Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Food, Caffeine, Behavior & Overexcitabilities

Not sure whether to put this here or in the 2E spot, but... I was reading over the thread (sorry, I'm terrible at linkin' one to another) where having low blood sugar was discussed - think it was the Explosive Child and/or Nurtured Heart one.

And well, *I* am hypoglycemic and have a tad bit of ADD (yes, I still refuse to throw in the H for me specifically). I am very emotional and have noticed that if I have a balanced diet, I'm less likely to explode when dealing with my oversensitive DS or my "doesn't show much emotion" DH (ha). But I'm also my mother's daughter and have been blessed with crazy hormone issues, so for me, it's tough to determine what is causing what.

I also notice that diet plays a huge part in DS's (and DD's for that matter) behavior. He was also one of those babies that had to eat every 2-3 hours. He was on cereal early b/c he'd be hungry an hour after finishing 8oz of formula or breast milk--in fact he was on formula earlier than I wanted b/c *I* couldn't keep up. Still today, if he doesn't eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in scheduled intervals, he gets all out of whack.

My degree is in Health Education, and I know what is good and not good to eat as far as healthy foods vs. unhealthy, etc... but I'd like to know what those of you who are dealing with kids greatly affected by their diets make or keep as snacks, etc, to help curb the craziness, besides just fruit and nuts and veggies. What works and what doesn't for you?

I'm also curious about how many of you allow your DC to have caffeine. How much, if you do? Neither of my DC are allowed any at this point. DS doesn't sleep well as it is, but I notice for ME that a bit of caffeine during the day actually helps me focus... though I do have to have it without tons of sugar or that does the opposite. But I also have to cut off my consumption before 5 or 6pm or I won't go to sleep (never had to as a child, just now as an adult).

My father has a gluten intolerance (digestive issues), and we are attempting to implement some of what my parents eat/cook into our own meals, but gluten free items can be quite pricey.

Wow, that was longer than I expected. LOL. Thanks in advance!

My ability to deal with things drops when my blood sugar gets too low and I see the same thing with my children. Another big factor is sleep so I keep a very structured environment when it comes to sleeping and eating. Protein helps and we eat lots of hard boiled eggs, rice & beans, yogurt, & nuts. We do our best to avoid eating refined carbs and when we do eat them, we try to balance them with fiber and protein.

Since sleep is such a big issue, I don't let the kids have caffeine. We've seen some major regression in DD5's behavior this week and I think it's because we were on an overseas trip. I suspect the jet lag is a factor, so the #1 goal for this weekend is to catch up on sleep!

JJ's Mom,
I have been considering experimenting with a bit of caffeine and my DS7 who is diagnosed with ADHD. Just like you, caffeine calms me instead of getting me wound up, but my reaction is all day..it always puts me to sleep. I wonder if it could work that way in my younger son. I am hispanic, so the idea of letting a child have milk with a bit of coffee or something does not feel as odd as it does to some of my friends here. I think I will try it over a weekend some time.
Both my children are extremely sensitive to variations in their diet. My DS8, Aspeger's, child is much more likely to have meltdowns and difficulty coping when he's hungry. Unfortunately, he is also extremely picky. I have to sometimes resort to things I would prefer not to give him just to get him to have his snack. For instance, I give him granola bars, but I have to give him the Quaker ones with the corn syrup because they are the only ones he'll eat. It's preferable he eat something mildly unhealthy than nothing at all.

I just wanted to put this out there.

Google books Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Kids and Adults -

the information regarding reactive hypoglycemia pg 171

Caffeine usage is kind of a slippery slope. On the one hand, it does help to sharpen the focus, but it also causes when caffeine was ingested together with meals it causes their blood glucose levels to spike wildly, and insulin levels spike in response to the excess sugar, causing another drop in blood sugar. Those with type 2 diabetes get it worse, because they excrete even MORE insulin to counteract the spike in blood glucose because of the inefficient use of their insulin.

But, knowing that, I still use caffeine. Though I'm trying hard to break the habit.

I think one of the best books out there for ADD/ADHD is Driven to Distraction. I haven't gotten through all of it, but it is marvelous so far.

I wrote a post regarding OE's and ADD-like symptoms here

Hyperfocused but Scatterbrained.

I'm really rushed for time but maybe this post will help.

DS is allowed to have tea maybe once a month but other than that he gets no caffeine at all.

In the mornings I like to make sure that he has a carb and a protein and as little sugar as possible. Sugar makes him so hyper. You can watch it affect him in minutes and then last a while and fade out.

thanks y'all... we've been swimming out of our flood here in the Atlanta area, so I haven't been around to respond.

My step-kids live an hour or two from Atlanta and we were there this weekend and had to drive home through some of the rain. Has it stopped raining yet?

The sun was even out today! We were very lucky, but my town got it pretty bad. DS's baseball field is under like 10 ft of water!

I have a poster on my wall which reads - "Drink coffee and do stupid things faster and with more energy" - one of my favorites (might move it to the coffee shop we've just bought )

I need that poster... only I don't drink coffee. I'm a "coke head". LOL. Actually I guess I'm more a "Coke Zero Head".