Little Sugar Addicts
Problem
Your child can be sweet and loving — or fearful, cranky, out of control, moody, depressed, or destructive. And this same child has moments of being enchanting, funny, gifted, tender, compassionate, loving, and creative. There are moments when he touches you deeply — and times when you would like to trade him in for a new model! The pain you feel at seeing your gentle and loving child turn willful, frightened, or out of control is beyond words.
What you are experiencing can be a function of your child’s biochemistry and diet. It is not about your parenting skills or some flaw in your child’s character. It is not a psychological disorder. Your child may be sugar sensitive.
A biochemical imbalance can create all sorts of negative behavior in your child. This is not your fault. It is not your child’s fault. Mood swings, erratic behavior, inability to concentrate, low self-esteem, fatigue, crankiness, and overweight are all connected, and can all be driven by untreated sugar sensitivity. These behaviors are not a result of your parenting skills.
It is almost as if these children enter an altered state, something you cannot reason them out of. All the "calming" tips from the experts do not work.
Many parents try different approaches when their children are in that state. These approaches include all the typical interventions you have heard: timeouts, warnings, taking away privileges, negotiating – all the things the experts tell you to do.
But like you, they didn’t know about sugar sensitivity. They were just focused on the behavior and did not know the biochemistry.
Unless you address the food issues, not much works with sugar sensitive children. These children are in an altered state when their chemistry is off. They are not rational.
What does sugar sensitivity look like in a child? Your child
- has trouble paying attention
- is easily frustrated
- is impulsive
- has a very short fuse
- is restless and can't keep still
- becomes almost irrational and cannot be talked out of it
- asks for sweets all the time
- has meltdowns
- is wildly dramatic and goofy
- locks into a task for a long time and forgets to do anything else
Sugar sensitive children have a very, very fragile blood sugar. And they go from okay to empty in 10 minutes, have no reserves and go into an altered state. As their child's blood sugar plummets, they head for the danger zone.
They unravel and get cranky, crabby, and whiny. The “hulk” emerges. Or they just meltdown.
The right food can make a huge difference.