What I learned today....

It all started so simply. S came home from her trip with some issues. Both DH and I noticed before she even spoke her face was puff and she had a sullen look. She slept all the way home. She wanted to sleep more. The other two talked about all the sweets they ate and how much more S ate. They did have water once in a while. Seems S had sweet tea or soda. She said she did drink water at night. I guess a little water is better than none.

Yesterday she didn't finish her school work until after 6 PM! She flat couldn't stay focused! Lots of sullen looks and attitude went along with me trying to redirect her. She is usually finished with school and chores by 2-3 pm. So this wasn't “normal”.

This morning DH was home late so when he came into the room he greeted S with, “I see my little girl is still missing. I wish she would come home.” This led to a talk about attitudes, choices and how the quantity of junk, mainly sugar had effected her. She tried telling us it wasn't the sugar. She didn't know what it was, but “It wasn't the sugar.”

We agreed it may not be the sugar. We gave examples of foods or things that others she knows can't have. Two friends have children that can't have some of the red dyes. One child gets violent while the other swings from the ceiling. Then we talked about how I can't do very much sugar and Dr. Pepper is a huge NO NO for me. She has never saw me drink a DP, yet I love them. MJ can't listen to music with headphones. It overwhelms his system and his ears/brain shut down. I ask her if she knew what would happen to one of my on line friends if she had eaten all the junk S ate this weekend. She had no clue. I bluntly and truthfully told her she would be dead today.

She did finally admit she doesn't feel good inside right now. That was a big admission. She is so much like the little girl we brought home from AR instead of the young lady she was becoming. Even to the puffiness of her face. We aren't trying to make her feel bad, but become aware of something that may and probably will be a life long issue. To much sugar messes with her brain!

I wanted ammo to back this up so I started looking on line. I first typed in sugar and depression. This brought this information.
“Continuous large doses of sugar and/or carbohydrates, overtime, usually cause the brain's endorphins sites to slow production or close sites to regulate the amount of endorphins in the brain. When the body cuts back on endorphin production it reduces the amount of endorphins available in the body at any given time. The lack of enough endorphin in the brain causes slight to deep depression. To maintain a normal level of endorphins in the brain the individual must eat more sugar and/or carbohydrates to get out of depression and maintain a normal mood level. This causes a vicious cycle of addiction, physiologically”

“Physically, the body has been given a massive dose of sugar that goes straight into the blood system. It is the bodies business to keep the body's blood sugar stabilized. The body injects a massive dose of insulin. Insulin tries to neutralize the sugar by acting as a downer. The sugar's effect on the body is short lived and wears off within an hour. The effect of the insulin has greater staying power. It is there long after the sugar wears off. This causes another mood swing. This time the mood is one of depression. Physically the body experiences lethargy. This usually causes the individual to use sugar to feel better

Of course I didn't stop there. I kept researching. "Sugar’s effects are similar to those of many drugs, and can become an addiction. Many times the addiction starts in childhood, as we are offered candy as rewards, and so the mind begins to associate sweets with pleasure and other positive emotions at a very early age. As it is metabolized, sugar bypasses many parts of the digestive process, and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, raising the blood sugar level. It also produces a sharp rise in insulin, which is used by cells to absorb the sugar. Not only this, but sugar also causes the brain to release the chemical serotonin, boosting a person’s mood, and causing a mild feeling of happiness. As humans, we have been doubly reinforced to sugar; once by behavior-receiving it as a reward, and second, in the fact that it actually does produce some physical feelings of euphoria. Our bodies know that when they taste the sugar, the rush is coming. ….....Just as quickly as the sugar high hits, it passes just as quickly, and we are left feeling tired and wanting another ‘fix.’ A catch-22 to this situation is that even though sugar produces a serotonin boost, too much sugar depletes this chemical, leading to depression. This bears out a vicious cycle in which the body begins wanting more sugar, more serotonin, all the while depleting the serotonin, making the cravings worse.”http://www.sparkaonline.com/sugar_dangers.php

The more I read the more interested I became. I found this list of things that sugar is linked to. I found most of this list more than once! This is just the simplest list to include here. I shared this with S and at 17 she saw 11 things on this list that fit her. How many do you see that fit you? I can honestly say that what would have applied 10 years ago would have been a much longer list that issues I have today.
“Excessive sugar consumption has been linked to all of the following health problems. Note: this is not a comprehensive list.
• abdominal bloating and cramping
• aggression, excessive (especially in children)
• appendicitis
• arthritis
• asthma
• cancer
• cataracts
• chronic fatigue
• constipation
• decreased growth hormone levels
• depression
• diabetes
• difficult concentrating
• fluid retention
• gallstones
• headaches, including migraines
• heart disease
• hemorrhoids
• hypoglycemia
• immune system changes
• indigestion
• inflammation
• inflammatory bowel disease
• insomnia
• irritability
• learning disorders in children
• memory loss
• mineral deficiencies
• mood swings
• multiple sclerosis
• obesity
• osteoporosis
• panic attacks
• PMS
• premature aging
• seizures
• serum triglyceride and/or cholesterol levels, elevated
• skin rashes
• systolic blood pressure, elevated
• tooth decay
• toxemia during pregnancy
• yeast overgrowth/infections “
http://www.sparkaonline.com/sugar_dangers.php

Want more? Here is a link to 146 reasons that sugar is ruining your life. http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/sugar-health-effects-risks.html

Here is some stuff I didn't know.
“Since sugar is 'nutritionally naked', the body must 'borrow' the missing vitamins, minerals and other synergistic nutrients required to metabolize sugar from its own tissues.
Heavy sugar consumption therefore causes a constant siphoning of nutrients from the body. Recent evidence suggests that sugar causes dental problems not so much by contact with the teeth but rather by leaching the teeth of calcium from within.
Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease.
The nutritional leaching caused by sugar can give rise to intense food cravings and eating binges, as the body seeks to replenish the nutrients 'stolen' from it by sugar.” http://www.hps-online.com/foodprof1.htm

I challenge everyone to do their own research on sugar. Some of the search words I used were: Sugar and depression, side effects white sugar and Dangers and Side Effects of Sugar. I ended up with 17 pages of information in less than an hour. I would love to send anyone that wants it all my raw copy and paste information if you want to wade through it.

So what is everyone's thoughts on this? Think this is all a joke? I wonder how much of this applies to the increase in meds given to our children to help them focus, to boost them out of depression, to set them in chairs, to manage their angry outburst, to contol their mood swings.... and the list goes on and on.