INSIDE OUT

THE TRICKSTER I still remember my grandmother's disgust when I refused to put gravy on my 10 month old's potatoes one Christmas. My aunt would quickly join in on what an awful mother I was being to neglect my child of the "pleasures" in life. I still receive comments and crooked looks over my decision to not have sugar in my home. "What a sin!" they would stammer... to deny my children these so-called "treats".

I've been teaching my children that we have been tricked. There's this organ in our mouths called the tongue. This organ is a very important tool to help us detect foods that have gone bad. Our tongue sends messages to our brain to let us know that the milk we have just brought to our microvilli has spoiled and it would not be good for the rest of our body (not to mention the usefullness of our nose in this detection). However, there is a pleasure sense that our tongue sends to our brain that tricks us. Sweet and salty flavours "taste" good. But, does our brain let the tongue know when it's had enough. The short answer to this question, is "no".

I have stopped growing in height and weight (okay, maybe I've put on a "couple" pounds since childbirth). Yet, my young children grow at an exponential rate! Their brain and head grow at an amazing 80 percent during the first two years of their life! When I think of what to feed these fast-growing cells in my children on a regular basis, sugar is not something that comes to mind.

When my children grow up, potentially rebelling from my need to protect them, they will eat their sugar, yes. But, far be it from me to use sugar or other harmful "treats" to aid in the development of not only their brain, but their heart, their liver, their WHOLE BODY.

Oh, it's fine to have these "once in a while". But this once in a while should certainly not be everyday. This once in a while might be once a week. But, please don't think that the food we put in our children is not going directly towards each and every cell that forms as the foundation for the rest of their adult life. Overnight you might not see the harm. But, I betcha when they're my age you would have wished you had parents that knew just a bit more information. My children are learning that the tongue is only one small organ. We need to teach them that we can't use our bodies as garbage disposals for the sake of one small organ at its front door.