I grew up in a household where my food intake was regulated. When I was still in grade school, we only ever had Coca-Cola on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, New Year, and the like. I remember how my mom would always dilute my brother's and mine's portion with hot water because we were not allowed to drink cold cola because it would be bad for our teeth and so that we wouldn't have a very concentrated, sugary drink. I also remember how we weren't allowed to add sugar to our hot morning drinks like milk and milo. On Saturday mornings, my mom used to make us hotcakes and we always put butter and sugar on them. I remember how we would always try to put more sugar on our hotcakes to make them taste better but my mom always watches our food and scrapes out the excess sugar we put on it. We also were not allowed to eat too much ice candy and Nata De Coco because my mom would always say that too much sugar is bad for us.

I used to despise how controlling my mom used to be but looking at it now, I realized she was doing what was best for us. I wouldn't have the nice set of teeth I have right now if my mom had just let me eat everything I wanted. Today, the habit of limiting my sugar intake has become a habit of sorts. I only drink soft drinks occasionally, I only put a little bit of sugar on my hotcakes, and when I indulge myself with cakes and ice cream, I make sure not to eat too much of them. Moms really do know what's best. 💚