Remember Joe Camel (aka Old Joe)? Back in the late ’80s, the cartoon mascot for Camel cigarettes sparked a decade-long controversy. Experts charged that the smoking character encouraged youth to purchase Camel cigarettes, leading to a 66-fold increase in sales among teenagers, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Eventually, California attorney Janet Mangini filed suit against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, forcing a settlement and the demise of Old Joe in 1997.
Today, we look back on Camel’s youth-focused advertising with a sense of disbelief. Yet when modern-day manufacturers of sugar-laced products boldly and unashamedly market and package their goods to entice young children, there’s no public outcry. Some say it’s comparing apples to oranges — or tobacco leaves to sugar cane — but consider this: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the obesity rate among children and young adults an epidemic, and lists “unhealthy dietary behaviors” as a youth risk factor, along with alcohol, illegal drug and tobacco use.
“The American Heart Association recommends kids consume three to eight teaspoons [12 to 48 grams] of added sugar a day, depending on age and caloric needs,” says Dana Shafir, Ph.D., local licensed professional counselor and health coach. “But kids are actually exceeding those recommendations three to fourfold, and teens consume an average of 34 teaspoons of added sugar a day!”
Advertisers use rainbow-hued toucans and dashing leprechauns to appeal to children, and products are strategically placed at eye level to every cart-riding toddler being toted down the grocery store aisle. A report issued last year by the Center for Science and Democracy points a sticky finger: “Sugar interests [groups] use every tool at their disposal to obstruct science-based policy on added sugar.”
So with sugar consumption at an all-time high and obesity rates soaring, what’s a parent to do?
“Read labels,” advises Clayton Robinson, a North Texas certified health coach. “Note how many grams of sugar, and divide by two. Take that sum, and imagine that many sugar cubes in each serving. It’s an insane amount of sugar, and their bodies can’t handle it.”
Robinson says the body knows how to process the sugar that appears naturally in fruits but not the added sugar in, say, a fruit chew. “Take your kids to the farmer’s market, and let them have a hand in meal planning,” she says. “We’ve forgotten what healthful foods taste like.”
Even seemingly benign products, such as ketchup and dips, frequently contain sweeteners. Plus, sugar often appears incognito, using names typically ending in “ose,” such as fructose and dextrose.
Experts urge parents to be sugar detectives, not easily enticed by packaging labeled “natural” or “healthy.” Unlike the term “organic,” which is regulated by the government, natural foods can be loaded with natural ingredients, including, of course, sugar. Take the all-natural, low-fat yogurt in your fridge. Some contain a whopping 25 grams of sugar per serving. Ever wonder how food manufacturers make low-fat products tastier? Yep, added sugar.
Nicole Wallace, pediatric care manager at the Kotsanis Institute in Grapevine, encourages parents to think “dark and tart” when it comes to choosing fruit (green apples rather than red). “And keep in mind simple carbohydrates turn to sugar in the body,” says Wallace, who works primarily with children whose immune systems are compromised or challenged. “Sugar can feed the pathogens in the digestive tract and cause gut issues, such as constipation and diarrhea.”
The research is in, and experts agree: One simple act — the reduction of consuming added sugars — can translate to reduced diabetes-related deaths and premature deaths across populations. Just imagine what it could do to decrease our current obesity rates.
Published March 2015
