Low blood sugar and behavior

[mamalita]

Hi! Does anyone know of a link or place where I can find reliable information about low blood sugar in children? The more I mull it over, the more I believe that some of the challenges that occur with DS (4 yrs old) happen because he becomes VERY hungry VERY suddenly - almost as if he doesn't realize he's hungry until it's, ahem, "too late".

When I was pregnant with him, this would happen to me. I'd be perfectly fine, then, out of nowhere become so incredibly hungry it made me feel like I was going to faint or throw up.

I offer food to DS frequently throughout the day (he's defnitely more of a grazer anyway), but sometimes I think he's caught up in what we're doing and then, boom! it comes over him.

Thanks for any info.

[mamaverdi]

Yes. This is exactly my oldest child. But he has a metabolic disorder, so his blood sugar doesn't necessarily show as low as it is for his body.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by mamalita

The more I mull it over, the more I believe that some of the challenges that occur with DS (4 yrs old) happen because he becomes VERY hungry VERY suddenly - almost as if he doesn't realize he's hungry until it's, ahem, "too late".

Sounds like my ds. I'll give him whatever he asks for that we have because he is too hungry to wait 5 minutes for me to cook something and too cranky to accept a different food offering than what he had in mind. When he is like this, he usually asks for high carb stuff like candy which I interpret as him realizing he needs some quick fuel. So I give him a little candy and follow up with something more nutritious.

However, to keep blood sugar on an even keel, it is better to not eat something with a high glycemic index (foods that raise your blood sugar) at the beginning of the meal. It isn't as simple as foods with sugar raise blood sugar more, because high fat foods lower the food's ability to raise blood sugar. As a result ice cream has a low glycemic index and won't cause a sugar crash. Foods like pretzels and potatoes that are all starch and no fat are actually worse than sugar for the blood sugar level.

You can help your ds keep his blood sugar on a more even keel by looking up a glycemic index chart (try www.prevention.com). It fits in with eating snacks with protein. Nuts, nut butter, cheese, hummus are some ideas of things to add to starchy snacks like toast, crackers, and pretzels to make the blood sugar not be elevated as much. In general, anything dairy has a low glycemic index.

[natashaccat]

If you wanted actual data to prove or disprove your theory, there's a simple blood test to look at blood sugar spikes. I can't remember what it's called but I had it done for myself as part of a diabetes screen. You'd probably want to go to a natropth vs a physician though just because the natropath is more likely to be in tune with minor variations from norn.

[heartmama]

I know it sure affects my mood and behavior. I eat many small meals during the day.

[mamaverdi]

That test looks at blood sugar spikes, not drops. It's an average over each day. So it's not looking at each hour per say or moment.

You can however get a glucometer....Pharmacies run specials so you can get a good one for about 10$.