Sugar - Norwood,MA

Over the years, I have had parents of children in my classes that eliminated sugar and processed foods from their children's diets and it worked very well within the classroom setting and at home. These were children that may have been labeled incorrectly as having "ADHD" and put on medications, BUT in fact, their behaviors were a direct result of their diet. Sugars, caffeine, dyes, process chemicals are not good for anyone, especially children. There are some children that may be also be suffering from unknown allergies from these processed foods as well, and once removed from the diet, they also stopped having the various symptoms they had been living with (ear infections, sinus troubles, headaches, bowel issues and yeast infections). Natural sugars were kept at a minimum as well, and these children were happier, slept better and had much better behavior and attention because they finally felt better. In my opinion, it can't hurt to try a dietary change for better behavior since even if the diet wasn't the issue, a healthier change is still important for growing minds and bodies, while other options are explored (parental consistency, limit setting, and behavioral therapy). Good luck with it all!

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Sugar has not been shown to cause behavioral issues. Some children may have behavior that is the result of food allergy. The whole sugar evil is a wives tale, it plays no role in hyperactivity, and if you are going to see behavior effected by sugar, it would be because the child has low blood sugar, not viceversa. No reputable studies indicate that food or sugar, processed or otherwise plays any role at all, but you will hear a great deal of anecdote about it. Placebo effect can be huge.

M.

4 moms found this helpful

It really depends on the kid. Some kids are actually allergic to food dyes. Some eat a diet high in sugar and don't ever act out or act hyper and others eat no sugar and are wild! It certainly won't hurt to try if you want. We really try to limit both sugar and food dyes. A diet low in the two does seem to make a difference in behavior. I know personally, if I eat too much sugar, I almost feel hungover the next morning. I think sometimes kids feel bad when they eat too much sugar, so they act out. Bottom line -sugar isn't healthy for you, so small amounts are far better than large quantities!

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oh it makes a big difference! I used to give my son chocolate milk pretty much whenever he asked for it.
I started noticing behavior changes. He started getting more cranky, tired, crabby etc
I cut out the chocolate milk all together and it all stopped.

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Processed foods and those containing sugar, corn syrup, etc are horrible for all humans, not just children.

Our bodies are not built to use or eliminate those toxins, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.

Dump the sugar and garbage and the whole family will see a big difference.

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Our daughter had a lot of behavioral issues for several years. After doing some online research, I decided to eliminate food dyes from her diet, particularly Red 40 (banned in the UK) and Yellow 5 (these are in practically everything - especially colorful foods marketed to kids). The result? Whenever she ate something with these dyes in it, she became hyperactive, aggressive, irritable, and generally out of control of herself. We've since also eliminated processed foods and can see a distinct difference the moment she steps off the bus if she bought lunch at school that day. The difference in behavior is night and day.

As for sugar, we also try to limit that for various reasons, including it's effect on mood and behavior. I have been an insulin-dependent diabetic since I was 11 and diabetes runs strong in my family (my sister was just diagnosed last week at 27 years old, and 2 cousins on both sides of the family have had diabetes since they were 9, all Type 1/insulin-dependent). A diabetic's pancreas doesn't make insulin, the hormone that allows sugar in the blood stream to be used. I have to be aware of what I'm eating and how much insulin to inject to metabolize it. In "normal" people, the injested sugar triggers the pancreas to release insulin. Because I test my blood sugar, I have been able to connect the feelings, mood swings, etc. with high and low blood sugar, and fluctuations. Often my mood/irritability is a sign that I should test to see what is going on. I have to believe that most non-diabetic people, without this empirical insight, are unaware of the impact sugar has on them and their emotional and behavioral states. I know studies have been done about sugar and hyperactivity in children and they have found no link, but trust me, it doesn't feel good. Even when I eat something sweet and adequately compensate with insulin (like a normal person's body does naturally) so that my blood sugar doesn't rise, I feel awful and that feeling can persist for a whole day.

So whether there are well controlled studies positively implicating sugar and junk food in behavioral changes or not, we have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the theory. Any doctor or nutritionist will tell you that eating sugar and processed foods is unhealthy and eliminating them will make you feel better. When you feel better, you act better.

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100% yes! Five children, several years without sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, toxins, artificial colors, dyes.. hormones.. there is no reason for humans to consume that stuff anyway. It made a WORLD of difference in my children.

Cherilyn

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Absolutely - sugar and all kinds of processed foods are so harmful, both from a dietary and a behavioral standpoint. Our foods have so many preservatives in them so that they have a long shelf life - translated: the bugs won't eat them and they don't spoil, but WE eat them and we DO spoil! These foods don't break down on the shelf, and they don't break down in our bodies. As a consequence, we are undernourished even if we are overfed. We have epidemic rates of diet-related diseases, most of which originate in the gut - many cancers, diabetes, constipation, heart disease, and more - and then migrate to other areas which are unable to get necessary nutrients.

If you are reducing sugar, the main thing to eliminate is not a little plain cane sugar or stevia (plant-based) now and then, but high fructose corn syrup (highly processed). So read labels. Dr. Oz and many others say to eliminate "enriched flour" - which is basically flour which has been stripped of all of its nutrients, and then had a couple of things added back in - it's still a shadow of its former self. So, eliminating high sugar cereals is a good thing, but if you are replacing it with bread or pasta made from "enriched" flour, you're not accomplishing anything. White flour turns to sugar pretty quickly, and it changes the body's blood sugar levels. You want to move to the darker alternatives - whole wheat bread & pasta, brown rice, etc. Corn is pretty much all sugar anyway - hence the corn syrup problem. A few drops of real maple syrup on a whole wheat pancake or waffle gives us some nice sweetness without a high fructose corn syrup with a little maple flavoring, for example.

The idea is to avoid foods that contain in their first 5 ingredients: corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour, sugar, salt and partially hydrogenated oil/fat (trans-fats). The sugars and white flours break down very quickly, increasing the blood sugar levels, but they don't sustain us and keep our energy up over a long period of time, which causes blood sugar levels to drop again. Yo-yo effect.

An exception would be something that has just a few ingredients - so Triscuits, for example, which only consist of whole wheat, soybean oil, and a little salt (only 3 ingredients) are better for your child than crackers with 15 ingredients (some questionable) but salt is lower on the list and not in the top 5. Soybean oil, like olive oil and canola, is a healthy fat, and we need those.

You will be adding to your child's nutrition and improving his/her dental health.

Does this help?

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Sugar certainly plays a big part in a childs behavior. You have to understand how food feeds the brain to understand that. Processed foods high in sugar cause blood sugar levels to spike to highs and then drop to low very fast, creating chemical havoc to anyones system. Many children are also very sensitive to food colorings esp. the ones noted below! I use honey or maple syrup (the real stuff) when ever possible for my whole family. Also limited use of white flour.

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not with behavior but his yeast infections went away for good. but can it cause problems in behavior some foods can.

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Some children are allergic to dyes and preservatives. Other children have gluten, or in my son's case issues with dairy. And yes, once I removed dairy his contipation resolved itself, as did his eczema, and his irritability. Give it a try and see it it makes a diffference.

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Limiting sugar cannot be bad for any reason but make sure you DO NOT use artificial sweeteners. They can cause severe side effects and some you cannot see for years and years.

Yes and yes! We stay away from processed food and excess sugar in general, not just my daughter, but us too. These things will mess up the immune system and behavior of adults, never mind children. The only sugar my daughter consumes is in the form of organic raisins and dried mango (no sugar added). She loves her veggies and fruits and I believe those contain enough sugar. I always get comments on how well behaved she is, how balanced compared to most kids. I'm sure it also helps we don't watch TV, we listen to various music instead and read, read read a lot. That changed her even more when I just covered the TV with a sheet and said that it is broken. She eats better, sleeps better, talks more, and has learned the joy of independent play! I wrote more about it in my article... http://www.eco-babyz.com/2010/11/glimpse-into-eco-babyz-1...