First of all, I want you to know that I am a sugar addict.
I don't want to be. I have done enough reading and research to know that sugar is as addictive as cocaine. COCAINE, people. I know a bit about what it does to the body and the mind, even contributing to things like anxiety and depression.
I also know that it tastes good. Like, really good.
A couple years ago my husband and I went on a lovely west coast holiday and had a grand time. We spent a boatload of money, staying in nice hotels and eating in restaurants, which we don't do too much of in our regular life. We ate so much "junk" food (deep fried fish and chips, burgers, cheesecake, crepes loaded with chocolate and whipped cream...mmmmm....) that on the drive home, I plotted out my plan to improve our diets. As a teacher with some extra time during the summer, it was easy. I kept the kitchen stocked with fresh produce, I cooked nice healthy meals, and I had plenty of time to work out. It was awesome. I lost about 12 pounds that summer and I felt AMAZING. Seriously....I slept better, I had a ton of energy, and my tastes changed. I didn't intentionally cut out sugar necessarily, but it happened as I sought out whole, natural foods. Suddenly foods tasted better to me...real foods. Cucumbers are the most delicious little thing, maybe EVER (sorry Mom...I know you are gagging as you read that...). Grapes taste like candy. Corn tastes like candy! When I did try the sugary treats and snacks, they just tasted gross. I didn't even want them.
Unfortunately, going back to school in the fall was the first obstacle in maintaining this lifestyle. Paired with a few other bumps in the road in my personal life, before I knew it I was right back to my old way of doing things. Eating whatever (and then feeling guilty), feeling sluggish and lethargic a lot of the time, dreading workouts (even though I enjoy them once I get started) and so on.
This year I have continued on this road, while telling myself "I will start making good choices after ________". Fill in the blank with whatever event, season, or big work thing (like writing report cards). I know I need to make better choices. I want to make better choices. I know that once I get started, it will get so. much. easier.
Now, my thinking (as usual) moves over to my classroom, specifically when my little Kindergarten darlings are there and it is snack time. In my class, kids bring their own snacks from home. We are a half-day program, so they do not stay for lunch. I have absolutely no control over what the children bring for their snacks. And my goodness....you should see some of the things that turn up. Bags of chips or cheesies. Packaged cookies. Crackers with processed cheese spread. Pudding and Jello cups. Granola bars covered in chocolate. Cans of COKE.....for a KINDERGARTEN CHILD....to drink!.....AT SCHOOL!!!!!
That is the not so great side. There are plenty of families sending in awesome snacks like apples, bananas, carrot sticks, berries, etc.
Each fall I do a unit on nutrition in Kindergarten. Typically I will teach them about the food groups and how and why different foods are good for our bodies. I don't teach them that cupcakes and doritos are "bad" foods, because I don't think it is beneficial to create a shame mentality. This is what I struggle with as an adult. I teach that they are "sometimes" foods. We try to eat good, healthy foods most of the time. Sometimes, we will have a treat and that is ok. And I really do believe that.
I begin my unit the day after Halloween (ha!) and the whole month of November is "Healthy Snack Challenge" month. I don't want the kids showing up with lunch bags full of Halloween candy day after day. Instead I get them excited about bringing in healthy snacks. If a certain number of people in our class (it can never be all or nothing....that's not fair, and it'll never happen) bring a healthy snack, they earn a sticker on the Healthy Snack Challenge chart. If they earn a certain number of stickers during the month (usually slightly less than the total number of school days...to give them a fighting chance), we end the month with a Fruit Salad party! Everyone brings a piece of fruit and we make fruit salad together!
Now, the parents are obviously the ones who need to buy into this. They are the ones doing the shopping, after all! It has been fairly successful. It always breaks my heart when kids want to eat healthy snacks but they just get the same packaged, sugary stuff day after day. "This is healthy right Mrs. Teacher?!" with their bright little eyes so full of hope. How do you tell them that yes, some granola bars may be healthy-ish, but this one is loaded with chocolate chips and marshmallows and it is dipped in chocolate, so no....this is NOT healthy!!! I know that it is about convenience sometimes, and it is way easier to grab something packaged out of a box and throw it in little Billy's lunch bag than it is to cut up veggies. Seriously. I don't even have children of my own and I know this, because there are times that I just can't be bothered to do it for myself.
I should also mention that I have absolutely no idea what these children eat when they are at home. Maybe they eat super healthy meals and they just get something a little less healthy when they come to school. Maybe their parents order pizza every night. No clue. But I can't judge an entire families dietary habits on what their child brings for their snack. And I am not trying to do that, just for the record.
When we have class parties and celebrations, parents will volunteer to send in special snacks for the students to share. And what kind of snacks do 5 year olds want for a party?
CUPCAKES!!! COOKIES!!! TIMBITS!!! CANDY!!! SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!
These last couple of years I have been more specific with what I want parents to send in. I used to just open it up and anyone could send in anything. Inevitably we would end with a table full of various sugar-laden treats. The kids' eyes would light up, they would load their plates and stuff their faces, and 9 times out of 10, a bunch of them would end up feeling sick, throwing half of it in the garbage, and sometimes even wanting to lay down instead of having time to play at centres or whatever fun activity we were doing after!
Now, I will be specific with a list of possible treats and the idea is that once an item is spoken for, it is gone and there is no more room on our snack table for that item. My snack sign-up usually looks like this;
- fruit tray, or a bag of small whole fruit pieces (such as small mandarins)
- veggies
- crackers, pieces of cheese
- a sweet treat (cupcakes, cookies, etc.)
I don't want to reinforce what many of these kids already think....a party is only a party if you stuff your face with sugar. Maybe I can't change what they bring in for their snacks, and I certainly can't control what they eat when they are at home. But, I can control what comes in for celebrations, and take care to send a healthy, balanced message. Look kids, we're eating veggies and having fun at the same time! Wow!
Well, that's the theory anyway. Unfortunately, this year, parents will just send stuff in anyway, even though I ask them not to. On our class party days I will have my 4 parents who have volunteered to send in the items from the list above. Then as the kids come in, they will grab bags of cookies and candy that they brought for the party, even though I had communicated to parents that we already had enough treats! No need to send anything! I mean, how much food do 5 year olds need to eat when they are at school for half a day? Seriously!
Personally, I am trying to make better choices. It's one day, once choice at a time. Last night I really wanted to eat potato chips (that my husband bought....why??? why do you tempt me so???) but fought off that urge and ate an apple and a few nuts instead. Yay me! The other night I went for a 10 minute walk instead of sitting on my butt all night...just most of the night! But my thinking is that making good choices becomes a habit. The more good choices I make, the more good choices I will want to make! I speak from experience.
It isn't about judgement. It isn't about shame or guilt. It's just about the messages that I send and reinforce in my classroom.
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