Wednesday, April 6, 2011

And then came Easter...

A client confessed to me this week me that she has a "sweet tooth". She isn't alone. Welcome to the U.S. of A...ddicts. Sugar addicts, that is. Another "sugar holiday" is approaching. 
Easter. (Visions of jelly beans and Cadbury eggs just floated through your head, didn't it?) 
It wasn't so much about that cute little bunny I'll bet.
Have you been into the grocery store lately? It's a sugar wasteland. One ENORMOUS aisle (sometimes two!) is dedicated to all the Easter sweets the stores and manufacturers are intending to sell to (mainly) the parents of all the children who anxiously await the arrival of the Easter Bunny. 
Are you, or is someone you know, one of those "splurge" buyers that purchases (mindlessly) every sugary, high-fructose, nutrient-free, high-in-dyes and chemically poisoned treats for your loved one? (Doesn't sound so appealing when I write it that way, does it?)  
How about if I say, as I try to be more "holiday correct" for all of the Easter lovers out there:
Did you know that dental cavities, tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even vitamin and mineral deficiencies occur when these high-sugar foods replace more nutritionally balanced foods on this hoppy (a little Easter humor) - I mean, happy holiday? (Oh, that's not much better is it?)
I'm not anti-Easter. I think Easter is great! (If you're a dentist.)
Seriously, here is what I have learned over the years. Any parents reading this? When you buy Easter candy for your children.. how much do YOU eat?
DO you buy extra?  "Oh, just in case." Gosh, you never know when another child might pop up who might need some high fructose sweet treats too. Perhaps the neighbor child. Oh! That would be attempted murder, right?
How about this year, we try something new? Instead of candy-filled baskets, what if we replaced the sugar fest with coloring books, crayons, hair clips, even new T-shirts or shorts? Must it be candy? If you are buying for an adult, how about (thinking what I'd like) fabulous coffee beans, gift cards, car wash certificates, perfume/cologne? 
(I wonder if my kids read this.)
I must add too, that sugars are hidden in different lingo, which essentially does not sound so bad on the packaging. There are key words to watch out for. Ready? Brace yourself.
Brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit-juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt sugar, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, cane sugar...
This list is endless, don't you think?
My memories of Easter are of my sisters and I coloring Easter eggs and staining our fingers multiple colors. Getting that new box of freshly sharpened crayons. (Thanks Mom.) Ahhh. The good 'ole days when Mom and Dad put an apple and an orange in the basket too...

2 comments:

  1. Love it!

    That said, the Easter treat my kids love are Caramilk bars. Of course, we don't usually eat sugar or packaged food in our home that contains sugar, so it really is a 'holiday treat' allowed only at Easter, birthday (maybe) and Christmas.

    For most kids (and adults) though, I know, what we consider a 'treat', they consider regular weekly fare. The quantities of pop I see in people's grocery carts makes me shiver. Again, pop in our house happens (maybe) twice a year. With stock in the big name soda companies ever increasing, I'm more than aware that our family is in the minority.

    Our egg hunt includes the area of the yard where the ducks have been ranging and real eggs have been dropped. Unless we go out, collect them and put them back in the nest, they will be ignored, wasted and/or mowed/stepped on.

    And colouring them would just be blasphemous. ;D

    Love your blog!

    Ko

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  2. You and I are SOOOO on the same page, Kim. I think we came from the same mold. I love your "take" on food, the food industry and your attitude of how you fuel your kids. :)

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