I’ll be the first to admit I’m addicted to sweets. It’s by far my greatest weakness (and my only vice). My very first new year’s resolution was to no longer eat sweet treats. It lasted uh, a whole 12 hours. Needless to say, it’s very difficult for me to stay away from treats. What I have noticed however, is that when I do eat refined sugar-laden treats, I’m no longer myself. My brain becomes foggy, what little patience I have left has totally disappeared, I can’t maintain focus on any one task for a long period of time, I’m irritable, grumpy, and my children maintain an exceptionally large distance from me. Fortunately, I know my body well enough to realize that the food I ingest has some serious behavioral side effects which affect not only me, but all those around me.

Unfortunately, the same holds true for my two children. We have three Jekyll and Hyde’s in our family and it doesn’t always make for a pretty picture. I do exceptionally well at limiting the type of sugar and quantity my children eat because I know soon after ingesting highly refined sugar (as well as highly concentrated sugars like maple syrup), my children’s behavior becomes challenging.  And I know this holds true for many children. But more on this later.

Originally from the South Pacific, sugar cane was introduced to North America by Christopher Columbus. It was thought to have therapeutic properties and soon began appearing in baked goods by the 17^th century. But only the rich could afford sugar. Thanks in part to a ban on sugar by Napoleon, sugar was then extracted from beetroot and became the sugar affordable to all people.

Today, sugar is found in almost all our food except meat. Natural sugars from fruits, sorghum, maple sap and honey are considered the more acceptable sugars. However, when we start talking about refined sugar, the health considerations change.

When a sugar becomes refined, it’s stripped of all proteins, vitamins and minerals. The term “empty calories” refers to the fact that refined sugar has no nutritional value. Foods such as fruits and vegetables contain “full calories” such as vitamins and minerals. The most common form of refined sugar is white granulated sugar. But sometimes refined sugars can be coloured to look like brown sugar (read the labels!!).

Aside from tooth decay, refined sugar is associated with the onset of diabetes and is linked to obesity because excess sugar in the body is transformed into fatty acid which is then stored in various parts of the body including our vital organs (heart and kidneys).  Sugar also suppresses our immune system and inhibits the body’s ability to fight off infectious viruses.  The list of adverse effects of sugar is very long indeed.

Yale University researchers found that children’s behavior changed after ingesting highly refined sugar and processed foods with hyperactive behavior peaking at 4 hours after eating. Normally, the body tries to maintain constant blood sugar (glucose) levels. When children eat refined sugars and processed foods, the blood sugar levels quickly begin to fluctuate. In order to re-establish balance in the blood sugar, the body releases adrenaline and the child’s activity level increases. The end result is that these children exhibit hyperactive behavior.

Then there’s the hotly debated topic of sugar substitutes such as aspartame. Aspartame is also known under brand names such as NutraSweet and Equal. There’s growing research which shows aspartame to be linked to varying conditions including headaches, irritability, fatigue, depression right up to memory loss.  I’m a big believer that the further away we are from the natural source of a food, the less our bodies are able to tolerate the ingredients. I don’t believe we were made to ingest “synthetic” ingredients.

Healthy foods and snacks use more natural sugars like honey, maple syrup or unrefined sugar.  Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruits and is another sweetener available at natural food stores. It’s sweeter than sugar and should be used in small quantities.  But like most things in life, the secret to healthy and happy eating is moderation. At least that’s what my husband graciously reminds me of when all the treats in the pantry have disappeared.

- Jill Bobula