Sugar good for aspergers?

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I have always fed my children a really healthy diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and dairy products for snacks. The only "junk" foods we usually have is popsicles for dessert once a day. My 13 year old aspie daughter LOVES pop and candy and will use her allowance or sell things to get some treats. She usually does this every few weeks. She will binge on them for a day or two and if I try to limit what she eats, it is hard because she says that I didn't buy them, so they are her's. I also feel like she is self-medicating because she is much happier on them. She has had a couple bad meltdowns this week and is hating school, so if some treats help her, I don't want to take them away. She is really fit and active, still eats all the other healthy stuff I provide and has good teeth. I am just wondering if anyone else has noticed that their ASD child is rather "high" on sweets? Maybe it is just a teen thing? - I adored chips as often as I could when I was a teen.

I do not know exactly how much science there is behind it, but there is at least one theory out there that posits that carb cravings meet some kind of need for kids on the spectrum -- brain physiology-wise. I have heard serotonin level in particular.

I don't know if that helps you at all.

Comfort food helps almost everything I think (well to a degree, obviously overeating is bad, or if you're allergic/intolerant to your comfort food). If she's healthy, like you described, probably OK. Also, taking in mind I also have ADHD -well ADD, the diagnosis said ADHD: inattentive type- sugar makes me REALLY happy, and giddy. So that could be part of it?

Also I didn't know about the carb thing, that's interesting.

ASD mommy - that could be it, the carb cravings

Sona - my daughter also has some ADHD, so maybe that is why sugar seems to make her so happy.

HUH. I think there is some kind of weird merit to this. My daughter does WAY better at school, behavior wise, if we give her utter crap for breakfast. For a long time I would make her having something at least remotely healthy with some protien. Then I ran out and had to give her... pop tarts instead (they're the dye free organic ones, but lets call a spade a sapde, it's junk) because it's what I had around for a treat. She had a stellar day at school. Kept giving them to her becuase hubby was out of town and couldn't get to the store. He comes back. I go shopping. Healthy breakfast. BAM meltdown laden day at school. Three days in a row. On the third day she said "I think it's my breakfast. I don't feel good after I eat it. I felt good after having the pop tarts" So I said to heck with it. She can have the pop tarts.

Sugar isn't the main active ingredient in Rat Poison, Biological OR Chemical -Weapons of Mass Destruction.
It's not even the primary active ingredient in Nuclear Bombs or Jet Fuel.

It is not lethal in normal doses.

It IS a bad idea to buy a 50 pound bag of white, granulated sugar, hand your kid a spoon and say, "Let me know when the bag starts getting low Honey, and I'll buy more."

Is sugar good?
Yes, it can be very yummy especially when in cookies, BBQ sauce, ice cream, waffle syrup, etc.
Even people with ASD can enjoy the flavors of these and many other items.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is so profound that it is unlikely that any normal foods will turn us all into either Saint-Angels or give us cancer solely because we're ASD.

Of course there are the obvious exceptions: personal individual experience of the actual person involved, allergies, over/under/improper use, some foods may affect some medications, and/or being run over by a truck hauling the afore mentioned food item.

(if you suspected any sarcasm in this post then you already know everything you need to know about "Sugar and Your Children" and you are a good parent because you care.)

140lb,

The OP was not proposing depriving her daughter of all sugar products. She just wanted some insight regarding her cravings. That is not the same as thinking someone with ASD should be deprived of all sugar products.

Speaking for myself and offering only anecdotal evidence, sugar/carbs seem to affect me well. I *crave* fruit juices and bread. This is awkward because I have diabetes Type 2. And then there are the mixed reactions like tomato sandwiches - tomatoes are antihistamine and I have allergies; the bread & mayo are tranquilizers of some sort.

Does anybody know of a book about these sorts of reactions?

btw - I would react this way without Asperger's too.

Speaking from my own experience, I actually find that I actually feel like crap after a while if I eat too many things rich in simple carbohydrates, like chips or pop. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand make me feel more energetic, though for some reason I just don't "crave" them the same way.

This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. The OP's daughter may have a strong constitution. Sugar weakens the immune system, so you could watch for future problems since she is not experiencing them now and adjust accordingly.

I used to be a carb junkie. Still am. Used to eat 4 mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread in a sitting (and wanting more!) when I was about 9 years old. I could still eat a loaf of Wonder Bread or a pound of pasta all on my own, thank you very much, if the guilt weren't so damn strong. This is the terrible roller coaster ride that caused me to become bulimic when I reached puberty. My burgeoning body made me feel like even more of a freak and I couldn't control my appetite and cravings enough.

After decades of therapy I am actually at a decent weight right now but still experience bouts of self loathing.

I have a really big sweet tooth - never thought it could be AS related.

I think her cravings for sugar are completely typical for all kids. I even had a brief entrepreneurial phase in middle school where I would bring in candy to sell to other children...there was always demand.

You don't give a clear indication about the quantity of candy that she buys, so it's hard to tell how unhealthy it might be, although you assert that she is physically fit, so it must not be awful.

I think the system where she can use her money to buy what she wants makes perfect sense. Of course you give her that money, so it's up to you how much to give her, and if she is buying too much candy with it, you can give her less, or you can make her have to work harder for the same amount of money. Or you can parse it out with her, and say she can have a dollar (or whatever amount makes sense for you) for whatever she chooses, and the rest is going into a "big toy fund" or something like that so she learns the value of savings too (and doesn't feel like she's getting a pay-cut).

The other thing I'd recommend is, since she's got such a sweet tooth, you should make sure to have a lot of fresh fruit always around, and make them freely available to the kids. Whenever they want an orange, it's fine.

If there are rules about candy consumption (not before dinner, no more than 3 pieces a day, etc.) then that's fine too, as long as they are consistent. Then follow those rules, and try not to add in extra little punishment in the form of lectures every time you catch her eating candy (even when she's following the rules). Doing that can give kids a complex over food, make them feel like they have to hide the fact that they're eating it, and make enjoying a well-earned candy into a shame-filled experience.

I wasn't really concerned about whether she was eating too much sugar, as is happens only every few weeks. Was just curious if anyone else had seen this in their aspie children or if any aspies felt calmer after ingesting sugar. From what I have read, it seems it does help some people.

Although I am still a student that may have ASD, but think I am less tend to being distracted after eating candy. I also feel it somehow calm me down.