Can anyone explain how blood sugar works in kids?

[madskye]

I've been on a sugar jihad for the last year or so--I definitely notice that it affects my daughter's behavior in a negative way. But now, I am also noticing that all food impacts her mood and behaviors. She can be melting down and have a sip of juice or a cheese stick and bounce back. One of my friends suggested blood sugar issues, like diabetes--she's seen DD crash and come back, and I've described a typical day with DD as Up and DOWN up and DOWN--it's exhausting.

I've been trying to limit sugar for the last year and up her protein--not always successfully. Does anyone have any recommendations for how to eat to keep your child even keeled all day? A sample daily meal plan or anything? DD is five.

[WCM]

Her meltdown sound just like my friend's kids, who's metabolisms are just like their Dad. They need food every 2 hours, at least. And the key is to balance the intake of nutrients. Like you, I hate sugar, but I also don't want a battle, nor to have a negative effect on their experience of food or our relationship.

my kids eat sausages and a fruit smoothie for brekkie (whole milk, frozen strawberries and bananas, no extra sugar), or pancakes I make with oats and cottage cheese and lots of eggs.

snacks are nut butter on crackers, homous and rice crackers, carrot stix and high fat dip, edamame (just add sea salt and sesame seeds, touch of maple syrup if you want).

on the road, cheese strings, yogurt (has sugar but we get no dye ones for sure), nuts, energy balls I make

meals are lots of beans, lentils/peas, bbq steak or chicken.

we never buy juice. or have anything in the house they cannot eat often (ice cream, etc) those are for 'when we're out'.

hth.

[serenbat]

blood sugar issues, like diabetes

if this is happening you should have her tested prior to making changes in her diet-to get a base to know what is going on-than start limiting and making changes accordingly --IMO-I would to know if there really is a diabetic issue

[cristeen]

Diabetes is at the extreme end of BS issues. Honestly, my first thought is hypoglycemia, which is not as uncommon as you might think.

For someone who has those kinds of swings, eating snacks regularly is important, and sugar is not your only culprit. You mention juice, which by itself may as well be a cup of sugar water. Crackers, breads, pastas, all your refined grains will have a similar effect. I'd suggest working on eliminating refined grains along w the sugar, and any and all whole grains or fruits should be paired w protein/fat, never eaten alone.

Fat and protein slow the absorption of the sugars and also provide slow burning fuel, both of which help prevent those swings you're seeing.

[WCM]

more thoughts:

cream cheese on apple slices, pb or other nut butter with celery sticks or apple pieces.

kids bodies can use up sugar quickly because their muscles and metabolism can use it, but that doesn't mean they need it. When you ingest sugar, your body secretes insulin to grab that sugar and bring it to yor muscle cells (if your muscles don't need it, it's stored as fat, as in no-longer-growing adults). So if you eat something that is basically straight sugar (candy, juice) your blood is floded with it and thus more insulin is excreted and the sugar is swet up really quickly. then you have a crash, because all that sugar is gone. but if you eat proteins and complex sugars (brown rice, whole grain bread) then they take longer to break down into available sugar, so lst longer in the blood as an energy source, and do not tax insulin production as much. make sense? and there's fewer crashes as there's no big-time sugar clean up being done by the insulin.

[madskye]

Thanks for all this. She is a slender five year old and I've always been happy with the way that she eats. I think part of the issue is that she left preschool in June (where they were pretty militant about what was served for snack and that snack and lunch be consumed) and went to camp, where she had more autonomy and as a result was coming home with a full lunch box every day. And this is probably just the beginning of learning how to handle a new eating schedule with less supervision, as she starts kindy in two weeks.


Am open to any more info or meal suggestions!