With many children heading back to school, there are a lot of things parents have to be concerned about—new teachers, new routines and activities, or getting the right school supplies.
One thing they should not be concerned about, however, is whether packing products with natural sugar in their children's school lunches will make them hyperactive.
The science is clear on this matter. There is simply no relationship between sugar consumption and hyperactive behavior. Kids are naturally enthusiastic, prone to showing excitement for new activities and like to move around. Simply said, kids will be kids! Multiple scientific studies have concluded that children who consume drinks and foods with sugar show no difference in behavior than kids who consume sugar-free products.
Folklore linking certain foods, such as sucrose or table sugar, with very active behavior in children began in the early 1970s, when Dr. Benjamin Feingold proposed the theory that diet may adversely affect children's behavior. Parents who perceived that their children tended to become more active after consuming particular foods furthered this theory.
Since that time, considerable research has been devoted to the subject of whether diet affects children's behavior. In over 20 studies, including those supported by the Food and Drug Administration, science has been unable to support claims that sugar affects children's behavior.
Children do, indeed, tend to become excited at special occasions, such as birthdays and holiday parties. However, studies have found no evidence that the cause of your child's excitement is sugar. This energetic behavior is believed, instead, to result from the excitement of the occasion and from children's anticipation that a high level of exuberant behavior will be tolerated under these special circumstances.
Parents are urged to consider the possibility that the permissive situations in which such foods are consumed, rather than the foods themselves, may be the contributing factor to increased levels of activity. Even on an ordinary day, a child who normally is denied sweets will become excited about having a rare treat. This behavior is understandable and to be expected.
Source: www.inboxgroup.net