Practical Tips to Reduce Sugar Consumption.

Reducing your child's sugar intake is not easy, but it's worth it.

If you've read some of our previous articles, you know that sugar is most families' number one source of Immune System Sabotage. While no parent wants to sabotage their child's immune system health, it can be difficult to reduce sugar consumption.

Here are some practical tips.

1. If you have a newborn or infant, the easiest way is never to let your child get addicted to sugar to begin with. Don't feed your baby sugar; they won't know what they're missing. The longer you can hold off from having sugar wreak havoc on your baby's taste buds and brain chemistry, the better. When they turn one, you don't need to feed them cake. The idea that we have to reward our kids with sugar is a cultural phenomenon that you don't have to encourage.

2. Halloween is a terrible holiday. Just as the seasons are changing, everyone wants to give your kids sugary, toxic candy. If you can devise an excuse not to trick or treat, use it! If your kids do trick or treating, here's a Pro Tip: Buy the candy from your kids. Please pay them a dollar a pound and then throw the candy in the garbage. Another idea: Trade them a new toy for their stash of candy. Anything you can do to get that candy out of their mouths and into the garbage is a win.

3. Feed your kids a big healthy meal before going to birthday parties or any other event that you suspect they will be fed a lot of sugar. When they show up with a full stomach, they will be less inclined to gorge themselves on cake, candy, and ice cream.

4. When you are at festivals, fairs, carnivals, and other places where there will often be kids eating cotton candy, funnel cakes, slushies, and other toxic crap, explain ahead of time that you will say no to foods that will make them sick.

5. Pro Tip: The next time your child is sick and feels absolutely terrible, explain to them that eating sugar is what made them get sick. They will start to associate sugar with poor health. Fifty years later, when they don't have cancer, they'll thank you.

6. Remember that you're the parent. It's ok to say "no".

7. Don't train your kids to expect a sugary dessert after every dinner. (Confession: my family somehow got into a routine where my daughter expected ice cream every evening after dinner. We had to end this trend. Don't make this mistake.)

8. If you take your kids to the ice cream store on a special occasion or for a weekend treat, you don't need to get them the large size with 47 toppings. Choose the smallest size possible. If they fuss and protest, you can say, "It's this size or nothing." Then, let them choose.

9. Pro Tip: Sugar and chemicals are scarier than germs. Help your kids understand that processed foods, sugar, and toxic food additives are relatively new to the human race, while germs have existed since the beginning of time. I tell my children they should be more afraid of sugar and chemicals than germs.

10. Find healthier alternatives to some of the familiar toxic sugary treats, but be careful not to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. Find low-sugar foods or foods that use natural sugar alternatives like stevia. Don't use artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, aspartame, etc. Some food companies are realizing that consumers want healthier, lower-sugar options. Some examples: Zevia makes carbonated beverages sweetened with stevia that can replace sugary sodas and sugar-laden root beer, and SmartSweets makes candy with less sugar.

Hopefully, these tips will help you reduce the amount of sugar your child consumes. What are some strategies that have worked for you?