Sugar?! My child doesn't get that, not any kind of sugar
‘When you're a mother, you feel it, you know it
you deny it, but eventually you admit it. Your dear child is busy, not with activities but on the inside, in her little body, her little head. Chaos and hyperactivity dominate, and peace is hard to find’
I'm that kind of mother, the mother of a sweet hyperactive girl who is especially very busy in her actions and in her thinking and her 'being'. Restlessness blows through her and from the outside, it's mainly recognized in fidgeting, constant chatting, and tic behavior. Panic and fear also frequently dominate her day. When you receive an ADHD diagnosis, you think ... 'what now?!' Secretly you knew, but confirmation is always reality. We were used to the 'busyness', but the constant 'calm down' seemed like a record that kept skipping.
Something had to be done…
We are always concerned with nutrition. What is healthy? What should you avoid? It has always been a part of our household. So, I was very interested to see what cutting out sugar would do for the restlessness my daughter felt. You often hear the excuse when children are hyper: 'Did you eat the whole candy jar?' Or the well-known 'sugar rush' they get at a party after unlimitedly grabbing cake, filled candy towers, and bottles of lemonade. 'No, this is lemonade without sugar!'. We knew better. Even these candies and lemonade contained sugar. The well-known hidden sugars, also known as sweeteners. We got to work! Lemonade was replaced by water, and fruit was bought in large quantities. I poured my son's fruit snacks into an ice pop mold and it became a delicious frozen treat. For a year, I read and studied every label. This made me increasingly creative in coming up with replacements. Many brands are already catering to the sugar-free need, and they make it a bit easier. Fortunately, I have two little fruit monsters which takes away a lot of the 'sweet' cravings.
Gradually, it has become 'normal' for us
We don't know any better now and although it's always quite a maze, we always find a way. Does it significantly reduce her ADHD? I sometimes doubt this, but the fact remains that excessive sugar consumption and indulging in sweets don't really contribute, and that eliminating sugar certainly removes some of the restlessness for us. This may not be the case for everyone, but it works for us.
That she now calmly walks into the house after a party or birthday and can tell her story is already different from rolling off the back seat of the car. Or storming in like a tornado, completely unable to make sense of what she's actually saying. These examples are confirmation enough for me. There have been many studies on ADHD and diet, and as with many studies, there are prejudices and opinions are divided. What works, what doesn't? It's one of the many things that the internet is full of, but of which the definitive outcome is not yet known. That's why I always do what I think is best. It eventually also became something of ours together. Something of the family. Going grocery shopping with her and watching her carefully study the labels made me happy. It wasn't something I took away from her, no, she really participated well on her own!
At home, everything was fairly on track...Check!
So we extended the experiment to outdoor parties and even the school treats were adjusted. In the classroom, there's a large jar filled for her to pick from when a child has a birthday. However, this jar remains full for a long time, because the kind birthday child often takes her into account, and then she always feels special. Someone who makes something especially for her and thinks of her is greatly appreciated! Everyone is considerate and over time this also led to acceptance becoming a fact. Conclusion? For us, the experiment was a success! Even though I'm sometimes still searching, this too has simply become a part of our 'way of life.'
She often gets asked by children at a party if she minds or hears 'I really feel sorry for you' frequently. Her response to that is: “no, I don't mind...and...no, I'm not pitiful”. By now, she can enjoy her date and cocoa-based brownie just as much as someone else enjoys a slice of cream cake.
IRIS
