Does candy make your kids act crazy?
 
For most adults, we assume so. We blame the candy, cupcakes, or sugar-coated culprit for being the root of our child's behavioral problems.
But what data do you have to support this? Observationally and anecdotally, most moms I speak to could come up with a laundry list of examples. So does it surprise you that studies looking at the association between sugar intake and hyperactivity are considered "case closed?"
With the exception of a small subset of children who have diagnoses ADHD, the research shows that sugar is NOT to blame for patterns of poor behavior in kids. Conversely, we see that often it is the perception of sugar as the problem that leads parents to defer accountability on what they can control (being what, when, and where a child is offered a variety of meals and snacks, including those that are sugar-sweetened).
To pinpoint the problem AND have a more accurate depiction of what you can do about it, this episode is going to force you to pivot with pointers on how to problem solve the ever-so-common concern of "sugar highs," right before Halloween gets here.