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Handling The Side Effects Of Sugar Rush In Kids: 5 Tips That Always Work

Handling The Side Effects Of Sugar Rush In Kids: 5 Tips That Always Work

31 May 2023 | 6 min Read

Sudeshna Chakravarti

Author | 799 Articles

Many kids experience a sugar rush after eating sweet foods like cookies, cakes, and candy. They become super-energised for a short time, and then quickly crash, feeling irritable, tired, and often hungry. Due to their hyperactive behaviour, parents naturally look for ways to manage the sugar rush in kids and curb their mood swings.

The good news is that there are certain sure-shot techniques that will help you cope with your little one’s sudden energy crashes and also reverse the health consequences of eating too much sugar. Read on as we tell you more about the causes of a sugar rush in kids and five tips that work excellently in managing their behaviour.

What Causes Sugar Rush In Kids?

While some experts believe that the idea of a sugar rush is a myth, certain studies have found that eating too much sugar is directly associated with mood swings and hyperactivity in kids. This may happen more in children who haven’t eaten in a while before gobbling sweets.

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, which easily breaks down in the digestive tract and reaches the bloodstream quickly. So if your child is already hungry and feeling low on energy, their brain and body may feel a burst of energy after eating sugar-enriched foods, leading to a sugar rush.

Additionally, the quick breakdown of sugar can leave your child tired, hungry, or moody, indicating that their body needs more food, something which has more protein or fat.

5 Tips To Handle The Effects Of Sugar Rush In Kids

Healthy and wholesome foods can help curb the effects of a sugar rush and improve their nutritional intake / Image credit: Freepik

Give Them Healthy And Wholesome Foods

The best way to manage your little one’s sugar overload is by focusing on giving them foods enriched with good fats and proteins and taking it easy with starches. You can include protein-rich foods in your little one’s diet, such as eggs, fish, and meat, and also add some plant-based protein sources like legumes, green vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Healthy fats include butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado.

Another thing that you can do to prevent a sugar rush in kids is to always include savoury items along with sugary meals. This will help create a healthy balance and also keep your little one’s nutritional needs in check.

Add Probiotics To Your Child’s Diet

Excess consumption of sugar can deplete the good bacteria in your little one’s gut and enable the production of bad bacteria in their digestive system. This may lead to digestive problems, such as tummy aches and, in rare cases, diarrhoea in your little one.

Hence, to counteract the effects of sugar, boost your little one’s probiotic intake as that helps in the production of gut bacteria in their gut and ensures a healthy stomach. You can do this by adding probiotic-enriched foods to your child’s diet. For instance, yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics and you can give it to your child during breakfast, and add nutritional toppings like fruits, nuts, and even a little honey.

Additionally, you can consider introducing your little one to fermented foods, such as kefir, pickled vegetables, and kombucha. Fermented foods generally exhibit antioxidant and anti-microbial properties that help maintain a healthy gut and prevent stomach problems.

Boost Up Your Child’s Immunity

Boost your little one’s immunity by giving them antioxidant-rich foods / Image credit: Freepik

Excess sugar consumption can compromise your little one’s immunity by slowing down the production of neutrophils, which is the first line of immune defense. This is why you should pay crucial attention to your little one’s diet and add more nutritional foods to build a strong immune system.

You can do this by adding antioxidant foods to their diet, such as spinach, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. Zinc-rich foods, such as seeds, nuts, legumes, and seafood also help enhance your kid’s overall immunity and curb the effects of sugar consumption.

Try Including Some Bitter Foods In Your Child’s Diet

This is a bit tricky! But hear us out: Bitter foods stimulate detoxification and help flush out all kinds of toxins from your child’s body. Moreover, certain bitter foods and herbs help enhance your little one’s liver health, which may otherwise be compromised due to excess sugar consumption.

Bitter food options to add to your child’s diet include:

Radish
Parsely
Coriander
Lime or lemon juice
Greens, such as kale or broccoli

Some kids like bitter foods, but most don’t. Hence, you can try hiding the bitter taste with different flavours, and adding small amounts of green to their smoothie, or making a sauce out of the ingredients to go with the main meal.

Focus On Hydration

Sugar can dehydrate your little one’s body and make it more acidic. So make sure that your little one has enough water after having sugary foods to prevent dehydration.

Lime or lemon juice is a great option for kids. You can also give your little one coconut water, as it has a little sweeter taste and has electrolytes, which help in rehydrating their body.

Conclusion

Handling sugar rush in kids can be tricky, but the tips that we have discussed above can effectively help you manage their behaviour and also combat the long-term effects of sugar overload. Even if your child is having sugar, make sure that their other meals are balanced and nutritious, and encourage them to drink water frequently to prevent dehydration.