It seems like the only thing our kids want to eat is sugar! They are bombarded by junk food commercials, birthday party cakes, and of course sugar-obsessed holidays like Halloween and Valentine’s Day. We have been warned by doctors and health professionals for years that added sugar can lead to health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, but did you know that sugar can also trigger anxiety?
How Sugar Causes Anxiety
Here are three science-backed reasons why sugar and anxiety are linked:
It Causes Anxiety-Like Symptoms
Similar to how caffeine affects our nervous system, sugar highs can contribute to symptoms that mimic a panic attack. Our kids can experience blurry vision, fatigue, difficulty thinking, and increased heart rate just from eating sugar. These symptoms can cause people who already suffer from anxiety to be even more worried and fearful, which in turn, worsens their symptoms.
It Messes With Blood Sugar Levels
The second way sugar affects mental health is that it contributes to depression and mood disorders due to the rise and crash of blood sugar levels. Furthermore, sugar suppresses BDNF, a hormone that is low in people with depression and other disorders. A study completed by the University of California Los Angeles showed that memory and learning was impaired by high sugar intake. This is because a high sugar diet causes insulin resistance, which damages the communication between the brain cells that control learning and memory. Furthermore, there is a significant connection between sugar and anxiety. A 2009 study of the diets of rats showed that rats that were fed a diet of sucrose (sugar) experience significantly more anxiety than the rats that were not fed sugar.
It Is Addictive
Believe it or not, there is a reason we can’t refuse a candy bar or piece of chocolate cake-we get hooked easily. Several scientific studies have shown that sugar has an opiate-like effect on the brain that makes it highly addictive. A study done at Yale University similarly showed that sugary foods stimulate the same reward centers in the brain as cocaine.
How Sugar Sneaks In When You Least Expect It
The worst part about the connection between sugar and anxiety is that it can sneak up on us. While primary sugar may be perfectly healthy when found in fruits, vegetables, and milk, secondary sugar is hidden in the foods you may serve your children. Did you know that salad dressing, yogurt, smoothies, and even “health” bars can be loaded with hidden added sugars?
While added sugars can be found in sweets and candies, 50 percent of our added sugar consumption comes from savory foods and 33 percent from beverages like juice. They are hidden even in foods marketed to children, such as toddler beverages and baby formula. The Food and Drug Administration was set to make food manufacturers change their labels to include the amount of added sugar in the nutrition facts by July 2018, but this change has been delayed indefinitely.
A Convenient Solution For Parents
So, what can parents do to track their child’s sugar intake? Fortunately, EChO - Eradicate Childhood Obesity Foundation, Inc. has developed an amazing app using augmented reality (AR) to inform consumers about how much added sugar is present in the food products they purchase. EChO is a not-for-profit, exclusively charitable foundation dedicated to ending childhood obesity. They provide health education, research, and access to nutrition care services, particularly to underserved communities and youth. They believe that proper nutrition education promotes better eating habits and a healthier lifestyle, which in turn can help the prevention and treatment of obesity.
The app, called SugAR Poke, is available in the App store and Google Play for demo. It scans the products on the grocery shelves and, using AR technology, superimposes a label on the screen to show how much added sugar is in the product. The bi-color coding used by SugAR Poke is simple: a GREEN label equals zero added sugar in a product and a BLACK label indicates there is added sugar and exactly how much.
How are you reducing your child’s sugar intake?
The units used in SugAR Poke are teaspoons of added sugar, not grams. The number of teaspoons indicated is for the entire food package or bottle, not for a single serving size, which are much too small for the average consumer. For now, there are only salad dressings on the demo app, but with your help, EChO can add your favorite products through their Kickstarter campaign.
By using SugAR Poke, families have the opportunity to reduce their children’s sugar consumption, which will help lower their risk for health complications, like anxiety, that sugar can trigger.
I need this app! I have been very conscientious about how much sugar my daughter ingests since she was born. As a result, she loves the sugars in fruits and veggies, but processed sugar makes her tummy hurt. I check all labels and it is shocking how much sugar are in things you would never think of, as you mentioned. This is a very informative post for all parents,
Agree 100% Going to show this to my husband, hopefully you are more convincing than me! I swear I can see real behaviour changes in my kids after they have had too much sugar, it’s so bad! Thanks for spreading awareness!
What a great post! Sugar intake in children is such an important topic. I am one of the stricter mom’s in that I do not let my girls eat processed sugars everyday and when we go to parties I take the frosting off of the cake. I also make them choose what sweet they will have… for example they can’t have cake and ice cream… they have to choose one. I know I am addicted to the bad sugars and i wanted them to know and like the good sugars first.
Great information! I completely believe the link with sugar and anxiety, and also with multiple other behavior disorders, etc. Thanks for the info about the app!
Glad to know about this app! Sugar is so terrible not only for children but for all of us. Of course, natural sugars and moderation of unnatural sugars are key, but it is so hard to keep track of how much sugar multiple people are eating in a day (if you are trying to be aware of yourself and your children’s intakes). I try to monitor my son’s sugar intake, as well as salt and other things, and often times I get tons of judgment and backlash from other parents (when you’d think I’d be judged for doing the opposite)! This would be a nice reminder for me as well, to know I’m not just crazy and the only parent who seems to care about this stuff!!
You are definitely not alone!
Wow! I would’ve never known about this app had I not read your post! Seems super helpful, especially since my baby is newer to solid foods. Thank you!
I’m totally with you on the harmful effects of sugar. It’s a daily battle for myself and to limit the amount given to my children. In my care, no problem, but unfortunately at daycare it can be out of my control. I have read about rats who preferred sugar over cocaine. It also makes sense that sugar causes anxiety. And truly, sugar is in EVERYTHING. Basically, now nothing in our house is processed. We only eat fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Of course, we have treats and eat this stuff at restaurants. But, I find that if I remove it from my house then I won’t eat it. Once it’s bought, you’re committed. Thank you for such a well-research and thoughtful piece on sugar. More and more people are becoming aware of sugar being a serious health concern. Hopefully, this will translate into healthier choices for our children at school.
Sugar is an existential threat to our kids. When I learned about advantame and how it is 20,000 times sweeter than regular sucrose the alarm bells really started ringing for me. I did some digging and watched my children as they reacted to sugar in various degrees. They quickly became addicted. If you’re not against it, here are my feelings on the subject you brought up.
https://theapocalypsedaddy.com/sugar-addiction-nightmare/
This sounds like a great option to help parents everywhere make smarter choices while shopping for their families. While we all try to eat healthy foods, it’s challenging when there are hidden dangers like sugars. I would love to see labels that are more forthcoming with sugar content, but that’s a much bigger solution that would take a dramatic change in the industry (as all brands would have to comply for it to work). At least, with an app like this, the hidden dangers would be exposed.