You Are What You Eat
The saying, "you are what you eat" has been around for a long time. Not many people really consider it as fact, but what you eat does affect the way you feel,and act. To prove this just give a group of young people some candy and watch as some of them begin bouncing off the walls. Every person is different so not every child in the group will show the signs of a sugar induced increase in energy. It is safe to say that the parents of many young people need to monitor their child's sugar intake.
Some children only need a little sugar to set them off, while others have a greater resistance to sweets. It could be that they have built up a resistance to sugar? It sounds funny to speak of sugar almost like a drug. But it definately can produce an increase in activity for some children. Sugar can also create a drop in energy after the body burns through the instant energy. This leaves the child feeling low, a little tired, and a little cranky. Some people consider sugar a drug, because of the high and low associated with it.
Kids and Caffeine
Like sugar, caffeine generates extra energy in kids, and adults. The problem with caffeine is that it is usually included with sugar and in the mix of other unpronounceable ingredients in soda pop or energy drinks. Popular with teens today energy drinks can provide a huge lift and enable them to go longer without sleep. Recently in the news there was an energy mixed with alcohol, that actually killed several people. Regular energy drinks have increased in popularity among teens and college students that are trying to squeeze more hours out of their day and especially their nightlife.
The age some young people begin drinking caffeine in some form or another varies also. It used to be unusual for a youngster under the age of 8 drinking a caffeinated drink, but it is not that unusual today. Children may be developing a tolerance for caffeine as they grow older. This may explain why energy drinks are popular among teens and college students. If a child grows up drinking caffeinated soda, they may need something a little stronger to keep them going when they should be resting. Like sugar, caffeine reacts differently in everyone's system. Some children can go from calm to hyperactive with a few drinks of the caffeinated drink. Other kids may drink a can and maintain the same demeanor they had prior to the drink. The problem with most caffeinated drinks is the fact the most have sugar and caffeine. If a child reacts to sugar and then is given a caffeinated drink containing sugar also, things could get ugly in a hurry.
Summary
This article like all articles on our site are mere observations. Please remember we are not doctors, or psychologist, or any type of trained medical professionals. We are parents that have raised children and worked with troubled and defiant teens. Please don't take what we observe and comment on in our articles as medical advice. We provide information from our years of child rearing and working with defiant youth.