 to 6 times a day!
Hardly what anyone would consider “In Moderation”.
The impact?
The USDA suggests most of us limit our intake of added sugar — that’s everything from the high fructose corn to plain old teaspoons of sugar — to about 10 to 12 teaspoons a day.
This is not exactly a campaign that encourages us to do so. On average it is easy to take in over 30 teaspoons of sugar a day, which was more than 15 percent of our caloric intake.
These empty calorie foods are simply taking the place of more nutritious, satisfying, health promoting foods our children should be eating.
The Solution?
You can choose to….
~ Check the Labels of the convenience foods you are buying and seek out a HFCS-Free item
or even better
~ Replace all the highly processed foods with whole, natural foods - foods that actually promote health, wellness and a lifetime of fitness when it comes to the future of our children.
Need help?
Try this…
Replace the juice with water
Replace the granola bars with apple slices and almonds
Replace the flavored milk with organic milk - Tyler's favorite, "Horizon"
Next…..Refer to your very own lifestyle system - Fit Yummy Mummy.
Live the life you want your children to live.
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