Genral Wellness Questions

Updated on December 05, 2008
L.B. asks from Rhome, TX
9 answers

looking for advise for cutting sugar cravings for teen daughter and upping her fiber-tried herbs but she gagged and it was like pulling teeth to get her to do it with little results. menus helpful too!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the great info, plan to sit down and share it with her, on our cruise in a week and a half and let her read it. I believe she is at age where she needs to want to feel good, and not have it forced on her, and there were some great suggestions and products that we will be trying!
L.

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T.M.

answers from Dallas on

take her to the store and let her pick some fiber rich foods. Print a list and let her see the options. Have her Google fiber rich foods for a fresh look. Maybe a special trip to whole foods or market street. My kids love the bulk bin area at whole foods. There are even differant "buttered nut" options that are great with apples and celery. you might try making snacks and having them out and ready to eat when you know she is hungry; Not in the frig. or basket but cut up on a plate. It makes all the differance with my kids. It may even be that you are pushing it that makes her resist so you could just have nothing else available and not tell her what to eat; but give her no alternative. ok last thought, mix it in with something she does like. :)

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N.H.

answers from Dallas on

Try using the hidden veggie, bran fiber mix etc.... In your meals. Add pureed spinach to spagetti sauce and casseroles or a scoop of bran fiber etc...do 1/2 and 1/2 bran muffin with apple flavor etc... Also try to keep other choices around the house of things they do like and hopefully you can introduce a new one now and then. But try the hidden cooking...a family deal, everyone can eat heathlier.

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

My almost 14 yr old and I drink Danactive every morning as soon as we get up. We also take additional Vitamin D and folic acid along with the multivitamin. This time of year, we also drink a lot of airborne to hopefully keep colds, etc away.

I am a lucky mom with a very health conscious kid. Offer her a candy bar or apple and she will choose the apple. Broccoli or fries and she goes for broccoli... We love triscuits and her favorite morning breakfast is shredded wheat or granola. I keep a stock of berries (frozen as well).

She takes her lunch to school which consists of granola bars, pb crackers, and fruit.

Of course there is a sugar fix at times but we just don't keep junk food in our house. The favorite food at this time for snacking that we have are the ruby red grapefruits from TX.

Our motto is to eat whatever you want, whenever you want WITHIN MODERATION. Usually a cup of hot cocoa, Starbucks drink, smoothie with do the trick for us.

I think it is a matter of habit....getting used to not having sugars and junk foods lying around. I've had a candy jar out for the last 3 weeks and it is still full!!

Teen years are hard....I am learning more everyday. Best wishes to you!!

Good luck

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D.B.

answers from Dallas on

Fruit... It will help with the sugar cravings and give her some fiber at the same time. Don't keep sugary foods around. My husband has turned into more of a health freak than he was when I married him, but when we got married we didn't have a lot, so sweet things went for the most part. Also, my husband has never been much of a salt eater. I picked up his habits when we married, and now when I eat a really salty food, it almost makes me sick. Sweets are about the same way. I just am not as fond of them as I used to be. It takes a little while to get used to, but once you've gone a while without them, you don't really want them back as much. I still eat sweets on occasion, but it's usually dark chocolate or cake without icing. Yesterday was my birthday and we had a fruit pizza - giant sugar cookie with cream cheese mixed with yogurt and fruit on the top. It wasn't too sweet and pretty healthy too.

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M.B.

answers from Dallas on

We find that keeping lots of fruit in the house can be helpful. Unless your daughter has an issue with yeast overgrowth, I would not limit her fruit. A good probiotic daily minimizes yeast overgrowth. Issues with yeast can contribute to the sweet cravings.

My older son never had the sugar cravings and based on what I've learned the source of my younger sons are due to a genetic predisposition for diabetes and problems maintaining consistent blood sugar levels. Giving him protein and healthy fats for each meal can be really helpful (note the theory that all fats are bad is a very health damaging mis-conception). A sign that this is an issue with your daughter is if she gets very cranky before meals and is fine afterwards - my son is Jekyll and Hyde in this regard.

Also, healthy snacks - quality protein bars - are very, very helpful. My kids like the Lara bars and Dr. Bonners hemp seed bars (there are also other brands of hemp seed bars and sunflower seed bars), which have dates for a sweetener and nuts. It is really important to always have protein when you have sugar to stabilize the metabolism of the dates and the natural fiber in dates minimizes the blood sugar impact.

Vitamin B1 can be helpful for maintaining good blood sugar levels. My kids like the Emer-gen-C packets which have a good balance of B vitamins and vitamin C. B5 and vitamin C are important for healthy adrenal function, which can have a huge impact on blood sugar. And, I mix the probiotic powder into this drink and they don't reject it - my younger son is ultra sensitive to herbs, etc.

There's also an exceptional powder product: Fatigued to Fantastic that has a great blend of vitamins and amino acids, but you do need to take Bs separately. IT does have dairy.

That all said, I don't entirely limit sweets, but with all the other food options, my sons are very good about limiting it to a cookie or two after dinner. I don't pack any sweets in their lunch boxes - just the protein/fruit bars and a pack of nuts, along with fruit cups, turkey or other protein (cheese sticks might be good if she can tolerate dairy) and baby carrots. It's also a mis-conception that baby carrots have a high glycemic index. The glycemic index was derived by using the same portion size/calories. Thus, a large amount of carrots are required to be equivalent to white foods (processed carbs, etc.)

I also bake with a high protein flour mix - 1/2 bean flour and almond meal, mixed with rice flour (or tapioca flour, corn starch, potato starch).

Here's a generally good list of foods that should be avoided (ignoring the fruit warning for the most part):
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoavoid.htm

Although, avoiding fruits for a period of time could be really helpful. Also, she should avoid all artificial sweeteners. They've found that they cause folks to keep that sweet craving. Stevia, an herb (that must be used sparingly) is the exception.

And, here's a good one that is recommended in terms of avoiding yeast and sugars:
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoeat.htm

The gluten is an important one and you might consider testing her for gluten intolerance:
www.enterolab.com

After avoiding sugar for 2+ weeks, your daughter will become far more sensitive to it and likely not find it as tasty. I know all of this first hand as I was a carb/sweet addict in my younger days.

That all said, with a resistant child, change should be gradual and the WHOLE family needs to buy in and participate in the diet change. It's not fair to expect your child to avoid bad foods and have others in the family continuing to eat them. Also, working with a GOOD nutritionist can be very helpful, since it can eliminate the power struggle - i.e., it's what the nutritionist recommends vs. Mom.

B.F.

answers from Dallas on

I use Arbonne's Just Go! Orange Fiber Shake. You can read about it at https://www.arbonne.com/products/weight_loss/figure8/prog...

Here are some recipes to use with it:

Orange Banana Shake
Orange Fiber Shake, 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1 banana, 4-6 ice cubes, blend until smooth

Blueberry Shake
Orange Fiber or Vanilla Shake, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 banana, 4-6 ice cubes, blend until smooth

Power Shake
Orange Fiber Shake, 2/3 cup water, 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/4 cup applesauce, 4-6 ice cubes, blend until smooth

Quick Dreamsicle Drink
Orange Fiber Shake, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup skim milk, 4-6 ice cubes, blend until smooth

Orange Buttermilk Drink
Orange Fiber Shake, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger optional, 4-6 ice cubes, blend until smooth

They also have Protein Shakes in vanilla, chocolate and chai latte - I have recipes for those too.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information about these products.

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B.B.

answers from Dallas on

Acupuncture will also help reduce the cravings. I recommend Dr. Steve Homoky ###-###-####) at Coit & Spring Creek. He helped my daughter out with her sugar cravings. She would get totally spacey after eating it, and while she still enjoys sugar, it's easier for her to keep it in moderation.

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E.S.

answers from Dallas on

I am not sure what herbs would work, but sugar cravings should go away on their own after a week or two of not having it. It may be hard, but try to get her to go without for a while and her cravings should stop. It may be hard in the begining but it will get easier.

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P.B.

answers from Dallas on

I agree with the person who recommended having her pick out her own foods and supplements after some research. You want to encourage independence skills and making her own decisions, not doing what mom says for the rest of her life. If there is a good health reason for worrying about her sugar cravings, like diabetes, or overweight, then some nutrition/exercise research projects for her might be in order. However, if it's just "mom's" thing, you're setting yourself up for a rebellion. Otherwise, think about monthly cycles. Most women have sugar cravings (or at least chocolate - being silly here) sometimes. As long as you are exercising enough to use up the calories, what's the big deal?

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