Sugar High And Mood Lows: How Insulin Impacts Your Child’s Behavior

It’s back to school time! As much as I LOVE having my kids home and the freedom of summer, I also get excited about the return to routine, Fall football games, and returning to the busyness of the season. 

As we head back to school, most of us are gearing up for packing lunches, shopping for the notebooks and backpacks, and getting all the waivers filled out for athletics and activities. 

Today, I want to talk about something different. Something that will be incredibly impactful for you and your kids (or grandkids). 

Behaviors among our youth are on the rise. The things I hear kids doing and getting away with in the classroom is very concerning. 

I pass no judgment because I know that most parents are doing their best and most teachers are also doing their best within their scope as a teacher. 

But there are some really simple strategies we can take as parents to help improve how our kids behave, improve their energy for learning and cooperating, improve their cognitive processing, and their mood. 

So let’s talk about it. 

The Role of Food on Energy Regulation 

The food our kids are eating is atrocious. There is no other word for it. 

What most kids start their day with would send an adult into a diabetic coma. 

We often think of kids as having boundless amounts of energy, but I have been witnessing a shift in this thinking. 

Many kids seem to have “too much” energy and are bouncing off the walls, or seem to “run tired” and fall asleep after lunch in class.

As a regular speaking at the local high school, I can attest that many of the kids look exhausted.

When kids start the day with a massive infusion of sugar, usually in the form of sugary cereals, an energy drink, or a breakfast pastry of some sort, without the balance of protein and good-quality fat, they are destined for a crash within 20-60 minutes of consuming those foods. 

If you consider, for a moment, how many kids are receiving free breakfast at school, and primarily eating the sugary parfait or Fruit Loops, it’s no wonder that within an hour of school, kids start either acting out or seem sleepy. 

When kids start the day with a balanced meal of protein, fat, and fiber, their energy is sustained ALL DAY. Even well into the afternoon. 

This balances their blood sugar (glucose literally in the blood, which is highly toxic) and keeps insulin steady (the hormone who is responsible for removing glucose from the blood). The more steady the glucose and insulin rhythm is, the better regulated the child is. 

The more erratic blood sugar is, the more erratic a kiddo’s behavior can be. As a result you’ll notice mood swings, irritability, fatigue, and hyperactivity. 

If you think about the massive increase in ADHD diagnoses in childhood in the past decade, it makes sense that we should also be looking at our food supply and WHAT our children are eating. 

The Impact of High Sugar Diets on Insulin Sensitivity

In that same train of thought, the higher the sugar in the diet, especially if it is a consistent issue, the more likely a child is going to begin to develop insulin resistance early in life. 

We have a record number of children with Type 2 Diabetes in this country and it’s not because they are necessarily overeating. It’s WHAT they are eating that is leading to the issue. 

When a child starts the day with a sugary food, it causes a crash of energy, which means the body, because it’s smart, goes looking for a quick fix. 

That quick fix is more sugar. So the kiddo reaches for the juice, the donut, the bagel and cream cheese. None of which are “bad” on their own, but they are pure sugar in the body and begin the crash cycle again. 

Kids who are irritable, aggressive, and have a hard time sitting still often have a deeply rooted insulin problem. But because no one has figured it out yet, that child keeps reaching for high-sugar foods because they are also calming and numbing. 

What do we all reach for when we feel out of control and stressed? Usually not broccoli. Or kale chips. 

The longer this cycle continues, the more set up for diabetes a child is. 

Insulin and Sugar Roller Coasters and Brain Function

Glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) is our brain's favorite fuel source. It LOVES a good carb. Fundamentally, it cannot tell the difference between a carbohydrate from an apple and a carbohydrate from a tootsie pop. Other parts of the body can and do care about carbohydrate sources, but the brain is simple in action. It just loves glucose. 

However, when the body is in a chronic state of too much glucose, it can impact not only the receptors in the brain, driving resistance to insulin (allowing glucose to accumulate, which is dangerous), but is also associated with impulsivity, depression, and anxiety in kids. 

This is because disrupted insulin rhythms can alter the formation and use of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, both of which are important for feelings of joy, safety, and satisfaction. 

If those emotions are impacted or disrupted, the body looks to food to fix the problem. Sugary food will give a child a “quick hit” of dopamine and cause feelings of relaxation, even if in the long run, it makes the issue worse. 

The Impact of Insulin and Sugar on Inflammation and Mood

The constant up and down of glucose and insulin, such as seen in the traditional American child  (sugary breakfast>quick carb heavy snack>lunch filled with processed flours and sugars>afternoon snack bar>dinner) is incredibly inflammatory. 

This is the diet of MOST kids. 

When this cycle happens day in and day out, it creates a chronic inflammatory state, but also wreaks havoc on mood, leading to depression and anxiety. Are you seeing some trends here?

Many of the clients I work with, when we begin to address blood sugar for their kiddo by adding in more fat and protein, begin to see remarkable trends when sugar is added back in. They will observe impulsivity, difficulty with sleep, behavioral outburst, and aggression. 

Strategies for Supporting Healthy Blood Sugar and Eating in Kids

It’s not all doom and gloom though! By balancing your child’s blood sugar, you are setting them up for success with school, social interactions, athletics, and other extracurricular activities. 

The framework I use with my clients is as follows: 

1. ALWAYS serve meals and snacks with a protein, fat, and fiber. ALWAYS.
2. Limit snacking; if necessary, allows at least 2-3 hours between meals and snacks
3. When exposed to processed carbohydrates and sugar, be strategic: offer fruits and veggies ahead of time to slow down the glucose absorption into the bloodstream and follow consumption with physical activity, which will help utilize the blood sugar and keep it out of the bloodstream.  
4. Absolutely no dyes or toxic additives as you are starting this process. 

Some snack and meal examples for kiddos include:

1. Apples, peanut butter, and a rice cake
2. Protein smoothie and cheese stick
3. Meat stick, cheese stick, and almond flour crackers
4. Protein pancakes with fruit and Greek yogurt
5. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread bread with flaxmeal blended in with veggie sticks and trail mix. 

As you begin to implement this framework, you will see how your child responds and can make further decisions from there. 

Behavior is a sign that something is amiss. Kids are not intentionally trying to act out or be challenging. Behavior is their way of communication. It is our job as the adult, to figure out exactly what that communication is.