This is getting silly....

[Weka]

The amount of sugar consumed here is staggering. I'm constantly having to ration sweets and treats, given by other people to the kids, meaning I can't buy any for them myself. Yesterday We went to a library party (as a reward to them for doing the library summer holiday reading program) and they did s Lolly scramble, then gave them a pack each that had another dozen lollies, chocolate bars and packet of chips. Really? So much? On its own, it's fine, but the problem is, it's not on its own. Today at my in laws they got more lollies, more chips muslie bars (that can't even be described as muslie), no, not 1, but mil gave them 6 each!! 6!!! Her husband is now type 2 diabetes. they cant see the eating patterns that got him there. They keep saying they only kids. But the problem is this is when you learn your palate and eating habits. It doesn't magically change when you turn 20.


Rant over.

I'm fighting a loosing battle.

[Aggers]

Weka, I can see your problem.

Somehow or other children have to be educated into the folly of eating all these extras between meals.
If they then had the courage to politely refuse these extra 'treat', perhaps the message would get though.

Alternatively, would it not be possible for you to tell your inlaws that you do not approve of the type of
treats they are giving your children, and perhaps suggest alternatives? After all, they are your children
and your responsibility.

Give it some thought.

XX

[Kaz]

That is a lot Weka I do however think your inlaws should respect your views on this - your kids, your rules, end of! xxxxxx

[Workingman]

I want to pick up on this....

They keep saying they only kids. But the problem is this is when you learn your palate and eating habits. It doesn't magically change when you turn 20.

That message needs sending out, loud and clear, to food experts and parents (and in-laws) alike. Our attitude to "food" is what needs to change, not putting information on labels. Things 'ready to eat' are everywhere nowadays, from kiosks in shopping centres, to corner shops, to supermarkets. It is almost impossible to walk out and avoid what is generally junk food or sweets, and that is unlikely to change.

We need to change the psychology of food, but it will not be easy. My local supermarket has whole aisle dedicated to junk. One has every kind of pop imaginable at one side and every type of crisps at the other. Another has biscuits, biscuits and biscuits with sweets and chocolates on the other side. Even the bread aisle has one side dedicated to cakes, cream cakes and sweet pastries. I probably should not mention the "meal deal" area with its own tills where a sandwich, snack and bottle of pop can all be had for £2.99.

[Suff]

I have one question, always, when someone looks at me, says "you're too fat you are going to get diabetes".

I ask them how it is possible to get a sugar processing intolerance when I put less sugar in my body (normally), than they do.

The response is always, always, the same. Apparently I have no clue how diabetes works or how the body deals with sugar as opposed to fats....
WM, you should see the look on the face of McD or Burger King when I'm starving but don't want the chips but I do want a long drink. I order a large (or super size), meal and Coke 0. Then when it comes I ask them to take the fries off it and do whatever they want with them.

Basically because it's cheaper to buy the meal with the fries than it is to buy the burger and the drink.

Occasionally I have some smartass who tells me that they can't take the fries back (with some stupid smirk), so I walk immediately to the bin and dump the fries in it, then look back at said smartass who is usually really annoyed about "food waste" then.

This, of course, is when my willpower is working. Sadly it doesn't always so I very much avoid burger places then.

It has annoyed me for more than a decade that people think they can fill themselves up with all kinds of sugar all day long and because they are not getting fat (not eating a lot other than the sugar) and not eating fat, even worse idiocy, that they won't get diabetes....

I see that the attitudes are changing but, as you say WM, there needs to be a fundamental rethink as to how we are going to remove all this sugar from the diet of the next generation.

If you haven't seen it, I recommend anyone who is unsure of the real impact of sugar on our system to watch the excellent documentary SuperSizeMe. It still rants on about fat all the time, but, as it goes on, it becomes very apparent that sugar is both damaging to the liver and highly addictive. The doctor who glibly thought that his blood work would show some elevated fat and not much else on the diet was, quite literally, shocked by the impact of sugar on the system. In fact, half way though, he suggested that the attempt to eat McDonalds only for a month should be stopped as it could actually be harmful to the long term health.

The very worst two messages which were not really pushed enough, were this.

1. The guy wound up with a serious addiction problem which took him the better part of a year to kick
2. The body adjusted and the worst of the symptoms became much lower grade. So the shock was over. But the long term impact was massive and it was simply swept under the carpet.

Ho Hum. It's big business and it's going to take a LOT of pushing to even start to move attitudes. Just look at smoking and people have known that there is a 1 in 5 chance of getting cancer and dying if you do....

[Workingman]

I have one question, always, when someone looks at me, says "you're too fat you are going to get diabetes".

I ask them how it is possible to get a sugar processing intolerance when I put less sugar in my body (normally), than they do.

Suff, I am sure that you are aware of hidden sugars in things such as fruit drinks, yoghurts and some cheeses; and also carbohydrates which turn into sugar during digestion. You might not be putting sugar directly into your system, but indirectly you might be getting more than you think.

Supersize frightened me when I saw it. The man looked like a member of the living dead well before half-way through. He suffered all sorts of aches and pains in muscles and joints and was essentially suffering from malnutrition despite his high calorie, high fat diet.

Now, portion size and price. It's an old trick, still carried on. Morrisons sell a medium pork pie (serves four) for £1.50 when their large pork pie (serves six) is £1. You just know that the large pie will still only serve four, but with a bigger portion. Same with the "meal deal". The sandwich and drink bought separately are more than the deal, so people take the crisps (200 cal) as a free item - then they eat them.

[Suff]

I am a long time practitioner of Atkins. I am alw a ys aware of how much sugars I am taking. Even when I am eating badly.

It is why my cholesterol count is normal. My triglycerides are always under control.

Remember the shot in SuperSizeMe where they laid out the bowels of sugar to show how much he had eaten?. The liver can cope with massive doses of fat, but when you hammer it with sugar, in the short term, your blood work comes back like an Alcoholic.....