Sugar and Hyperactivity....

[Glinda64]

I just saw Dr. Manny on the Rachel Ray show. He made the statement that sugar does NOT make children hyperactive. I'm sure that there is some great research to back this up, but I know that there is no doubt that sugar does indeed make my children more active. (Maybe because I limit it and so their system isn't used to it?)

So, the question is...can you tell a difference in the children in your life when they have sugar?

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

Not at all. My daughter bounces off the walls and talks non-stop whether she has sugar or not. I swear she was a flea in a past life.

 

[mickeyboat]

I voted no but meant to vote I can't tell the difference.

Denae

 

[Cool-Beans]

The only time I hear people saying sugar makes a difference is when the kid is poorly behaved. "Oh, he ate candy! It's the sugar!"

I rarely hear diet credited for behavior with well-behaved kids. Never said something nice about someone's kid and had them say, "Well, he had scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast."

I don't see how a glass of orange juice could cause a kid to start bouncing off the walls, much less a candy bar.

 

[KadysMom]

I notice a difference with refined sugars like jelly and ketchup. They make DD go off the walls..

 

[ilovejack02]

I cant tell any difference at all. I do limit it so I will say he does NOT get alot. But there are days, such as Halloween, valentines, Easter and Birthday parties where he will get quite a bit and It doesnt seem to make him any more busy. He is a pretty busy to begin with. I have also read and heard about the sugar doesnt make them more active arguement also.

When I was prego with him usually one morning a week I would get glazed donuts and have a real coke for breakfast . I was ALWAYS hyped up and very productive on those mornings LOL. My boss would laugh and say I see youve gotten your sugar buzz on this morning.

 

[Glinda64]

Here is one of my examples... I very rarely give my kids sugary breakfasts. So, Sunday mornings are no different. I can ALWAYS tell when the "nice" Sunday School teacher has given my kids a sugary treat. They have more trouble than usual sitting still during the sermon, etc. Just one example.....

 

[okeydokey]

I have a friend who swears sugar makes her kid hyperactive. However, he is usually at a party or special event of some kind when he gets sugary treats. Maybe it's the environment of the party that gets hime excited instead of the sugar itself. They don't really eat sugary stuff at home.

 

[Glinda64]

I have a friend who swears sugar makes her kid hyperactive. However, he is usually at a party or special event of some kind when he gets sugary treats. Maybe it's the environment of the party that gets hime excited instead of the sugar itself. They don't really eat sugary stuff at home.

Okey, this was the theory the dr. was mentioning today. That's why I gave my example of having sugar at church. Not much excitement in the sanctuary...lol.

 

[U2_rocks!]

It depends. I'm not surprised at the results of that survey, because there are too many variables involved to make it actually meaningful. I would agree that all children are not affected by all sugar. However, here are the scenarios where sugar has negatively affected members of my family (either my kids or my parents/brother):

- high amounts of sugar on an empty stomach is much more potent than if eaten after a full meal (my mother swears she actually feels "high" and almost giddy)
- when there are also additives involved, especially colors, that seems to make things worse
- co-ordination and concentration, and even strength, can be affected - my brother notices this particularly when he has to play a squash match and he's eaten any kind of sugar within a couple of hours beforehand. I remember having a test done once where had to press my thumb and forefinger together as hard as I could, and someone tried to pry them apart; then I ate something sugary, and maybe 10 - 15 minutes later the test was repeated - it was amazing how much weaker I was after the sugar!
- sugar paired with a significant amount of fat, or complex sugar, isn't nearly as bad as sugars on their own or simple, refined sugars. Fat slows down the processing of the sugar, making it enter the bloodstream at a slower, more steady pace. Complex sugars and sugar contained in complex carbs also enters the bloodstream more slowly.
- some family members are more sensitive to the effects of sugar than others.

With all of the above variables, it's no wonder the study had the results it did! I know how various sugars under various circumstances affect my individual family members, and I don't care what the studies say! In this case I trust my experience more - at least, for MY own family.

 

[babytrees]

I notice no difference...my calm one is almost always calm the hyper one almost always hyper unless they get overtired and then they are totally opposite.

I think a lot has to do with enviroment.

 

[piglet too]

When my oldest was little, we would give him chocolate to help him settle down. One time, we were on a long car trip and he would not take a nap. We stopped for lunch and let him have cake or ice cream for dessert. The waitress commented that he would be up for the rest of the trip, but within 10 minutes he was asleep. This happened on several occasions, so I know it was not a fluke.

My other two, it really does not matter what they have.

 

[SillyMe]

It never affected dd15, but it most certainly does affect dd7.

 

[PghLybrt]

When walking around the grocery store I notice that most people do not really buy food. They think they are but really they have carts full of sugar and chemicals. Try making everything from scratch and eating fresh produce and then see if there is a difference.

 

[slo]

I absolutly can tell a difference, especially if it's right before bed - they have a very very hard time falling asleep

 

[minnieandme]

I didn't vote for this one because for DS8, he's always bouncing off the walls. But it seems that whenever he eats something sugary in the morning before school, he seems to get in trouble. Sometimes when he has something sugary, it doesn't affect him that much.

 

[Glinda64]

When walking around the grocery store I notice that most people do not really buy food. They think they are but really they have carts full of sugar and chemicals. Try making everything from scratch and eating fresh produce and then see if there is a difference.

This is why I wonder if sugar affects my kids since they aren't used to having it all of the time. We do have treats occasionally, but for the most part we eat healthy foods.

 

[PghLybrt]

This is why I wonder if sugar affects my kids since they aren't used to having it all of the time. We do have treats occasionally, but for the most part we eat healthy foods.

That is great that you do! We have noticed that everything tastes much sweeter. Now some deserts and such are much to sweet for us!


I have friends with 5 year old triplets who have never had comercial sugar in any form! (I just do not know what they are going to do about school lunches....)

 

[Forevryoung]

I have friends with 5 year old triplets who have never had comercial sugar in any form! (I just do not know what they are going to do about school lunches....)

From the words of my mom who is a nutritionist- "that is setting those kids up for a disaster!"

If you withhold ANYTHING from ANYONE, they will overindulge in it when they do get their hands on it (why most extremely restrictive diets don't work long term). Those kids will hoard sugar when they get the chance. They will feel like they are missing something and find a way to get it.

Ex: My dad's a dentist and we were very very very rarely allowed to have gummy snacks (gummy bears...). Well guess what, I can sit down and easily eat a package of gummy bears or a box of gushers and I do more frequently than I would like. Now that I buy my own food, I tend more to buy the stuff that we didn't have in our house.

 

[PghLybrt]

From the words of my mom who is a nutritionist- "that is setting those kids up for a disaster!"

If you withhold ANYTHING from ANYONE, they will overindulge in it when they do get their hands on it (why most extremely restrictive diets don't work long term). Those kids will hoard sugar when they get the chance. They will feel like they are missing something and find a way to get it.

Ex: My dad's a dentist and we were very very very rarely allowed to have gummy snacks (gummy bears...). Well guess what, I can sit down and easily eat a package of gummy bears or a box of gushers and I do more frequently than I would like. Now that I buy my own food, I tend more to buy the stuff that we didn't have in our house.

It is not that they are restricted, I think you missed the commercial sugar in my post. They have plenty sugar produced by natural substances and whole foods that are not processed. I am not worried about what the children will do but more so how the adults will treat them. I know when I took them over my mothers house one day she tried to fill them full of garbage. The kids really had no interest.

It is not about restricting is is about teaching.

My parents wer the same as yours. They said no to everything but never showed me what real food can taste like. Now I had to find that as an adult on my own.

The way schools feed children is horrible.