12 Oct Children’s Nutritionist – How To Reduce Sugar Cravings

The amount of sugar consumed by children is at it’s highest levels in history. This can mostly be attributed to the enormous increase in processed food and sugary drinks lining the supermarket shelves. Sugar is included as an ingredient in most pre-packaged, processed and junk food and drinks and it’s insidious. As a result, as our children’s sugar consumption has increased, so has their rates of common childhood illness, including obesity with 1 in 4 children now classified as overweight or obese.

Sugar tantrums

If you notice that your child’s temperament changes throughout the day, beginning with their adorable ‘normal’ behaviour which can change in a heartbeat to hyperactive, obnoxiousness or hysterical sobbing. The amount of hidden sugar they are consuming may be the cause. For example, a popular breakfast cereal plus a glass of store bought fruit juice could contain as much as 15 teaspoons of sugar, and that’s just for breakfast!

The Ups and Downs of sugar

When sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream they produce an unnaturally rapid increase in blood sugar levels. High levels of sugar are extremely harmful and the body goes to great lengths to keep blood sugar within a normal range. In response to the sugar crisis a hormone called insulin is released into the bloodstream to mop up and remove the excessive amounts of sugar. The end result is insulin is very effective at removing sugar which results in low blood sugar levels and an energy slump, a condition called hypoglycemia. At this stage your child will be feeling unwell, tired, grizzly, crying or throwing a tantrum and they will need to quickly normalise their blood sugar levels which means they have another sugar craving.

In response to their demands and often unwittingly, another 10 to 15 teaspoons of sugar can be reintroduced back into their blood stream. For example, a small box (30gm) of sultana’s has 7 teaspoons of sugar, plus a little tetra pack of organic apple juice could add another 5 teaspoons! And as the sugar roller coaster continues, it’s very damaging to all aspects of your child’s health.

Increase protein to help reduce children’s sugar cravings

There is no doubt that sugar is highly addictive, some studies suggest more so than cocaine. One of the easiest ways to reduce cravings for highly processed sugary snacks is to increase your child’s protein portion at meal times starting with breakfast. Protein food includes meat, chicken, turkey, legumes, tofu, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. These foods don’t contain sugar and they take longer to digest which means they stay in your child’s tummy for longer.

How much protein does your child need?

A good rule of thumb to work out exactly how much protein each member of the family requires is the Hand Method. Use your child’s hand as a measuring tool because it’s in proportion to their body size. The guideline is the thickness and size of the palm of their hand, minus fingers for main meals. Feed them this much protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Naturopathy Can Help With the following childhood conditions

Fiona provides tailored health plans based on a multitude of factors relevant to your child’s symptomology (how they are feeling), pathology (how their body is responding), plus dietary and lifestyle factors.

• ✅ Digestive complaints – constipation, diarrhoea, loose stools, pain or bloating
• ✅ Allergies and allergic conditions – such as asthma, eczema or hayfever
• ✅ Poor Immunity – recurring colds or ear infections
• ✅ Skin Conditions – rashes, eczema, acne, pimples or allergic reactions
• ✅ Moods – anxiety, depression or mood swings
• ✅ Food Intolerances – identifying food reactions
• ✅ Food Allergies – identifying food reactions
• ✅ Growth and development issues – fussy eaters or nutritional malabsorption
• ✅ Behavioural challenges – ADHD or others
• ✅ Energy – poor energy or chronic fatigue
• ✅ Picky Eaters – fussy eaters
• ✅ Sleep – trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

What happens in a consultation

During your consultation, Fiona will seek information about your pregnancy, birth and post birth experiences. This will provide an integrated view to give a full picture of the foundations of your child’s health status. You can expect to leave your consultation with a thorough understanding of the potential contributing factors of the presenting symptoms. Fiona will provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates possible herbal/nutritional medicine, dietary/lifestyle recommendations, recipes and handouts. Plus an overview of the consultation so you feel empowered to care for your child’s wellbeing with Fiona’s guidance. At The Children’s Naturopath, Fiona Stock an expert in childhood health, she understands children’s needs and considers working with kids and teens to be an absolute joy. She finds that children typically respond to naturopathic treatment very well – bouncing back to good health in no time.  And she treasures the opportunity she has to teach kids about their bodies and engage them in their health journey, setting them up with strong foundations and knowledge for life.

Meet Fiona Stock

Fiona treats the following conditions:

• ✅Poor Immunity
• ✅Poor Focus & Concentration
• ✅ Behavioural Problems
• ✅ ADHD
• ✅ Depression
• ✅ Anxiety
• ✅ Food Allergies
• ✅ Food Intolerances
• ✅ Constipation
• ✅ Diarrhoea
• ✅ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• ✅ Tummy Pain
• ✅ Eczema
• ✅ Asthma
• ✅ Obesity
• ✅ Auto-Immune Disease
• ✅ Recurring Infections
• ✅ Fussy Eaters
• ✅ Sleep Issues
• ✅ Plus many more…