Stump The Savvy Sugar Sleuths: We Help the Mom of A Sugar-Loving Tot

Folks, today I’m launching a new feature, "Stump The Savvy Sugar Sleuths," in which I answer some of your sugar questions, often with the help of a cutting-edge doctor or nutritionist. This feature will be part of my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! E-zine, but today I’m including it first on the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog. Make sure to sign up now for your free e-zine so you can get it e-mailed directly to your in box.

Hi Connie,
I’m the mother to a very picky 2-year-old girl.  One of the few things she eats is oatmeal, but the brand she likes has quite a bit of sugar in it.  I’ve been thinking of replacing it with plain oats, and adding crushed fresh fruit to sweeten it.  However, aside from the fact that she may refuse to eat the plain-oat-and-fruit mixture, the brand of oatmeal she eats is fortified with all sorts of good vitamins and minerals — iron, calcium, zinc., etc., while plain oats aren’t (at least, not the brand at my supermarket). My question: Does the sugar in her oatmeal affect her body’s ability to absorb the vitamins and minerals?  Would I be better off giving her the plain oats with fruit, even without the vitamins? Thanks! Jennifer

Jennifer, Good question. Although I know the answer to this, I decided to turn to some of my favorite, knowledgeable  medical experts, who’ve been amazingly helpful to me while I was researching and writing SUGAR SHOCK!

First, you’ll hear from the always-informative Fred Pescatore, M.D., M.P.H., a traditionally trained, but nutritionally savvy physician. The New York-based Dr. Pescatore is the kind of doctor I wish everyone could treat and help. His resume is quite impresssive. For example, he has authored several books, including The Hamptons Diet; he’s former medical director for Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in New York City, and he’s contributed to DiabetesinControl.com:

"The only reason the oats you give her is fortified with vitamins is because all of the vitamins naturally found in the oats were removed when it was processed and all the sugar was added to replace them," Dr. Pescatore says. "If you buy organic whole oats, then all of those vitamins, minerals and nutrients are NATURALLY found in the oats. 

"My advice is to give your daughter the plain oats with some fruit thrown in or better yet, curb her sweet tooth now and start weaning off of the the sugar.  Many babies are picky eaters and only become more picky when you allow that behavior to flourish.  Feed your kids what is best for them, not what they want. They are not going to starve themselves to death."

Next, we’ll hear from the remarkable sugar expert, Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., author of Lick the Sugar Habit and Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter. Dr. Appleton is a bona fide pionner; she has been exhaustively researching and speaking out about sugar’s dangers since the 1970s. Not only is she one smart lady, and I like to think of her as one of my mentors. (Actually, both Fred and Nancy have been incredibly gracious to me.)

Dr. Appleton explains: "The sugar so upsets the body chemistry that the minerals not only do not absorb but can become toxic in the body. Toxicity is the cause of disease. Give your child a vitamin/mineral supplement if you want — but not the sugary oatmeal.

"Hopefully your child will accept oatmeal with fruit in it.  If she will not eat the first oatmeal, try another and another and different fruits. If worse cones to worse, try some stevia on it if worse, but not Splenda," she advises. "You also could try oatmeal, covered with a little butter. Also experiment with millet, which is the best grain you can eat. All grains are acid forming, but millet is the only one that has an alkaline effect."

Got a question? Fire away. Stump me; stump other experts! We’re happy to help. And remember to sign up now so you get your Stump The Savvy Sugar Sleuths answer e-mailed directly to you.

7 thoughts on “Stump The Savvy Sugar Sleuths: We Help the Mom of A Sugar-Loving Tot”

  1. I certainly agree with all the advice given, but the reasons given by your “advisors” to support the advice are a little … crackpotty.
    “The only reason the oats you give her is fortified with vitamins is because all of the vitamins naturally found in the oats were removed when it was processed and all the sugar was added to replace them … If you buy organic whole oats, then all of those vitamins, minerals and nutrients are NATURALLY found in the oats.”
    Whole oats are great, and if you’re eating a balance diet of fresh foods, you certainly don’t need sprayed on chemical vitamins. But on the other hand “processing” of oats by rolling and steaming them doesn’t remove a significant amount of nutrition, nor do organic whole oats replace all the sprayed on supplements, which include all kinds of crap that isn’t even in natural oats (but which you don’t need since you should be getting it from elsewhere in your diet).
    “The sugar so upsets the body chemistry that the minerals not only do not absorb but can become toxic in the body. Toxicity is the cause of disease.”
    WTF? This woman is a complete nutcase. Sugar in the amounts in commercial oatmeals turns mineral supplements toxic? Give me a break!

  2. Todd, thanks for your comments, and we welcome lively discussion here. However, I’m baffled by your disparaging remarks regarding these two well-known, greatly respected experts.
    To clarify, Dr. Pescatore is correct in his assertion — processing grains robs them of nutrients and vitamins — this is pretty much universally known by those in the field. (You can find ample literature attesting to this conclusion. See, for instance, the book, “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy” by Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. Read his section on what stripping grains does.)
    Thus, plain, whole rollled oats is vastly superior, both nutritionally and metabolically to the instant, just-add-water-quickly stuff. Grains such as oats that are natural and whole are typically much better for you than grains that are processed, stripped, and then perhaps refortified. The enrichment of vitamins and minerals, according to yet another expert, are typically in a form that the body cannot absorb. And, finally, Dr. Appleton is one of many researchers, who have found that eating sugar upsets your body chemistry.
    I’m curious — on what do you base your rather startling conclusions? Do you have a nutrition background? The experts I quoted are, in fact, quite informed. I urge you to read Dr. Pescatore’s and Dr. Appleton’s books. They can help you arrive at an informed decision.
    Connie

  3. First, thanks to you, Connie, for posting my question. And thanks to Drs. Appleton and Pescatore for their insights.
    I will say that getting kids to eat properly is easier said than done and that perhaps Dr. Pescatore was a bit flip about that. But I’ll keep working at it.
    I have no one to blame but myself, in any case. The reason she eats the sugary oatmeal is because I bought it, perhaps being overly concerned about her caloric intake as she’s on the small side for her age and not thinking about the fact that so many of the calories came from sugar.
    I do give her a multivitamin daily, as Dr. Appleton advised, but I thought vitamins and minerals weren’t as readily absorbed that way as they are through food. I’ve never heard that minerals are turned toxic in the body by the presence of sugar; toxic seems like a rather strong word to use. What actual effects on a toddler’s health does this have?
    And finally: Do Drs. Appleton and Pescatore think that no amount of sugar is safe for a toddler? Or is there a small amount per day that’s acceptable?
    I will try the organic oats and fruit solution. They say you sometimes have to give a toddler something at least 10 times before she’ll eat it, so that’s what I’ll do.

  4. Did this article suggest using Splenda, the toxic chlorine-based “sugar?” Looked like a typo. I can only hope………..

  5. Jim, what can I say? Somehow, I horribly goofed!!! Not sure how it happened, but somehow in editing this item (not sure when it occurred), I inadvertantly deleted the word “not” from Nancy’s advice. Mea culpa! (Gee, and I pride myself on my journalistic accuracy! Gotta watch myself with this blogging!)
    Yes, Jim, this blog and my upcoming book, SUGAR SHOCK!, does NOT endorse or recommend Splenda. This is not a decision I arrived at easily, but after interviewing a number of experts, I was forced to make this conclusion.
    Thank you, Jim, for pointing out my error!
    Readers — any of you out there — if you find a mistake, error or curious comment that doesn’t make sense, definitely point it out to me!!
    Again, my gratitude goes to you, Jim.
    Connie
    Founder, http://www.SugarShockBlog.com

  6. Todd,
    Your plain spoken lack of knowledge and understanding of the toxic effects of sugar is all too common. Perhaps you should read Dr. Appleton’s “Lick the Sugar Habit”, before you jump to any more uninformed conclusions. Dr. Appleton did not reach her conclusions only in a lab, but in her body and the effects of sugar on her health. Illness is a great motivator in the search for knowledge regarding health. She walks her talk and is a living example of recovery from sugar and its toxic effects. The woman is a god send, and I am forever grateful for her willingness to share her recovery story and research findings in a world that prefers to mindlessly consume.
    Some may think the word “toxic” to be brutal, but watching my diabetic seven-year-old grandson stick stainless steel needles into his body several times a day is far more brutal, and he can thank his mother and Cocoa Puffs, etc. for that.
    No, Todd, the nut cases are the adults who are ignorantly ruining the health of millions of children daily. Remember, ignorance is ignore-ance and ignoring the facts and not becoming educated is a matter of personal choice.

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