Sugar n' Spice and Everything Nice
By Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.
Children's Sugar Intake
is Excessive
Unfortunately many little girls and little
boys, too, are made of sugar; the sugar they
eat. The average person eats 153 pounds of
sugar a year, which is equivalent to over
half a cup a day. The average teenage boy
eats twice as much sugar than any other age
or sex group. That puts him at over a cup
of sugar a day.
From the time we come into this world to
the time we leave, sweeteners are present
in most of our diets. The first non-milk food
that a baby is likely to receive in North
American hospitals is a 5-percent glucose-and-water
solution (IV). Some baby milk formulas still
contain sugar. Children are rewarded with
sugar. “Eat your dinner and you will get your
dessert.” Some behavior modification classes
reward children with candy when they have
finished an assignment or have not disturbed
the class. Children even sell sugary products,
such as Girl Scout cookies and sweet morsels
at church bake sales. The list goes on.
Does Sugar Cause Hyperactivity?
Dr. William Crook feels that he has an understanding
of the role that sugar plays in the hyperactivity
of children. He found that gastrointestinal
growth and invasion of candida albicans, a
yeast, was approximately 200 times greater
in mice who received dextrose in their feedings
than in a control group of mice who received
no dextrose. When a person has candida, there
is more gut permeability. This means that
food in the gut can get from the intestines
into the blood stream undigested or partially
digested, when candida is present. This undigested
food does not belong in the blood stream,
and can cause hyperactivity.
There is plenty of information on sugar and
children. The problem is that it is controversial.
Some research shows that it does cause hyperactivity
and aggressiveness in children. Other research
shows that it does not seem to cause any abnormal
behavior. The research of Alexander Schauss,
author of Diet,
Crime and Delinquency, shows that when
sugar is removed from a child’s diet, school
grades go up.
Dietary Changes Help Academic
Performances
Three university behavioral researchers evaluated
the diet changes instituted during 1980, 81
and 83 by Dr. Elizabeth Cagan, of the New
York Public School System. The researchers
found that the four years which showed gains
in national ranking were the same four years
in which there were major dietary policy revisions
involving sucrose, fats, and food additives.
After the policy changes, the schools showed
a significant rise in national percentile
ranking that correlated to the percentage
of children eating school food.
Before the diet changes, the 804 schools
averaged in the 41 percentile nationally (1976-79)
based on achievement tests scores. During
the four years in which the diet changes occurred,
the mean national academic performances ranking
rose to the 51 percentile. New York City schools
moved from 11% below the national average
to 5% above the national mean.
Removing Sugar from the
Diet
So where do I stand? It is simple, so simple.
If your child has any of the following problems,
I suggest that you take sugar completely out
of his/her diet for at least ten days.
· difficulty
falling asleep or staying asleep
· difficulty
concentrating
· low
grades in school
· allergies
· frequent
headaches
· hyperactive
or listless
· overweight
· many
dental fillings
· cannot
go for more than four hours without eating
· colds
or bacterial infections more than once a year
You have nothing to loose. In fact, you will
probably save much money not buying ice cream,
cakes, candy, and the like. You might even
alleviate some symptoms your child is having
and help his health. Early childhood symptoms
can mean adult degenerative diseases.
I have seen many children who have had one
or more of the above problems. Sugar is removed
from the child’s diet and miraculous things
happen. If some of your child’s symptoms do
go away, but some are still there, I recommend
that you remove all wheat and dairy for another
ten days. The reason for the elimination of
milk products and wheat products is that many
people have become allergic to these products
because they have been eating them with so
much sugar. Wheat is made into donuts, cakes,
pies, and cookies. Milk products are made
into ice cream, cheese cake, and puddings.
By eating these sugary products we have made
ourselves allergic to wheat and milk. We can
make ourselves allergic to any food we continually
eat with sugar.
Obesity in children now is a problem worldwide.
Significant factors influencing fat and weight
gain include increased TV watching, fast food
dining, and poor physical education programs
at school. Only 36 percent of our children
are in a daily athletic program at school.
Children should learn lifelong habits at home
to reduce the problems of obesity and the
health related problems that go with it. Unfortunately
it is the overweight moms and dads that have
been teaching their children eating, exercise
and TV habits. If you have an obese child,
remove all sugar, wheat and dairy products
and the problem might solve itself.
I love working with children because they
have not abused their bodies for forty years
like many of us. Their bodies regain health
easily when substances are removed that have
been upsetting their body chemistry. It takes
just a few days to see a difference. Don’t
forget the psychological aspect of health.
Children can have psychological problems just
like adults and this causes stress on the
body that can upset the body chemistry.
Remember one thing. Respecting your child
is more important than nagging him not to
eat sugar. He can change his diet when he
reaches 21 years old, but if the respect has
not been in his childhood, it is very difficult
to change his psychological makeup at age
21.
My children were about 7 and 11 when I understood
what sugar was doing to my family. I just
removed the sugar from our home, all of it.
I knew that they ate it when they went out,
and I said very little about this. I set the
example. They saw me have more energy and
less symptoms. I did not yell at them because
I felt better. So love and respect your children.
That is the most important thing.
The process of removing sugar is evolutionary,
not revolutionary. Take small steps (just
like a child does) in changing the eating
habits of your whole family. If you do, you
will help you child during his or her childhood
but also you will help to eliminate the degenerative
diseases later.
Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. is a nutritionist,
researcher, lecturer, and author of the new
edition of LICK THE SUGAR HABIT, HEALTHY BONES,
and THE SECRETS OF NATURAL HEALING WITH FOOD.
Nancy did her undergraduate work at U.C.L.A.
in Food and Nutrition. She received her Ph.D.
from Walden University in Health Services.
Visit her website at http://www.nancyappleton.com
Sources:
Goldman, J., et al. Behavioral
Effects of Sucrose on Preschool Children,
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14,
4 (1986): 565-577
Behar D, Rapoport J, Adams, Berg C, and Cornblat,
M Sugar
Challenge Testing with Children Considered
Behaviorally Sugar Reactive, Nutritional
Behavior 1 (1984): 277-288
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the information provided on this site as an
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It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific
illness.