Sugar sensitivity in children - is it a real thing?

[fruitstick]

I've just read Potatoes Not Prozac - about sugar sensitivity and its effect on mental health.

It resonated a lot with me but also with my DS2. He's very tricky and we live on a knife edge most of the time. He can be quite hyper, never sits still, lacks focus. Then other times he is lovely.

His moods can be quite extreme, going from buzzing with energy to miserable and completely lacking in self esteem, saying he hates himself, we hate him and he'd rather be dead. Then 30 minutes later he's fine.

He also sweats a lot in the night.

He can eat extraordinary amounts of pasta and toast etc. He doesn't have fizzy or sugary drinks they send him a little crazy. He does have sweets, biscuits and puddings though. I also eat a lot of them.

We've thought about ADHD in the past but he's never quite ticked all of the boxes.

Cutting sugar from his diet seems quite drastic and I'm not sure I want to try it if it's all a bit of a hocum.

Has anyone tried it and seen a difference?

[Orchidflower1]

Watching

[fruitstick]

Are you considering the same orchid?

[Orchidflower1]

Hey fruit yes thinking for ds partly due to his dental situation. Also thinking of for me but just don't know if I could do it!

[fruitstick]

I recommend reading the book.

Some bits feel a bit odd (eating a potato before bed) but it has explanations why a high carb diet affects mood and mental health - and why some people are more affected than others.

It also recommends not doing it all at once.

Step 1 was making sure you have a good breakfast with protein

Then making sure you have 3 meals a day, not grazing

Then replacing white flour products with brown

Then cutting out sugar.

[ButtercreamIcing]

How would you be cutting out sugar if you're eating potato before bed? Potato = carbohydrate = sugar.

Is this just another manifestation of the "no refined sugar" fad?

I'd consult your GP before putting your child on a trendy diet and get a referral to a proper paediatric dietician.

[fruitstick]

buttercream it's not cutting out carbs, but cutting out refined sugar and eating wholegrains instead of white flour.

I'm not entirely sure we'd be able to do entirely.

I was more interested in whether anyone had done this and noticed an improvement in mood/behaviour or whether these were just typical childhood things which have nothing to do with what they eat.