Day 22 of a sugar-free life

On the walk to school this morning with our dog, in glorious June sunshine, on Day 22 of her sugar-free detox, my 11-year-old told me something that made my heart sing:

"I've decided that I'm only going to eat sugary things when it's someone's birthday or on holiday."

I could have hugged her. But I resisted and instead told her I was so proud of the choices she's making.

I also told her that her decision would in fact bring her in line with how we all were as children all those years ago.

As children, we weren't given puddings or sugary treats every day. They were exactly that: 'treats'. Not a daily habit.

I know that my daughter's own health journey will bring her challenges, but the greatest challenge she will face next week is, ironically, how she will resist all the sugary treats offered to her at school.

As I've said before, we have never had refined sugar in our house, so the threat to her health lies, frustratingly, and firmly, at the door of her school.

I have been lobbying the school for the past six years to review its approach to food and food education, and to, first and foremost, eliminate all refined sugary treats in the school grounds.

A pretty reasonable request. You would think.

It has been a mighty struggle. Sugar is so embedded in the school culture that the problems are multiple:

It is stuck in an anachronistic culture of rewarding children with sweets.

It has an over-reliance on unimaginative cake sales.

Teachers hand out jam sandwiches with white bread on school trips.

The kids make pancakes in French class. (I'm sure there are other, more savoury, options!)

Teachers give Mars Bars to children in celebration of a teacher's birthday. (Yes, this did happen.)

More than 20 birthday cakes are handed out throughout the school year in class.

Plus: They have a cafe on a Friday where the kids can buy all kinds of cakes and biscuits brought in by the parents (for a profit of around £800-£1000 a month to the school).

And, the icing on the cake? (sorry).

There is a van that sits daily in the school grounds offering the kids (from ages 5-17) giant chocolate cookies, chocolate, crisps, waffles, croissants, coffee, fizzy drinks and earns the school around £7000 a month.

If it sounds like the school is profiting from our children's sugar addiction, then that's what it sounds like.

The Head sends out regular pleas to parents in the newsletter to not give their children sugary foods in their packed lunches, but this request falls on deaf ears.

Well, it would wouldn't it?

The biggest health problems that the NHS reports in children of primary school age is mental health and constipation. Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes are increasing.

I live in hope that the school will soon take an enlightened approach towards the health and wellbeing of the children in their care.

Unfortunately, for the time being, it is reliant on us parents to pick up the pieces of a school food approach which is contributing to causing havoc in the health of our children.