Almost all children crave sugar. However, if you have a child with ADHD, you may have noticed that the need for something sweet is more pronounced.
Behavior
ADHD & sugar
Almost all children crave sugar. However, if you have a child with ADHD, you may have noticed that the need for something sweet is more pronounced.
If your child suffers from ADHD, paying extra attention to their sugar intake and managing the cravings to avoid future health problems is important.
Here are some natural ways to manage your child’s sweet tooth and prevent the negative effects of sugar.
Education resources
The basics of ADHD
The first step in understanding your child’s eating habits is understanding the basics of ADHD. ADHD is a mental condition characterized by hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity that can cause problems with functioning and development in school or at home.
One of the main symptoms of ADHD is a lack of dopamine in the brain, which, in turn, causes an excess of signals demanding glucose. This causes an increase in possible cravings for sugar and other carbohydrates in your child, making them more at risk of obesity in the future.
How sugar affects children with ADHD
While it may be tempting to give in to your child’s cravings, increased amounts can affect the brain in a way that makes ADHD symptoms worse. This is because the brain’s reward system is less sensitive in those with ADHD, causing sugar to have a more profound effect on their behavior than in other kids. For example, high sugar levels can cause a spike in blood sugar levels, leading to mood swings and further hyperactivity. Therefore, if your child has ADHD, you want to help them avoid sugar as much as possible or maintain their cravings, so they eat a normal amount.
Here are a few things that parents can do to help their children maintain a healthy diet:
Boost dopamine levels naturally
Since eating sugar and carbs boosts dopamine levels, it’s important to find other ways to do this without eating unhealthy food. For example, exercise, trying new activities, and spending time with friends are all easy ways to help boost dopamine production in your children without the added sugar.
The benefits of physical activity are endless, not only for the brain but also for your child’s overall energy levels, mood, and sleep cycle. Participating in exercise can also help reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and improve heart health – all things linked to ADHD symptoms in children.
Practice impulse control
You should avoid diets restricting specific foods or ingredients when weaning your child from excessive sugar. These diets can make your child feel deprived and cause them to sneak food into the house instead of eating them freely. This is extremely unhealthy and can also lead to an unhealthy relationship with food for your child, increasing the risk of future obesity that children with ADHD are already prone to.
Instead, it would help if you focused on eating different healthy foods throughout the day so your child gets the nutrients they need from various sources. This way, they will not get bored and can even afford to have a sugary snack at the end of the day to satisfy their cravings. You could also start buying sugary treats in single-serving sizes so that you can control the amount of sugar your child is eating without having to monitor them constantly.
Make the process of eating healthy fun
The key to encouraging a healthy diet in children with ADHD is patience and fun! The best way to do this is by creating positive routines that make eating healthy foods fun and exciting rather than a painful chore. For example, you could offer your child a variety of foods and snacks so that it seems like they are deciding what they would like to eat that day. Children with ADHD often have a hard time finding healthy food choices they enjoy, and this can be frustrating for them, so try offering an alternative to foods they already like – such as baked chips instead of fried ones.
It’s also important to let your child try new foods at their own pace, so they don’t feel overwhelmed. If they feel like they are being forced into eating food that they don’t like, they may react negatively, and it may be harder to convince them to try something new. Instead, slowly introduce new foods into your home, and discard the sugary snacks discreetly until your child no longer thinks about them.
Change the scenery
Creating a new environment is a great way to break your child away from their usual routine and start something new. For example, if your child prefers to eat in a certain place or a specific chair, try moving them somewhere different so that they don’t focus on the change in foods as much.
Many children with ADHD are also attracted to bright colors and patterns, so you could use this as an advantage when buying healthier foods during your weekly shopping. The great idea is to pick up brands with fun packaging that your child may enjoy so that instead of resisting the new food, they are excited to try it out. This can also help break up the monogamy of eating, allowing them to look forward to it rather than dreading mealtimes.
Set an example for your child
When attempting to change your child’s way of eating, you should be mindful of what you eat around them and how you talk about food. For example, if your child sees you eating healthy meals, they are more likely to follow suit and want to join in on what you are eating. You should also avoid talking about food too much around your home so that it doesn’t feel like a constant topic to your child that would suggest anything is wrong. Finally, try not to give junk food as a reward as this is not an effective method for children with ADHD and will only serve as a reminder that these foods are ‘special’.
Consider medication
If you are still concerned about your child’s eating habits after trying all-natural remedies, you should consider getting them ADHD medication. These types of medication work by helping to boost your child’s dopamine levels so that they no longer crave sugar to do this for them. While many ADHD medications are effective, you may want to try to reduce sugar intake naturally first rather than start your children on medication from an early age.
Get professional help
For further help managing your child’s cravings, you can speak to a professional nutritionist trained in helping families deal with the difficult eating behaviors associated with ADHD. A nutritionist can help support your family through challenging eating habits and provide useful solutions tailored to your child’s needs to help manage them.
Summary
While craving sugar is a common symptom in children with ADHD, it is nothing to worry about. Without attention, it can lead to further health problems such as obesity. This is why it’s important to get help and begin your child’s journey to healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
