When Dr. Michael Goran started researching children’s nutrition almost 40 years ago, he wasn’t looking at obesity, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver disease. That wasn’t because his head was in the sand – those things didn’t exist in kids but now all 3 are becoming prevalent.
What is going on???
Time and time again, the research pointed to a surprising cause – excess sugar.
In this professorial interview, you’ll learn:
- what excess sugar does in the body, including before someone is even born
- why “excess sugar” is a tricky term to use
- the changes in how we consume sugar since the 80s (it might not be what you think)
- the dangers of liquid sugar and the massive red flags with the current alternative option!
- very practical ideas to take control of the situation in the only place you can
- encouragement that you can take small steps to make a big difference!
- how to empower kids to make their own good choices
Does Sugarproofing your kids mean withholding all sugar? Find out in this interview!
Video or audio? For the first 5 years, this show “The Healthy Parenting Connector” was a video interview series. You can still watch the video, but NOW it’s also a podcast, renamed “Healthy Parenting Handbook.” Find all the episodes here or listen on your favorite podcast player:
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No time for the podcast? Here are the notes!
The Truth About Sugar
- 0:24: Today I’m talking with Dr. Michael Goran on the Healthy Parenting Handbook. We’re going to dig into some science and uncover the truth about sugar.
- 4:02: Dr. Goran shares how he came to specialize in childhood nutrition research.
- 5:47: When he began studying childhood obesity and early onset diabetes, Dr. Goran was looking at environment, physiology, and genes, not primarily diet, but sugar consumption kept coming up as a contributing factor.
- 8:03: What changed in the last few decades to cause so many childhood health issues to skyrocket? It isn’t just more sugar, but different types of sugar. High fructose corn syrup was introduced in the 70s and 80s, and liquid sugar consumption went up as well. Over 70% of processed foods contain added sugar.
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- 10:03: There seems to be a pendulum shift in the last few years where people are not giving their kids juice like it’s water. Unfortunately, the pendulum is swinging to zero-calorie sweeteners in kids’ drinks.
- 10:41: When it comes to artificial sweeteners, we just don’t know how they affect children’s growth and health long term, but we do have evidence that they’re harmful to the body.
- 12:07: The reason zero-calorie sweeteners are zero-cal is because they’re not able to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Sucralose is sugar that’s been chlorinated. This makes it sweeter but also not absorbable. This means it gets stuck in the gut and can alter the gut microbiome.
- 13:41: The goal of artificial sweeteners is that you consume less sugar, but it doesn’t actually work out that way. The sweeteners activate receptors in the brain just like sugar. Then your body thinks more sugar is coming in and responds by using the sugars currently in your bloodstream, which causes a blood sugar crash and sugar cravings. Research has shown people who consume a lot of artificial sweeteners tend to eat more sugar.
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- 16:39: What are parents the most blind to when it comes to the truth about sugar and kids?
- 17:08: When it comes to infants, many formulas contain corn syrup instead of lactose (which is in breastmilk). It’s vitally important to choose a formula with lactose in it if you are formula feeding.
- 17:44: For school-aged kids, they’re overloaded with sugar and treats at school, parties, and holidays. We can’t always control what’s happening at school or sports, but we can control our home environment.
- 18:13: We’re not advocating for no sugar at all. Just more moderation. Choose smaller portion sizes, and put in less sugar when you’re cooking your own.
- 19:25: Good news for your budget, cooking with honey or maple syrup instead of sugar doesn’t actually make a big difference once it’s in the body. There are some benefits to using honey or maple syrup, but you can let that one go if it isn’t in the budget.
- 21:21: The more you can control the sugar content in your food, the better. You can add a little bit of jam into your plain yogurt, or a drizzle of honey on plain cereal and gradually lessen the amount instead of eating the highly sweetened versions you can buy.
- 21:54: Teenagers are more influenced by their peers, and they’re out of the house more. Try not to worry about what you can’t control and focus on the home environment. If you instill a value for nutrition and health in your kids when they’re young, it will come back around even if they wander a bit as a teen.
- 23:03: It’s important to develop healthy habits and family culture. In our house, I’ve always said to my kids that we don’t want to be drinking our sugar. They occasionally have lemonade or pop as a treat, but it’s not seen as an ordinary way to hydrate. More about how we deal with desserts and sweets in our family culture.
- 23:51: So what are the negative effects of sugar on our kids? Sugar affects all parts of the body, and kids are more vulnerable because they’re still developing. Get your kids involved and let them make choices. “We are getting the plain yogurt, you can choose what flavor jam you want to add to it.”
- 25:29: I have parents tell me their kids don’t want to cook, they want to bake. In this case, you can lessen the amount of sugar in the recipe and experiment with ways to sweeten it without sugar. Like these muffins sweetened with bananas and applesauce and this date-sweetened frosting.
- 26:41: If you have teens who aren’t on board, think about how you can relate to a specific aspect of their health. Maybe they want clearer skin, more focus at school, or to run faster in sports. How can you link that to the food going into their body?
- 27:55: Sugar can be inflammatory which can cause skin problems or asthma. It’s converted to fat in the liver. It can cause diabetes later. You may not see any short-term effects of too much sugar, but long term your future health is at stake. Here are some more problems with sugar.
- 29:27: There is actually a study showing that sugar intake during pregnancy potentially impacts the future health of the baby.
- 33:09: What can parents do today to reduce the sugar intake in their households? Decide to bring less sugar into the house. This may look like no longer buying juice or soda. Look at processed foods you buy often and see which are high in sugar. Start phasing out those high-sugar foods and look for less sweet alternatives.
Resources We Mention About Sugar and Kids
- Get Dr. Goran’s book: Sugarproof: Protect Your Family From the Hidden Dangers of Excess Sugar with Simple Everyday Fixes (Amazon, Bookshop)
- There are some benefits to using honey or maple syrup
- More about how we deal with desserts and sweets in our family culture
- Reduce sugar intake with these muffins sweetened with bananas and applesauce and this date-sweetened frosting
- Sugar and inflammation
- Find Dr. Goran online: Dr. Michael Goran, Sugarproof Kids
- Follow him on Instagram
- Get a free chapter and sugarproof breakfast guide here
Dr. Michael Goran is Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and Program Director for Nutrition and Obesity at The Saban Research Institute.
Dr. Goran is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK. His research on infant and childhood nutrition has been continuously funded by the NIH for the past 35 years, raising $80m in funding, and publishing over 400 peer-reviewed articles. In 2021 he founded the Southern California Center for Latino Health, a regional initiative focused on developing academic-community solutions to chronic disease disparities in Latino families and funded by a $25m grant from the National Institute for Minority Health Disparities.
He has received numerous scientific awards for research and teaching, including The Nutrition Society Medal for Research (1996), The Lilly Award for Scientific Achievement from The Obesity Society (2006), the TOPS award for contributions to obesity research from The Obesity Society (2014), and the Rank Prize Lecture in Nutrition (2018).
Michael lives in Silverlake, LA, and likes to play tennis, cook, eat, hike, walk his dog, and travel. He is the author of Sugarproof: Protect Your Family from the Hidden Dangers of Excess Sugar with Simple Everyday Fixes.
What You Should Do Next:
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About Katie Kimball
Katie Kimball, CSME, creator of Kids Cook Real Food™ and CEO of Kitchen Stewardship®, LLC, is passionate about connecting families around healthy food. As a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks, she’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine and contributes periodically on the FOX Network.
Since 2009, busy moms have looked to Katie as a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health, and she often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to stay on the cutting edge. In 2016 she created the Wall Street Journal recommended best online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food™, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook. She is actively masterminding the Kids’ Meal Revolution, with a goal of every child learning to cook.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is also a Certified Stress Mastery Educator, member of the American Institute of Stress and trained speaker through Bo Eason’s Personal Story Power.