PART 2: Navigating the Sugary Landscape of Child Nutrition with Melissa Rohlfs

Growing up off-the-grid gave me, Nika Lawrie, a unique perspective on the sugar-saturated world we live in today. In a candid conversation with Health Coach Melissa Rohlfs, we peel back the layers on how sugar has stealthily crept into our children's lives - from the moment they crunch into their breakfast cereals to the flavored vapes alarmingly aimed at them. As Melissa returns to our podcast, her expertise shines a light on this pervasive issue, and together we tackle the 'mom guilt' associated with navigating our kids' health in a fast-food culture.

Melissa's passion for nurturing a sugar-free lifestyle is tangible as we discuss the empowerment that comes from making well-informed dietary choices. Sharing personal anecdotes, including my own pregnancy fast-food cravings, we emphasize that perfection isn't the goal, but awareness is. We explore the essential balance needed to instill healthy food relationships in our kids, avoiding extremes while promoting toxin-free living. Our chat also ventures into the importance of mindful eating and regular exercise for children, underscoring the negative impact of high-sugar diets on their immune systems, gut health, and emotional regulation.

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*This podcast and its contents are for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider for any questions concerning a medical condition or health objectives. Additionally, the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every individual and are not guaranteed for business or personal success. Use discretion and seek professional counsel when necessary.

Transcript

Nika Lawrie: 0:06

Welcome to the Inspired with Nika Lawrie podcast. Melissa, welcome back to the podcast. I'm so grateful to have you here for our second episode in deep diving into sugar, so thanks for being here, of course, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be back, yay, so today we're going to talk about the danger of sugar and its relationship to our kids. To our children who, man, they are like the little golden eggs. Right, we want to just do everything we can to protect them, so I'm excited to deep dive into it with you, thank you, yeah, so I know you. I know you kind of introduced yourself on the last show. For the listeners that didn't tune into that, can you give just a quick run through of who you are, your background and your relationship to removing sugar from from our diets?

Michelle Rohlfs: 0:58

Yeah, so I'm a former sugar addicted woman who started using it when I was a child to kind of cope with some trauma. And when we had kids I realized something needed to change and I needed to break free from that. So found sugar freedom and got certified as a holistic health and life coach and I now help other busy women break free from sugar without deprivation so they can be happy, healthy and love life, because it impacts every area of life. Yet we don't realize it.

Nika Lawrie: 1:29

Oh man, every area. I love that. I think it's so powerful and and um, you know I didn't have the opportunity in the last show, but I want to just take a minute to commend you for the work that you're doing, especially helping other women really heal their bodies and kind of get all this under control, Cause it can be a really hard thing to do to start to really manage those sugar cravings and to really get past it. So I just want to thank you for the work you're doing and give you some, just commend you, like I said, for what you're doing. So thank you.

Michelle Rohlfs: 1:57

Well, of course, Thank you, it's hard because I think we love our sugar right and it's legal, it's socially acceptable. So when you talk about like breaking free from sugar, they're like what I don't know, I don't know, and there's almost like a resistance to it. So, thank you, I appreciate that Absolutely.

Nika Lawrie: 2:13

So for the for the listener who's just joining us this week, I really highly recommend that you go check out last week's episode. Melissa and I deep dived into how sugar really affects us as adults, the damage it's doing in our body, and then we kind of identified some quote unquote healthier sugar options and then really the detrimental ones, especially refined sugar, that we kind of talked about high fructose corn syrup Um, really that fructose, uh sugar is a big issue too. So go check that out and then also stay here and listen to us, because we're going to talk about all, all about kids today and the relationship with sugar. And I think this is such a big one because, you know, sugar is just I mean, it is sold to our kids 24 seven.

Nika Lawrie: 2:56

You know, we hand literally like dessert to me, like these sugar bowls of cereal to our kids on their way to school, like it's literally like why not just give them a bowl of ice cream? Like it's bizarre to me, you know. And then they go to school and they're given Jolly Ranchers and M&Ms and lollipops for doing a quote unquote good job at school, you know. And then they go to these birthday parties and it's just sugar everywhere, and so it's sugar is everywhere with our kids. So I know I'm kind of getting on my soapbox there and I apologize, but I'm right there with you.

Nika Lawrie: 3:33

I get so fired up about it. So. So I will step back and I want you, as the expert, to kind of share some of your thoughts and concerns about kids and the relationship with sugar and I know you're probably going to jump on the soapbox with it too, but you know, give us your, your 10,000 view.

Michelle Rohlfs: 3:52

You know two or three thoughts on it. Well, what's really interesting to me is we have a 13 year old now and her school did an assembly a few months ago on drugs and baby, and what really stood out to me, nika, is now the vaping companies and the drug companies are flavoring the vapes and the drugs to be sweet, to draw in the younger kids, yeah, and I'm like, oh my gosh, now you're using something that's already toxic to our health and you're combining it with another toxin to do who knows what. Like that really got me on my soapbox, yeah.

Nika Lawrie: 4:26

I would too. I mean, I just feel grateful. My daughter, she's six, almost seven, and so I'm like I haven't gotten to the vaping part yet. But I'm like horrified. I'm like what do I do with all of this input from outside places? Like how do we even start to control that? It's terrifying.

Michelle Rohlfs: 4:44

Right, because it looks like candy, it tastes like candy, it has a name like candy. That's who they're targeting and it really, really ticks me off. In fact, there was something I believe it was like a nerd rope and it had. I forget what the drug was, but they were using like candy to put the drug in for the children. And I don't know where you get this. I don't want to know, but I probably should find out as a parent. But I'm like so now you're interchanging the sugar with the drug.

Nika Lawrie: 5:20

Yeah, yeah, it's weird that you you said that. It sparked a memory that I have in my life and I remember I can't remember, I'm pretty sure. So I grew up off the grid. We we had solar panels before they were cool and we my parents collected rainwater and filtered it. You know, it's the same, it's the same. Filtering that the city kind of does. You know it was clean and healthy, but they collected rainwater and so we didn't have fluoride or the minerals or any of that stuff in our water. And so I remember this is back when we thought fluoride was good for us and safe and all these things.

Nika Lawrie: 5:53

And so I had these little tiny pills that I would take. I took one a day and I I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I'm fairly sure that they were fluoride pills and you know, my my mom thought she was doing what was good for us and and. But I remember those pills had this really distinct taste and my whole life I was trying to figure out what they tasted like and I finally figured out when I was in my twenties that it was the banana, you know, the rents, the little bananas and oranges and apples. It was the banana flavor of that, and so they had this pill for these kids that tasted like candy and I remember I used to crave those pit, like I wanted to eat the medicine and I mean I guess it worked for getting me to eat the pill. But like you know, I'm I'm in my late thirties now and I, like this neurological connection to medicine should taste sweet now, like it's a weird, weird thing.

Michelle Rohlfs: 6:49

But think about it too, like along those lines, like with mouthwash toothpaste, like anything geared towards kids is marketed as sweet and and they make it pretty with the dyes, and so it's colorful.

Nika Lawrie: 7:04

Don't get me started on the on the dyes. You and I both do a whole other show, cause I will go down the deep, deep end on the food dyes right there with you. Yeah, okay, so so we don't go too crazy today. I let's let's start with the most common kind of misconception. We addressed it a little bit in the first episode, but let's talk about hyperactivity and sugar in in kids, like. In your opinion, what is the relationship and and should we be concerned about that?

Michelle Rohlfs: 7:41

I guess I think so. I mean, I think, as a parent, we need to be mindful of what's impacting our children, whether it's behavior-wise, physically, mentally, emotionally, all the areas. So, absolutely, I believe there's a correlation between sugar and hyperactivity, because think about it as a grownup when you eat sugar, what happens Chemically in your brain? Dopamine is released. That's a feel good chemical that makes us feel good and we're happy and we're great.

Michelle Rohlfs: 8:09

I talked to somebody the other day and she was like I had 10 pumps from Starbucks and my coffee and I was so happy and so giddy. Yeah, then what happens? Right? So the blood sugar is going up and then we come crashing down and that impacts our moods. So you've gone from being happy, elated, to being irritable, crabby, maybe yelling at other people, maybe, if you're a child who doesn't have control of your emotions and your prefrontal cortex, you lash out in anger. Like there absolutely is a correlation between sugar and behavior, whether it's hyperactivity, fits of rage, I mean. I think there's so many connections to it, not to mention the impact it has on gut health, which impacts everything as well.

Nika Lawrie: 8:54

Yeah, I think I mean I I love that you brought up gut health and I think you know that's something we didn't get into in the last episode. So I think we should spend a couple minutes talking about that today and and the relationship to our immune system and how that's being affected too. But I think you know, when we think about hyperactivity in kids, you know that's correlated to sugar. What's not often correlated is the, the crashes, the anger, the bad behavior, the, the tantrums, the outbursts, those things. And I think you know we we talked about it a little bit in the last episode about, you know, like it's those waves, the sugar waves and stuff. But I think so often that bad behavior, you know those outbursts, aren't addressed in its relationship to diet and um and kind of lifestyle in that sense too, 100%.

Michelle Rohlfs: 9:44

And you can think about it Like if you have older kids that are on a school schedule, they're probably not eating regularly enough to balance their blood sugar. I mean, I remember last year our daughter ate lunch at almost one o'clock and I'm like, okay, so you have breakfast at like 637 AM and then you're not eating again. For what Six hours? I mean that's a long time, that's a little kids, that's a very long time.

Nika Lawrie: 10:12

Yeah, yeah.

Michelle Rohlfs: 10:15

So and I think kind of the way our society is set up is that we don't honor our bodies right, Like we're programmed to eat at a certain time because we can, we're at school or because the boss says we can, and so we don't know how to honor our bodies with that because we're on somebody else's schedule.

Nika Lawrie: 10:31

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Michelle Rohlfs: 10:33

What are some of the the biggest things that you're concerned about in the sense of how sugar is affecting our child, our children's health or development, and or it's toxic and yet we just continue to throw it out at parades and we, you know, have Halloween or you know, even churches are on board now with the trunk or treats, and and I don't understand why we can't just have it be like a fall festival where we serve fruits and we have some really healthy upgrades that aren't toxic to our health. I don't understand it. And I think the Girl Scouts they're cookies Like. Why are they selling cookies? Why can't they sell fruit? I don't know.

Nika Lawrie: 11:16

Yeah, that one that drives me crazy because it's like I want to support them but I can't get behind little kids selling sugar. Like that drives me crazy.

Michelle Rohlfs: 11:29

I hate it and the fundraisers at the grocery store. Do you want to support juvenile diabetes by buying a candy bar? No, I don't, because that's not helping anything. Let's be honest.

Nika Lawrie: 11:40

Right, yeah, but yeah, we'll, we'll digress into that one too, so keep us on on track here. So, um, you know, I think it's often not addressed, especially with pediatricians. I mean, I think maybe a little bit more with pediatricians I've seen it kind of increase a little bit, but it seems still so limited in understanding the risks that come from sugar intake during our formative years, our youth, our childhood, and the risk of developing chronic health problems as an adult. Can you talk a little bit about that kind of relationship and maybe some areas that we should be aware of or how to kind of focus on that?

Michelle Rohlfs: 12:23

Yeah, well, I think sugar is pretty clear. It leads to disease. I mean, it suppresses your immune system and that is obviously what you need to ward off sickness and various bugs, if you will. So that's huge. I think too there's the correlation with sugar and cancer. There's a correlation with sugar and heart disease. There's correlation with sugar and diabetes. There's sugar with impacting your liver and you can get Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Michelle Rohlfs: 12:52

Yes, thank you. I mean hello, yeah. Yet it's legal, socially acceptable, thrown out of parades, marketed like none other to our kids. It's not just about weight and teeth, it's about everything.

Nika Lawrie: 13:06

Mm-hmm, I think too. I think it really affects how our genes are expressing themselves too, and I think, you know, once, once your body has become um structured a certain way, like, uh say, with a lot of fat cells, those fat cells can shrink down. They don't necessarily completely go away, um, you know, there there's there are some minimal situations where the fat cells can't go away, but in general, once you've created those cells, they can shrink, so you can lose the weight, but you always have those cells, and so I think that's a really important thing to understand. You know, when kids are in their youth and we have so many that are gaining weight that they're already overweight when they're in their adolescence, especially kind of preteen teen years, we see a lot of them even moving into this obesity phase. You know that can be really concerning for long-term health effects too. And in relationship to that, I wanted to touch a little bit about type 2 diabetes and the increase of that um in in younger children too.

Michelle Rohlfs: 14:16

Yeah, and honestly, what else is there to cause it other than our food supply? Look at how much it's changed, right, like? I think the food supply is a part, but I also would attribute it to, I think, our busy lifestyles. We're not eating as many home cooked meals, we're not as aware of what's in our food. We're busy, we're onestyles. We're not eating as many home-cooked meals, we're not as aware of what's in our food. We're busy, we're on the go, we're trying to feed people and we're doing the drive-thru thing, and I think it's kind of a catch-22 that both work together to produce a non-optimal healthy situation for our kids.

Nika Lawrie: 14:50

Yeah, absolutely. And I think you know, I think it's really important here we bring up um, you know, when we have this conversation we're not trying to add to mom guilt, right. Like I mean I remember the the very moment I found out I was pregnant. I mean I found out when I I think I was six weeks. I mean I was really early on when I found out that I was pregnant and I already felt guilty. I was like, oh my God, I didn't know, like what are the things that I've done that are wrong already? Like I didn't eat these things and I had a soda, right.

Nika Lawrie: 15:21

And so that mom guilt starts instantly and it and it kind of never goes away, because you pretty much always feel like you're screwing up your kid even though you're doing the best possible job you can, right, and even though you're doing the best possible job you can right. And so I don't want us to add to that mom guilt. But I think it's important for us to have this conversation and kind of address some of the things that we can be aware of and do differently. What are your thoughts around kind of this area?

Michelle Rohlfs: 15:46

Absolutely. And I'm laughing because, nico, when I was pregnant with my first, I was nauseous the whole time and so every day, what I ate was a cheeseburger, a fry and a Coke from McDonald's. This was before I was aware of the impact of food on everything and I was just trying to like survive and not vomit every day. So that was what I did with my first, and then, after our second, I really learned oh my gosh. So talk about mom guilt after the fact. I had plenty of it. But at the same time, I'm so thankful that we can learn and grow and change and that we don't have to be who we were anymore. We don't have to stay in that place. So if you are feeling guilt, let it go. It's not serving you, it's not serving anybody and just know that this information is for you to take going forward, so that you can be mindful and equipped and empowered and have the knowledge going forward to make different voices.

Nika Lawrie: 16:36

Absolutely yeah, I think. I think it's so important to understand, like what you've done up until this point, don't worry about it, didn't know, didn't have the education, you've always done the best. You can start today, like, start making those changes today to improve your own health, to set your children up for success, going forward, to improve the health of your partner or your spouse, you know, and then to have that ripple effect in your close-knit network to your community, because you can really lead by example. And you know, I know for me I'm kind of the health nerd in my girlfriend group, right, and like they're like, oh, here's Nika again with her health thing, and sometimes they listen to me but sometimes I know I'm just driving them crazy, so I'll just kind of stop. But I've also seen them make changes, even if it's not directly telling me or anything. I've seen changes that they've started to make or be kind of more aware of, and so I think it's important to understand that you have that ripple effect that comes to.

Michelle Rohlfs: 17:39

Totally, and I don't think we're here to tell anybody what to do or not to do, and I don't think this is about changing anybody. It's about giving you information so that you have more access to what could be happening, and I'm not one to push things down and ignore them and sugarcoat it because it's uncomfortable, because when you do that, nobody is benefited. I think we need to have these conversations and we need to bring this out in the open so people can be aware and they can have the knowledge to go forward and change if they desire.

Nika Lawrie: 18:10

I totally agree, Because I think that's the biggest thing, is kind of self-efficacy. Like you know, I can't. I can't make you make these changes, nor do I want to make you make these changes. My, my goal and job is to make this information available to you, to empower you with these tools and resources and then, you know, encourage you and hopefully inspire you to make those changes. But that is entirely your decision, that is up to you so Absolutely.

Michelle Rohlfs: 18:39

And if you want to change and do that, we're here to journey with you Like that's our other part is like to guide. You know, we're not like slapping people, Like we're just here to walk and journey and guide with people if they desire to make those changes. But I think in order to do that, you have to have the information and the knowledge first.

Nika Lawrie: 18:56

I totally agree. I think the other thing, too, to really address is is perfectionism. And I know you know I get those questions a lot when I start kind of going into the rabbit hole of toxin-free living with people, because when you open up kind of the Pandora box of toxin-free living, it is horrifying. I mean, there are literally toxins and everything everywhere. Like you, you cannot escape it. But the idea is to not live in a little bubble and to be horrified of everything. The idea is to make some conscious decisions on what you're bringing into your home, what you're exposing yourself to home, what you're exposing yourself to, how you can purchase things differently. And I think that same conversation really happens with sugar and reducing sugar and um, and then uh, uh, raising our children in a healthy relationship to food itself, but especially to sugar too, so that they don't start to have. Is it orthorexia where they have this unhealthy relationship with food, perfectionism and stuff like that.

Michelle Rohlfs: 20:02

So A hundred percent, cause it's so easy to go from one side of the ditch to the other, right Like it's kind of that all or nothing mentality I think we have we're in or we're all out, and so we've got to find that middle road, not only for our kids but for ourselves, so we can model that to our kids.

Nika Lawrie: 20:19

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I want to talk a little bit about the concern of childhood obesity and some of the issues that we see alongside that. Are there any specific that really stand out to you that you've either seen in your practice or that you've seen in your research and studies?

Michelle Rohlfs: 20:41

I think there's a couple of factors. Honestly, I think one from the home perspective is are we giving our children the space to process and feel their feelings, or are they using food to stuff because they don't know what to do with them? That's what I did. That's why I started eight, so I think giving them space and permission to feel their feelings without judgment is a part of that. I think also um teaching them to be mindful of what they're eating, how it's making them feel, honoring their hunger and fullness, not eating in front of a screen. That's a really big thing right now. You know how many restaurants do you go to and people are, I mean you know, let's be present with our food.

Michelle Rohlfs: 21:26

Let's be present with the people at the table and really focus on what we're doing, which is nourishing our body through the food and the conversation. We're not scarfing down food because we've got to get out the door.

Nika Lawrie: 21:37

Yeah, oh, so so true, I think.

Michelle Rohlfs: 21:40

And then I think the third thing and this is probably more of a school thing is do the kids have enough movement during their day? You know, like I've noticed as my kids have gotten older, they don't have recess, and so PE is now optional, whereas I kind of feel like they need more movement than that. So, as a parent, where am I giving them the space to get that movement in?

Nika Lawrie: 22:01

because they're not getting it at the school day giving them the space to get that movement in, because they're not getting it at the school day. Yeah, I mean, I think that was an issue. I mean I remember being in middle school or high school and by the end of the day, you know, my back hurt because I've been slouching in my chair all day and my butt hurts. I've been sitting in those freaking metal, uncomfortable, you know stone chairs with no padding and you've been sitting there for eight and a half hours and you know it was, it was miserable. So, yeah, I think that that movement too is a big deal.

Michelle Rohlfs: 22:30

Um, we and the toxins in the food. Let's talk about that too, all of it.

Nika Lawrie: 22:36

You you've mentioned a little bit about um. You know the relationship, uh, with sugar, with our um, our immune system and our gut, and I think that's an important thing to bring up, especially in relationship to kids, because our childhood is really where a lot of our microbiome is developed and built, and, and for those who don't know, you know about 70% of our immune system comes from the microbiome, and so can you give us your insight into the relationship between sugar and microbiome slash immunity?

Michelle Rohlfs: 23:09

There have been studies that have shown that sugar suppresses the immune system for four to six hours. So that's why it's important to be mindful of what you're giving your kids for breakfast and then sending them out the door Right, because we want to equip and empower them to be healthy. And if they are eating a sugar-laden breakfast and then going out into the world with a suppressed immune system, that's not serving anybody, not to mention they're not going to be able to focus, not to mention the blood sugar rollercoaster that's going to affect their moods. It's important to nourish their bodies and really give them what they need because, you know, the gut controls not only the immune system but also the mind, and we had a chiropractor who worked with our daughter with the sensory stuff and said heal the gut, heal the brain. And she was right. Once we fixed her gut health and her, you know, gut microbiome got what it needed. She was a totally different kid.

Nika Lawrie: 24:06

Yeah, I mean the gut brain connection is. I mean if there is anything to learn about in your life, in your health, it is that link, like if you are struggling with any behavioral issue neurological issue, you know, wanting to prevent dementia. Neurological issue, you know, wanting to prevent dementia. Looking at the way you feel, mood, anxiety, depression, any of those things heal your gut and you'll start to heal your brain.

Michelle Rohlfs: 24:35

I think that is so key 100%. We saw it in our own family.

Nika Lawrie: 24:38

Yeah, yeah. I think it's important to say you know, you said it a moment ago, but to just reiterate that so people know how long does the how, how long does sugar suppress your immune?

Michelle Rohlfs: 24:49

system. I've seen studies that say four to six hours, yeah, so I mean, that's almost the full school day, if you're thinking about kids going to school or going to daycare.

Nika Lawrie: 25:02

You know and you think about everything that we've been facing. You know, in the last couple of years too, that that can be a scary thing to you know, even if you think your body is healthy enough to fight off, you know, colds and viruses and things like that, when your immune system suppressed it's going to be a whole lot harder for your body to fight back Totally, and not to mention what type of feeding products are being used and how is that affecting our gut?

Michelle Rohlfs: 25:27

I mean, there's so many different factors, more so now than we had before this time.

Nika Lawrie: 25:32

Yeah, I think you know. The other thing to add into that is how, um, uh, your body has to take nutrients that are so, one, there are zero nutrients in refined sugar, Like there your body gets nothing out of it, like zero, Right, and then on top of that your body actually has to pull nutrients from other parts of your body that are already in there to actually digest and properly um, uh, process the sugar and get it out of your body. So it's like a negative nutrient, Like. But I mean, that blows my mind there alone and I don't think people understand that.

Michelle Rohlfs: 26:15

Oh no, they don't, and I think you know, when you put it that way, I just picture like our body's having to work so much harder to do the basics, yeah, and then when there's that virus or that cold or that whatever, it's already like served up so much of its time just trying to to fight off the sugar that we gave them.

Nika Lawrie: 26:33

Right, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So you know we mentioned earlier about, you know, our kids go to school and they get the, the prize at school for being a good job, doing a good job. But they get the jelly ranch right. And then they go to the birthday party and they eat the ice cream and the birthday cake, and then, you know, we take, we take them cause we love our kids to go get a special treat, and so they get the ice cream, and then they have the cereal for breakfast and then they have the applesauce and their snack packs and then they have these, you know these energy bars that have been greenwashed and told us they're fantastic for your kid, and you roll over and it's 29 grams of sugar. I almost had a heart attack one day in the Target. I literally almost yelled in the store when I saw it. But anyways, what do we do? Where do we even start, as parents, as moms, to address this issue? How do we do that without getting totally overwhelmed.

Michelle Rohlfs: 27:27

I think it's baby steps, and I think the first baby step you get is being mindful. You've got to know where that sugar is sneaking in. You've got to know the names for sugar and how it shows up, because it's deceptive, it's sneaky, it doesn't just say sugar, it will say you know again, say syrup or um, syrup is probably the main one that comes to mind. What other words are there? Do you know of any? Cause I'm blanking Dextrose.

Nika Lawrie: 27:53

Yes, maltrose, maltrose. Yeah, anything that's like, oh, o S C, I think is what it is. Anything that is O S C is a sugar. Um, anything that's listed as a syrup is a sugar. Um, you'll see just sugar itself. Cane, you'll see cane sugar. You know, uh, rice brand sugar. You'll see, um, uh like, uh, maple sugar, any of those kinds of things.

Michelle Rohlfs: 28:19

Yeah, so I think it's being mindful of where the sugar is sneaking in and then not totally taking it away, but upgrading right. So if you do have a applesauce with high fructose corn syrup, get a natural applesauce because it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup.

Nika Lawrie: 28:37

Like, just make some simple swaps over time and I don't think anybody will notice dramatically, at least not yeah, yeah, I think you know, move through what you have and buy new stuff as you shop, right, like, don't go back to the traditional brand that you've been using. If you find it, you know, the biggest area I'd say is look at any of those quote, unquote healthy snacks for kids. So you know the fruit bars, those like um, you know the, the healthy versions of fruit roll-ups, those kinds of things. Um, like I said, the energy bars. I know, um, I'm just going to name the brand cause I was mortified. But uh, z bar, I knew you were going with that one. Yeah, you know it is sold to us as a healthy bar, like it is completely greenwashed, it looks like it's non-GMO, it's organic, it's all these things that my, my, my, yeah, my. It's got the little guy running up the, the, the mountain, like it looks like a health bar.

Nika Lawrie: 29:37

And my daughter's friend at school you know she's sick, she's in first grade Uh, they were eating the Z bar. She's six, she's in first grade, they were eating the Z bar. She begged me and begged me. I was like we'll go to the store, we'll look and we'll see. And I flipped over the box and it was 29 grams. I mean that is more than a soda 29 grams of sugar in a little bar that was like two inches long. And I felt bad because I had to break my child's heart and tell her I couldn't justify giving this to her Like I just couldn't do it and I think you know. Shame on the manufacturers for putting us in that place in the first place.

Michelle Rohlfs: 30:15

But well, and I think too, don't fall for the mistake that just because it's in the health section or from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, it's better for you, because I I've seen so many people walk out of there like this is healthy, because I got it at Whole Foods and I'm like, well, flip it over, tell me what's in it and let's talk about that.

Nika Lawrie: 30:30

Yeah, I mean, I usually shop at Whole Foods and I like it because at least they have very high standards about different things that they bring in and what they'll allow. But you have to understand that there are still massively processed food all over whole foods, and so, you know, maybe some of those um, you know, uh, uh, scientifically proven chemicals that we know for sure damage the body aren't in whole foods, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a whole lot of others that aren't in there. And so, yeah, I think it's really important to do your due diligence.

Michelle Rohlfs: 31:09

And all of the time, because we've even noticed that food manufacturers are changing the ingredients. So with us having food allergies, you know, my husband went to the store and he's like this is what we always got and I'm like, but look, they've changed the ingredients and now it has this and we can't have it. He didn't even know, because he just looked at the front. It's what we've always gotten, it's safe, it's healthy. No, it's not. You've got to keep up on it. And yeah, it seems like a pain, but it's worth it.

Nika Lawrie: 31:32

Yeah, there's no price tag on health. You know, I think it goes back to just buying those whole natural foods as much as you can, because then you don't have to read all the labels, you don't have to go through all the nutrition facts, and I think you know there. There are exceptions, like you know. There are things that I bring in. Like I buy almond milk. Um, you know, and I still try to be very careful with the almond milks I buy because some of the big name brands have some uh, uh preservatives in it that can be carcinogenic, um, but you know there are.

Nika Lawrie: 32:04

There are places for some processed foods to come in. But in general, once you've made that transition, it does take work. It takes a little bit of of due diligence and learning, but once you do that it becomes so much easier to shop because you know exactly what you're buying. You have like the four process things that you're going to bring home and that's it. Like everything else is, you know that first little section when you walk in with the fruits and veggies, you know maybe the meat department or something, but and along those notes too.

Michelle Rohlfs: 32:33

You know, with the fruit you can buy a dehydrator, you can dehydrate fruit and you can make your own Like. There are things you can do if you love that kind of food and you're like I don't know what to get, make your own.

Nika Lawrie: 32:51

Absolutely so. So you know, we've been talking about sugar and its impact on kids, and I want your thoughts on mixing sugar altogether from your child's diet, which you know. I wish you luck on trying to do that, but you know what is. What is your thought? Do you think there's there's a limited place for it? Do you think we should really just remove it altogether? What's your opinion?

Michelle Rohlfs: 33:09

I don't think it's realistic to remove it altogether, because it's in almost everything right, and so I think the key is to be mindful and aware of where it's coming in. And I talked to a woman the other day that I'm coaching and she was like I don't want to be the mom that goes to my kid's birthday party and doesn't have cake because I feel bad, like I want to be able to have a healthy relationship with sugar and show that to my kids, and I think that's important too. So I don't think, honestly, it's realistic to mix it yeah.

Nika Lawrie: 33:36

Yeah, I agree, I think you know, I think the control where you can control, right. So, like I control what comes into my home, I control what my kid eats after school, those kinds of things, um, you know, and, like we mentioned earlier, like the the uh food dyes and and birthday cake icing or things like that, right, like I could go. I could do an entire episode about the damage that that's causing to our children. Um, but I still, if my kid goes to a birthday party, I still allow her to eat a piece of cake that has the icing, you know, with all the sugar and garbage in it, because it's about minimizing the impact, not perfection.

Michelle Rohlfs: 34:15

And I think too, nika, if we make it this big taboo thing that they can never have, they're going to get outside of our reach and they're probably going to want it all the more because it's been taboo and off limits. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think we need to foster this healthy relationship with it so that we're setting them up for success as an adult.

Nika Lawrie: 34:35

Yeah, absolutely, and I think. I think you don't want to cause resent, you don't want your children to have resent towards you either, from keeping them from everything, quote, unquote, fun, you know. So I think it's, it's figuring out what those comfort lines are for you and your family.

Michelle Rohlfs: 34:53

Absolutely, and so, with our kids having allergies, what we'll do is, if there's a party, we'll send them something they can have, so they're having what the other kids are having, but it's just safe for them.

Nika Lawrie: 35:03

So they're having what the other kids are having, but it's just safe for them. No, no, no, go for it, I think you know. The other thing, too, is trying to understand how to limit the use of sweets as like a behavioral incentive too. I think you know, high fall guilty to that. Sometimes. I, you know, I'm like let's go get a cupcake. You've been such a fantastic kid, you know, and we'll go to the cupcake shop down the street. And you know I, even as a functional nutrition counselor as this as this, you know, environmental health nerd, right Like I'm like obsessed with this stuff and I, I too, still fall guilty to it. But I think it's understanding how to use those tools.

Michelle Rohlfs: 35:47

Absolutely. It's kind of like social media. You have to figure out what purpose you want it to have in your life and how to use it accordingly.

Nika Lawrie: 35:54

Yeah, yeah, it's funny, I had that conversation with my fiance the other day. Is is uh, I, I hate social media. I would completely delete it if I got good. I think it has caused so many issues in my self-esteem. I think it causes issues in our culture, across our country. I think it's alienated so many people but I still use it because I use it as a tool for my business. Yeah, and so I think it's finding those appropriate avenues for for sugar or social media or what. Yeah, totally.

Michelle Rohlfs: 36:30

And teaching our kids how to navigate that, because they're going to have these same challenges when they're not with us.

Nika Lawrie: 36:36

Yeah, absolutely so. Next week in the show we are going to talk about how to safely reduce or remove sugar from our lives, both as adults and also for our family, for our children. But before we go to that, or before we deep dive into that in the next show, I want to ask because a lot of times you see it from parents kids really crave sugar, they're addicted to sugar, they want sugar. They throw temper tantrums when they don't get sugar. What advice do you have for parents that maybe are struggling with that or that's a wall for them. That's like a non-negotiable issue for wanting to make the change.

Michelle Rohlfs: 37:18

My belief on this is that you are the parent. You are in authority over your child because you are the parent and it's your responsibility and your job to do what you know is best for them, regardless of how they act. And so if you know in your heart of hearts that they've had enough sugar, they don't need any more, they're welcome to throw a temper tantrum. But if you give into them, you're teaching them that they can throw a temper tantrum and get their way. Yeah, not only withrum, but if you give into them, you're teaching them that they can throw a temper tantrum and get their way.

Nika Lawrie: 37:46

Yeah.

Michelle Rohlfs: 37:46

Not only with sugar but with everything else. So you've got to stand firm, you've got to know that you have the authority as their parent and that you know what's best for them and you have everything you need to parent that child. And you are equipped and empowered. We've given you researches. We've told you that sugar is probably not the best thing. So stand firm in that knowledge. And I think too I've been aware of this, like in my own parenting, like when I feel really like confident and secure and who I am and what I stand for. And you know every, every, not every but most facets of life are like on all cylinders. I'm a better parent because things are going well and I'm confident, I'm secure, but when I've got something that's lacking or something's bothering me, then I'm more likely to give in and oh, I want them to like me and I'm looking for something outside of myself on them, and that's not really fair to do to work.

Nika Lawrie: 38:40

Yeah, yeah, I think that's that is such a key thing that I think a lot of us don't focus on sometimes is is our own health, affects how we parent, and it affects how our children feel, like the security level that they feel. I think it um. There's so many levels to that, but you know we could go deep diving into you know we could go deep diving into 100%. Yeah Well, melissa, I I'm super grateful for doing these two episodes with you. I can't wait to get into our third episode for next week. Um, before we leave today, though, can you share? If the listeners want to connect with you, where can they find you online? How can they? Um get all your goodies and resources and just connect with you?

Michelle Rohlfs: 39:25

Yeah, my website is free. The number two, then the letter B coachingcom. So free to be coachingcom. I'm on Facebook as happy, healthy mama Melissa Ross, and then I'm on Instagram as free to be underscore coaching, I think there's an underscore somewhere, perfect.

Nika Lawrie: 39:40

I'll link to everything in the show notes too, just as easy as possible. Well, melissa, this has been, yeah, yeah, this has been fantastic. Again, I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with you and gain all these amazing resources. So thank you for coming on, thank you for having me. It was awesome to be here.