What Food To Give And Not Give To A Hyperactive Child

It is often difficult to understand or predict the mood of children. There are times when they are the world’s most adorable angels, and there are days when they are the most hyperactive little buggers. Parents, nannies, and guardians should realize though that children’s behavior can also be a direct result of the types of food they eat. Their temperaments and energy levels in the afternoons and evenings are often affected by what they ate during breakfast, lunch, and snack time.  

Here are some examples of food that should not be given to children on days when you expect them to be on their best behavior:

Most Kinds of Candy

There are two culprits in candy. One is sugar. The other is food coloring.

Sugar is practically fuel for the body. It increases blood sugar levels and sends the insulin production to overdrive. This results to a sugar rush that’s soon followed by something like food coma.

You can expect them to be super playful, running all over the place, yelling and laughing. It’s going to be later that they will drop flat on the floor and be drained of energy.

As for food coloring, the US Food and Drug Administration has advised parents, especially of children diagnosed with ADHD, to stay away from food with additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG), flavoring, and coloring. Not only are they non-nutritious, but these substances are also believed to have negative effects on the body in the long run.

Basically, parents need to avoid giving food items with large quantities of sugar and additives, like the following examples too:

-       Bubblegum

-       Marshmallows

-       Any candy that’s flavored and colored

-       Fizzy drinks

-       Ice cream

-       Flavored fruit juices

Chips

The main thing to avoid in most chips is the copious amounts of sodium or salt.

It can also lead to the depletion of vitamins and minerals. In addition to salt, chips and cracker snacks also have lots of MSG. Be wary of chips and other junk food that are advertised to contain certain vitamins and minerals too. Even if they do contain those essentials, the quantities are most likely negligible especially in light of the salt content of each serving of junk food.

See Also: No More Toys with Fast Food Meals Unless They Meet Nutritional Standards for Calories, Sodium & Fat

We can also classify the following examples under this category:

-       All types of chips (corn chips, potato crisps, etc...)

-       Salty crackers

-       Tortillas

-       Any other salty food