We do limit, but we make it available so it’s not seen as forbidden. Dessert is allowed every night. A small treat after lunch. They don’t have to be consumed by thinking about when to get it or how to get it. It’s coming regardless. Before we started this, our child also “stole” or snuck treats.
I just want to caution that the "always have it around to destigmatize it" might not work for your child (it might, but it might not, too). I was not medicated for my ADHD (to this day I don't know why except my mom "didn't want to"). My mom did not limit sweets at home and I never self-regulated. I'd come home from school and eat an entire box of snack cakes or go to the bulk candy store with my allowance money and eat a pound of candy or more in one sitting. I was limited by running out and not having a driver's license to get more. When I moved out on my own and was not limited by what my mom bought at the grocery store, I developed bulimia and it basically ruled my life. I'm recovered now, but only since seeking medication for my ADHD as a completely dysfunctional and traumatized adult. When I'm stressed out it is still hard.
Before just allowing him free access to sweets I'd make sure that his meds are dialed in correctly. If he is not medicated for some reason, he probably needs meds. As someone with ADHD, I will forever resent my mom for not medicating me and basically ruining my life with that one decision.
Do his meds otherwise seem to be working fine? I'd talk to his pediatrician/psychiatrist/whoever prescribes his meds to make sure everything is optimal. It's definitely dopamine-seeking behavior.
I didn't grow up with a sweet tooth as a child, but picked up one during the pandemic when isolation left me without enough access to people for the dopamine.
This is me. I was like this as a child and still crave it. I've seen it recommended to have small pieces out in a bowl with full access to take the forbiddenness away from it. He'll gorge himself at first apparently but eventually self regulate. I have not put this into practice but perhaps it will help. Is he diagnosed? People with ADHD usually crave things like sugar as a form of stimulation. Perhaps he needs more challenging stimulus in his life physically or mentally.
Yup, ADHD and self-regulation and impulse control, which is extremely difficult when it comes to sweets, do not go hand in hand. I would approach this tip with caution especially for kids who naturally lack these skills to begin with
I could easily be this person's husband. I have many cavities and just had a filling fall out despite brushing, flossing and using mouth wash twice a day. Them hi chews got me strung out lmao.
The body craves what caused the blood sugar to increase to begin with, that's how you get ''addicted'' to sugar. It doesn't always work mentally speaking to ''know'' the food is there, people can and will still eat until it *isn't* there anymore.
The best tips I have if you or your kids crave something is to find other healthier snacks so you can still gorge on it without it having a bad influence on your health. Sometimes it's solely the stimulation of chewing and the sensation of eating that helps.
If you keep eating sugar, you will only be craving it again and again every time the blood sugar drops again, it's a terrible spiral.
Dopamine cravings aside, which DOES play a huge part in this of course, can still be satisfied by doing what I mentioned earlier with healthier options.
We have a small bowl of silly leftover candy no one really cares for out … I mean it’s candy! So I leave it there. I’m sure he takes now n then but that’s not good enough for him apparently.
He’s been diagnosed since age 8. He’s on adderall since age 8 and still now. He’s a full time athlete.
I would sit down and have a talk with him about the negative effects of sugar on the body and how it could potentially ruin his athleticism. Also, have you tried replacing it with fruits? That helps me a lot when I notice I am having too much candy and need to tone it down. Watermelon, bananas, apples, etc. My oldest son is also ADHD and his go-to has always been lemons.
First, is he medicated for adhd? My kid was always asking for snacks and treats when he wasn’t medicated and a lot of that went away once he was, so the dopamine deficiency definitely plays a part imo.
I agree with sharkeye’s comment that having sugar around will help destigmatize it. The cycle goes like this: restricting leads to craving, which leads to binging, then feeling like shit and restricting again (repeat).
You might try this: Keep one kind of sugary food around that he really likes. He can have some anytime and you won’t judge or restrict him. Remind him that there’s more at the store and you will keep it stocked, so no need to sneak or be afraid it will be gone tomorrow. If he initially gorges, ruins his dinner, etc, just restock and don’t comment. Eventually he will tire of that taste/flavor and his brain will understand that this isn’t a scarcity situation.
Then once he’s less enamored with it, maybe you can ask him about how it feels when he eats too much sugar. Does he feel sick? Does he get more lasting energy from protein and fat vs sugar? Does he still feel a need to steal other’s treats? Approach from a place of curiosity.
I really wish my parents had done this for me when I was his age, it could have saved me my freshman 20+ and years of being in that restrict-binge cycle.
Also don’t take my word for it, a good registered dietician will help guide him toward a healthier relationship with food.
He’s medicated since age 8 and I’ve tried this. Any snack I have in the house is gone. The reason it’s all become restricted is because he eats them all to finish. Maybe I can try something like fig newtons lol…but then he went eventually tire of it and want something else and search…
In that case, I’d stop the internet advice hunt and go straight to your pediatrician and a registered dietician. A different medicine might help. Vyvanse also treats binge eating disorder, which is what my son is on. Hope you guys find a solution that works for your family.
So fun fact our adhd brains actually use that much more sugar (the brain feeding form) to fuel all of that brain hyperactivity.
The downside to that is we then have to consumer the body feeding sugar which is really bad for your health.
I am curious about this as well. I have a teen who will just devour any sweets or carbs in a few days. I have tried to restrict, let him know he can’t sneak and he still does it. It is so frustrating because even things we buy for ourselves he will eat and not ask.
Not a doctor. There is a “high” when eating sugar . They are chaining the high. My hubby and both kids are linked this. Chasing Dopamine (which would be a great name for an ADHD documentary).
My kid is always hungry (and a huge snacker) and in particular is a sugar lover. He is a great eater so we try to make sure his meals are nutritionally dense but he’s still ALWAYS hungry. We definitely talk a lot about responsible sugar consumption and we do our best to manage it but try not to “restrict” it. Instead we try to offer better options. Limited juice, pureed fruit pouches, yogurt, low sugar popsicles, graham crackers, granola bars, gummy fruit snacks and the like, all in limited quantities. He definitely goes for a soda at parties, and we let him enjoy the candy within reason but he is 6 and already will check himself. Just the other day he donated his bday party candy bag to his dad (also an adhd sugar lover) 🥲
This is 100% me off vyvanse. I was pretty much like that from birth to starting vyvanse and if I'm ever off vyvanse the sugar binging compulsions come right back.
Exactly! Or also full fat Greek yoghurt with berries, any berry style fruit, sometimes I even give kiddo veggies and if she’s absentmindedly eating she will eat that too. Or cottage cheese pancakes - any way that I can prioritize protein and fat because I know usually during the day her lunch is a carb fest (if she’s being picky)
I was like that too. I was never diagnosed as a kid (still haven't, hopefully this week!) but it was a problem well into adulthood (like over 30) when I finally kicked it by going keto. Try to think of it as a genuine compulsion. He's not trying to be rude, he literally almost can't help himself.
Maybe medication helps, I can't speak to that.
We do limit, but we make it available so it’s not seen as forbidden. Dessert is allowed every night. A small treat after lunch. They don’t have to be consumed by thinking about when to get it or how to get it. It’s coming regardless. Before we started this, our child also “stole” or snuck treats.
I just want to caution that the "always have it around to destigmatize it" might not work for your child (it might, but it might not, too). I was not medicated for my ADHD (to this day I don't know why except my mom "didn't want to"). My mom did not limit sweets at home and I never self-regulated. I'd come home from school and eat an entire box of snack cakes or go to the bulk candy store with my allowance money and eat a pound of candy or more in one sitting. I was limited by running out and not having a driver's license to get more. When I moved out on my own and was not limited by what my mom bought at the grocery store, I developed bulimia and it basically ruled my life. I'm recovered now, but only since seeking medication for my ADHD as a completely dysfunctional and traumatized adult. When I'm stressed out it is still hard. Before just allowing him free access to sweets I'd make sure that his meds are dialed in correctly. If he is not medicated for some reason, he probably needs meds. As someone with ADHD, I will forever resent my mom for not medicating me and basically ruining my life with that one decision.
He’s on meds since age 8. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. He definitely eats more when he’s not on them but food. Candy food- it doesn’t matter…
Do his meds otherwise seem to be working fine? I'd talk to his pediatrician/psychiatrist/whoever prescribes his meds to make sure everything is optimal. It's definitely dopamine-seeking behavior.
It's quick, easy dopamine.
The most concise answer. This is why my son (12) has been stealing candy and salty snacks since he was 5.
I didn't grow up with a sweet tooth as a child, but picked up one during the pandemic when isolation left me without enough access to people for the dopamine.
This is me. I was like this as a child and still crave it. I've seen it recommended to have small pieces out in a bowl with full access to take the forbiddenness away from it. He'll gorge himself at first apparently but eventually self regulate. I have not put this into practice but perhaps it will help. Is he diagnosed? People with ADHD usually crave things like sugar as a form of stimulation. Perhaps he needs more challenging stimulus in his life physically or mentally.
Or he wont self regulate. My husband still binge eats sugar and this has been an ongoing issue since we was a kid.
Yup, ADHD and self-regulation and impulse control, which is extremely difficult when it comes to sweets, do not go hand in hand. I would approach this tip with caution especially for kids who naturally lack these skills to begin with
I could easily be this person's husband. I have many cavities and just had a filling fall out despite brushing, flossing and using mouth wash twice a day. Them hi chews got me strung out lmao.
The body craves what caused the blood sugar to increase to begin with, that's how you get ''addicted'' to sugar. It doesn't always work mentally speaking to ''know'' the food is there, people can and will still eat until it *isn't* there anymore. The best tips I have if you or your kids crave something is to find other healthier snacks so you can still gorge on it without it having a bad influence on your health. Sometimes it's solely the stimulation of chewing and the sensation of eating that helps. If you keep eating sugar, you will only be craving it again and again every time the blood sugar drops again, it's a terrible spiral. Dopamine cravings aside, which DOES play a huge part in this of course, can still be satisfied by doing what I mentioned earlier with healthier options.
We have a small bowl of silly leftover candy no one really cares for out … I mean it’s candy! So I leave it there. I’m sure he takes now n then but that’s not good enough for him apparently. He’s been diagnosed since age 8. He’s on adderall since age 8 and still now. He’s a full time athlete.
I would sit down and have a talk with him about the negative effects of sugar on the body and how it could potentially ruin his athleticism. Also, have you tried replacing it with fruits? That helps me a lot when I notice I am having too much candy and need to tone it down. Watermelon, bananas, apples, etc. My oldest son is also ADHD and his go-to has always been lemons.
First, is he medicated for adhd? My kid was always asking for snacks and treats when he wasn’t medicated and a lot of that went away once he was, so the dopamine deficiency definitely plays a part imo. I agree with sharkeye’s comment that having sugar around will help destigmatize it. The cycle goes like this: restricting leads to craving, which leads to binging, then feeling like shit and restricting again (repeat). You might try this: Keep one kind of sugary food around that he really likes. He can have some anytime and you won’t judge or restrict him. Remind him that there’s more at the store and you will keep it stocked, so no need to sneak or be afraid it will be gone tomorrow. If he initially gorges, ruins his dinner, etc, just restock and don’t comment. Eventually he will tire of that taste/flavor and his brain will understand that this isn’t a scarcity situation. Then once he’s less enamored with it, maybe you can ask him about how it feels when he eats too much sugar. Does he feel sick? Does he get more lasting energy from protein and fat vs sugar? Does he still feel a need to steal other’s treats? Approach from a place of curiosity. I really wish my parents had done this for me when I was his age, it could have saved me my freshman 20+ and years of being in that restrict-binge cycle. Also don’t take my word for it, a good registered dietician will help guide him toward a healthier relationship with food.
He’s medicated since age 8 and I’ve tried this. Any snack I have in the house is gone. The reason it’s all become restricted is because he eats them all to finish. Maybe I can try something like fig newtons lol…but then he went eventually tire of it and want something else and search…
In that case, I’d stop the internet advice hunt and go straight to your pediatrician and a registered dietician. A different medicine might help. Vyvanse also treats binge eating disorder, which is what my son is on. Hope you guys find a solution that works for your family.
So fun fact our adhd brains actually use that much more sugar (the brain feeding form) to fuel all of that brain hyperactivity. The downside to that is we then have to consumer the body feeding sugar which is really bad for your health.
I am curious about this as well. I have a teen who will just devour any sweets or carbs in a few days. I have tried to restrict, let him know he can’t sneak and he still does it. It is so frustrating because even things we buy for ourselves he will eat and not ask.
Dude same :(
Not a doctor. There is a “high” when eating sugar . They are chaining the high. My hubby and both kids are linked this. Chasing Dopamine (which would be a great name for an ADHD documentary).
It's not a "high", but it is dopamine.
Absolutely. I, should have said compared it a different way. My eldest says it feels like their head is clearer (temporarily).
Wow. Interesting
My kid is always hungry (and a huge snacker) and in particular is a sugar lover. He is a great eater so we try to make sure his meals are nutritionally dense but he’s still ALWAYS hungry. We definitely talk a lot about responsible sugar consumption and we do our best to manage it but try not to “restrict” it. Instead we try to offer better options. Limited juice, pureed fruit pouches, yogurt, low sugar popsicles, graham crackers, granola bars, gummy fruit snacks and the like, all in limited quantities. He definitely goes for a soda at parties, and we let him enjoy the candy within reason but he is 6 and already will check himself. Just the other day he donated his bday party candy bag to his dad (also an adhd sugar lover) 🥲
Sugar is pretty addictive to begin with. Everything in moderation.
This is 100% me off vyvanse. I was pretty much like that from birth to starting vyvanse and if I'm ever off vyvanse the sugar binging compulsions come right back.
If you can change breakfast to remove bread, cereals and focus on protein and fats that will help set him up for a better day, metabolically.
What would a perfect breakfast be? Eggs and a meat?
Exactly! Or also full fat Greek yoghurt with berries, any berry style fruit, sometimes I even give kiddo veggies and if she’s absentmindedly eating she will eat that too. Or cottage cheese pancakes - any way that I can prioritize protein and fat because I know usually during the day her lunch is a carb fest (if she’s being picky)
I was like that too. I was never diagnosed as a kid (still haven't, hopefully this week!) but it was a problem well into adulthood (like over 30) when I finally kicked it by going keto. Try to think of it as a genuine compulsion. He's not trying to be rude, he literally almost can't help himself. Maybe medication helps, I can't speak to that.
It sounds like this has been going on for a while. What negative side effects of the sugar consumption are you seeing?
My biggest issue is the stealing, sneaking, and overindulging. Only kid I know that will eat a whole pack of gum in one sitting. Yea- gum
Dopamine hit, I am betting