The holiday's are behind us and the second half of the school year is upon us. As busy parents, it is not always easy to create healthy meals that our kids will eat.

Not only do we have to worry about what our kids are eating at home, we also have to worry about what they are eating at school. Some schools now are going sugar free. At first I was against this policy, but now I think that it is one of the best things that we can do for our kids.

No Benefit

There is no benefit to this white crystalline product we call sugar. In the state that we consume sugar in, it has been stripped of any nutrients that it once had on the sugar cane. The consumption of sugar becomes an addiction and it will quickly make our youth gain weight, but my interest was peaked as to finding out more about what sugar can do to our internal systems.

I found out that refined sugar raises the insulin level in your blood. It depresses the immune system and causes your body to be weakened when trying to fight off disease. Insulin promotes the storage of fat which results in rapid weight gain.

I could go on and on about the problems with having large amounts of sugar in your family's diet.

A New Plan

Removing the sugar from our kids' diet is an important step in raising healthy kids. For my family, it will be a gradual process. It really takes planning to be successful at creating a variety of healthy meals that the kids will actually eat.

My plan began with changing the grocery store that I frequent. I want to support the grocery stores that offer food choices that are good sources of nutrition. I also have increased my visits to the local farmer's markets.

I am going to attempt to plan meals for a week at a time. It is too hard to realistically decide what everyone in the family would be happy with eating on a time period more than a week. This will also allow you to take advantage of the weekly sales. In starting this process, it is important to take an honest look at what your family enjoys eating.

There are ways to cook the same meal using different ingredients that may be healthier and more flavorful. Finding ways to incorporate fresh herbs and seasonings will allow the healthy meals that you prepare to be flavorful and healthy. Take a look around the Earth Eats website for some great recipes that you can easily incorporate into your weekly plan.

Read More:

• Sugar: Frequently Asked Questions (American Heart Association)
• 76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health (Mercola.com)