In one ADHD book I read, the author talked about how most ADD'ers crave sugar so much that to try and make them stay away from is virtually impossible. As soon as I read that, I felt like he had just explained something that was at the heart of one of the biggest conflicts in our home. I have always craved sugar so much that for most of my life I have actually essentially lived on it--as in gone days on end eating nothing but candy, cookies, milk/chocolate milk, cereal, Ovaltine, pudding. Until I had children, I never gave this much thought. Then, I shot myself in the foot by marrying a vegetarian health nut and having 3 children with him. Suddenly, I was supposed to be a (GASP!) ROLE MODEL to three children who craved sugar as much as I do, two of whom had sensory issues with food texture, temperature, taste as well. Because nutrition was extremely important to my husband once the kids were born and I was the stay-at-home parent who fed them, this became a huge issue. Suddenly, all the things I had eaten my whole life were supposed to be banished. None of us had any self-control and my husband knew that, so he just wanted it kept out of the house--no exceptions. To say I was resentful is an understatement. I wanted my sweets and I did not want anyone telling me what I could have in the house and what I couldn't. There were times in the grocery store where he actually removed things from my cart and put them back and then it was ON. I used to joke that if there were a divorce court at the checkout counter at Kroger, our marriage would have ended before the second year was out. So, I am wondering if there are any other ADD'ers out there who seem totally fixated on sugar and have terrible eating habits and how that has affected your ability to teach your own children good eating habits over the years?
The Sugar Demon
Submitted by phatmama on 12/06/2017.
Non-ADHD person here. My ex
Submitted by PoisonIvy on
Non-ADHD person here. My ex likes most foods and doesn't seem to crave any one category in particular. Our daughter, who also was diagnosed with ADD, was a somewhat typical picky eater as a child. For example, she was a vegetarian for awhile even though she didn't like vegetables. She ate lots of cheese. I probably resemble your husband in my eating habits, but I did not restrict my children's diets or force them to eat things when they were growing up. I figured they'd be most likely to acquire a taste for a more balanced pattern of food consumption if I didn't bug them, and that turned out to be true.
Welcome to the group
Submitted by Chevron on
Glad you're here. I'm the non ADHD wife of a man with ADHD. I confess to having a thing about sugar...I dont live on it and carbs, but I do have enough of a lifelong problem with it that I had to stop bringing sweets and things like chips home long ago, when I was living by myself. Lol, a real sweet craver can sneak them all kinds of ways, little excursions through drive thrus, and so on... I had to stop that, too. I have something like a body switch that switches on, I can feel it switching on, bawhooom,and I can consume the whole box of donuts.... I dont eat sweets now and am off white carbs, but I'd never keep a stash at home, like that bag of leftover candy from giving it to kids at Halloween. Not giving advice, just saying what doesnt work for me and why. There would be little Snickers wrappers all over the floor. I've decided that for non ADHD me, the sugar or sugar-white carb thing flips an addiction switch, and the thing I have to do for myself is abstain, which I do. I've read all the stuff about ths kind of thing. For me there's more than the dopamine self soothing going on, it's not all in my head...
So phatmama, I was sincerely interested in your post. I believe different people's bodies have different food needs and cravings. I figure you do know yourself and your kids. I just hadnt heard of ADHD and sugar craving before. I wondered what it was in ADHD neurology that would lead to that. I didnt make a big net search but did turn up an online article By Dr. Ellen Littleman that spent some paragraphs on ADHDers using food for dopamine release, and she declared, but in that piece didnt she source any research done on her claims that ADHD brains take up glucose with more difficulty than non ADHD brains. Was she the writer who you read?
. if so, I have another question asked in a positive spirit. I looked her up and see that she's done clinical work and has written about women with ADHD, in particular. In your own experience or from what you read, is there a connection between this sugar thirst thing and women with ADHD?
Again, my interest is positive. If Dr. Littleman's right and an ADHD brain is basically calling for more glucose, your ADHD, do I remember? vegetarian husband is not going to stop that call for more glucose just by not having sweets in the house
Much appreciation about the family dynamics of food...
My ADHD husband doesnt crave sweets, if there's anything that my husband eats because his body craves it more than mine does, it's meat.
Do you think there's a women + sugar + ADHD connection.?
sugar
Submitted by MrsADD on
my adhd H is a fiend for sugar. if it is around it will be eaten in a matter of days. now his diet was horrible as a kid as was his parenting. so that may have something to do with it but my daughter is sugar sensative get's extremely hypoglycemic if she eats too much without a protein along with it. she simply does not digest it well I am same. sugar addiction is real. it is real with alcoholics as well. I have explained this too him and he denies. he is so much nicer and even tempered when he is not eating tons of crap. i think it is really hard to teach your kids to eat well if you were not raised that way. I was not raised on junk but we did eat junk. my mom was not some nutritionist. i think i became better being hypoglycemic as a kid, made me more aware of what a sugar is. also had gestational with 2 preganancies. you might go to a nutritionist b/c I had to do this with 1st pregnancy and it was amazing how much I did not know about sugar and carbs. i eat so much better in my life now. i think you have to be interested in how it effects your body to make changes. due to adhd in our house I refrain from buying anything that has artificial dyes and colors and flavors, kids and H take multi-vitamins with omega 3's, we eat high protein foods, a veggie and smaller carb amounts at meals. I hate cooking but have found ways to cook stuff that is healthy in 30 minutes. I do have sugar but try to limit to stuff like real fruit popsicles, or no sugar added juice (H loves simply apple) so real sugars I guess. I also keep sweets in one spot in house where kids cannot reach. They can have one sweet after dinner or a meal. Hope that helps!
Self medicate but not sugar
Submitted by vabeachgal on
I don't see sugar addiction in my H. However, he does enjoy beer, (quite a bit of it) energy drinks, random herbal supplements and diet pills. I see this as a need to self medicate. For example, taking diet pills while eating 2 or 3 fast food meals per day and drinking six cans of beer. It used to be beer and benadryl at night, followed by fast food and energy drinks in the morning. Regardless of the ADHD, these are really bad habits and will negatively affect a person. LOL. He will take anything but his ACTUAL prescription (which does help). When he first started taking his prescription, he said he had not felt better or more clear in years as in he could finally think clearly. Apparently, that wasn't enough of an incentive to continue taking them. He used to (still does?) drink several sodas (not diet LOL) per day and a wicked amount of junk food. It is also such a waste of money. The vending machine guy must have loved him. He didn't even bring his own stuff to work. He will typically finish dinner and then eat a half a bag of chips while watching tv. If I'm not available to prepare dinner, it is a knee jerk pizza order or fast food. He doesn't seem to see the irony of diet pills vs. actual diet. He has gained 100 lbs since we were married. (LOL, and he wanted to cheat on me not vice versa!!) If I don't keep chips and junk food in the pantry, he goes to the store to buy them and will come home with 3 or 4 bags. It's the only grocery shopping he does except for beer and dog food and frozen prepared meals with ridiculous sodium content.
If someone else recommends a diet pill or supplement, he is on Amazon in a flash, ordering it. Ignores any recommendation that I or a physician gives to him. I suppose that is very typical ADHD.
It was difficult. The kids had natural good eating habits and would grab a piece of fruit over chips. I fed them well as infants and toddlers. However, I did keep chips and snacks in the house for them. They ate them in relative moderation without nagging. I'm not proud of this, but both kids were high school athletes and they needed some high calorie food to keep weight on. I had a schizophrenic shopping cart - 3/4 healthy, 1/4 junk. I talked to them about eating habits. I always kept a big bowl of fruit on the counter and cut up veggies in the fridge. They were pretty lazy, so it helped if I cut up a bowl of fruit also. I also kept cut up cheese and crackers as a choice instead of chips. I did my best to provide a healthy dinner and we sat down at the table together most nights. Schools actually reinforced healthy eating. They had options and have continued to make good choices and they value their health.
My husband has ADHD and most
Submitted by Hopeful Heart on
My husband has ADHD and most definitely has a wicked sweet tooth. He says that when he was young his mother didn’t allow any sweet treats in the house, so he would go to the sugar canister and pour white sugar directly into his mouth. He also knew all of the houses on his street that kept a supply of candy. He says he would go from house to house eating their candy.
I had never considered this behavior being driven by ADHD. It’s a very interesting thought.
This is a very interesting
Submitted by vabeachgal on
This is a very interesting thought. I teach mostly ADD/ADHD kids with behavior issues. I use candy as a reward in the classroom as many teachers do. It also can immediately quiet them down after a transition period as they turn their attention to the candy rather than whatever else is distracting them. I tend to look for candy with small pieces that they need to eat individually (smarties) or dum dums and jolly ranchers that require some attention (ie. NOT TALKING) If they are sucking on a jolly rancher,they are not talking to their neighbor and possibly may be listening to me. However, there are a few students who seek me out before school and after school and ask for candy. I have some students who greet me with "do you have any candy today?" I have students who try to find the candy stash and fill their pockets.... hmmm. Never thought of that behavior as tied to ADHD. I think you're right. I was thinking that the desire for candy meant more positive face time and trust building with a teacher, but, maybe this is not the best idea. In hindsight, some of them really search out and quest for candy.
Mr Oddball Here
Submitted by kellyj on
I've since decided to stop trying to figure myself out! LOL Speaking for those of us with ADHD, I have a sweet tooth that won't quit. Don't be getting near my ice cream.... unless you want your hand bitten off!
But here's where it all falls apart for me. I weigh about the same as I did in high school, I wear the same pants size, and every thread of clothing that I own fits me, going back for years? There was one time I put on 20 pounds, but that was for a short while, and all I had to do is start swimming again and it was gone within 4 months??? I'm an old one, that's for sure.
But I also found out a little more about why that is and it has something to do with your metabolism efficiency. Not metabolic rate, but how efficiently your body uses whatever you put into it.
Which means I can go long periods of time without eating, skip meals, forget entirely!! Yes. It happened all the time when I was a kid. "You eat lunch?"
" I don't know... not sure, can't remember?" LOL Happens all the time.
And I'm more of a sustenance feeder... not as much a grazer or a snacker. And the bowl of Halloween candy routinely every year still had candy in it at Easter time! And it was in my room, where I had access to it anytime?LOL
I'm kind of a freak in that way... and I don't know why that is? But.... since I don't have a predilection to become addicted to things: alcohal,drugs,etc..and having a bowl of candy heeped full... sitting on my dresser to eat as I pleased ....That would be like having a bowl of Heroin next to a Junkie's bed.... which you could pretty much predict what would happen? LOL
But the point I wanted to make in relation to this, was yes , don't be getting near my sweets.... I will have them when I want them, and when I don't want them I won't! LOL. It's as simple as that. But as soon as you put some kind of moratorium on them, that's just not going to work. It's one of those guilty pleasures that I'm just not willing to do without. Quality of life vs longevity... I'm willing to play the odds for the guilty pleasure, and it comes with a deep passion for something that tastes so good! I must have at least some.... but I do try to limit it but I'm not worried about addiction. I could not have them tomorrow for the rest of my life.... but then I just be pissed, and really grumpy for quite a while. You're "All or Nothing", is not a good compromise ( depends on ) but I've got to talk this over with myself first, and come to terms with me, more than anything else.
Two quick stories that came to mind that I think are pretty funny. Part of the problem in our house was my mom was a good Baker... and everybody on my father's side of the family loved dessert. So this was kind of The Perfect Storm...
Anyway, apparently it was my great-grandmother... who I don't even know what she looks like I've never met her since she was long dead by the time I was born.
But as it goes, she was diabetic and couldn't eat any sweets. But apparently there was one dessert where she couldn't be controlled... which was Strawberry Shortcake with whip cream on it. She was in a wheelchair at the time and if the family got together, and no one was paying attention.... she would wheel herself off into the kitchen until somebody noticed she was gone! LOL
And then... they'd catch her in there with the whole bowl of strawberries drenched in sugar in her lap, and throwing gobs of whip cream on it, so as, to get as much in her mouth as she could before she was caught.lol
But more relevant to me, since I'm now confident in saying that my mother had ADHD, as she started to slowly slip away over a 15-year period.... in the first couple years she started doing some really strange things. And the last year before we decided we needed to check into this Behavior further... she had a thing for See's candy, at Christmas time especially. But in this particular year... both my oldest sister and I, got 4 boxes... in two different deliveries. And my sister who lives out of state ended up with 8 boxes... which was a total of 16lbs of chocolate. LOL That's when my sisters and I started calling each other and comparing stories.
Anyway, we ended up .. having to actually, keep sweets completely away from her because, if you turned your back on her for a moment, she would go straight for them and straight into her mouth. Especially when her Alzheimer's started to really show, but as I've noted earlier she wasn't a different person at first, just the more extreme and uninhibited version that made all those things stand out. Saying, they were there all along but way more subdued.
I definitely think that's relevant about women with ADHD? And for myself since I do have that sweet tooth... but I'm not pouring it in all the time. I grant myself my guilty pleasure Once a Night or day... and still have my dessert..... the same as my great-grandmother. You only want it more when they tell you no anyway! Isn't that what they used to call reverse psychology? Well it works, or at least it did with me.
J
Sugar and adhd....
Submitted by c ur self on
I'm probably more of a sweet lover than my wife....She is definitely the more add of the two of us....But I say probably, because sweets is very popular in our home....If I eat eggs and meat for breakfast, I most always follow that up w/ toast and jelly, or more times than not, peanut butter and syrup....We both love dark chocolate....And when we go to see a movie along w/ the popcorn she will have a bag of cotton candy, and I have the milk duds....She has to watch her weight....I do not.....I stay around 160..just like in high school. Very fast metabolism, and much more active than she is.....
The real difference in her and I when it comes to sweets or eating in general is discipline....Her adhd seems to limit her ability to discipline herself...."put the brakes on"....She will binge eat, binge sleep, binge watch TV....This inability to mange her desires at times (to discipline herself) is the only big difference I see in our sugar desires....
I also can, and have over done it when it comes to sweets....But the difference between the two of us is....When I over do something, I say WOW! what and idiot!!! When she over does something....She says "Why did you let me do so and so".....LOL..:)
C...You reminded me of something
Submitted by kellyj on
Movies. This was one of those "hang-ups"... my father had. There were some pretty well-defined laws laid down... that everyone was well aware of, but yet never made any sense. That's because it didn't make any sense whatsoever!
1) Buying candy or any concession from the vendor inside the theater was strictly forbidden. Why? Cost too much. Next! LOL
2) You are never allowed, to get the most expensive item on the menu. Period. It didn't matter if it was at "Denny's"...or the "Fontaine Blue" in Paris... if you had your heart set on steak and lobster, well... that's just too damn bad! He almost, had a coronary.... when my brother-in-law ordered the steak and lobster at my sisters rehearsal dinner! Only I noticed, but he was squirming uncomfortably but there was nothing he could say!
3) This applies, even at the Dairy Queen... so Banana Splits were simply out of the question! LOL
4) The same rules applied at any Carnival or Amusment Center. Cotten Candy.... or a Ride? But you don't get both take your pick? That included corn dogs, elephant ears, scones...you name it.
Those are the rules, do not question them.... and be thankful you got that much! LOL. This was definitely depression era thinking....brought forward to 1965....when movies for kids cost 50 cents. LOL He had a great deal of trouble letting go!
Which is why, when I go to Dairy Queen now.... I go for the Banana Split first!
And when I go to the movies.... I enjoy a bucket of buttered popcorn, And Coca-Cola so big... that my stomach hurts afterwards!
And I enjoy every minute of it....it's totally worth, every Penney, and I enjoy it thoroughly.... every single time I go... which for me might be only three or four times a year. I like Milk Duds too...Snickers, and white chocolate Kit Kats.... on my favorite list, especially when I go to the movies!
J
There was a lot of good lessons in your Father's ways.....
Submitted by c ur self on
But sadly many of us (especially in our rebellious youth) missed the good lesson's many times, when the lesson was hidden in the covering of...It's my way or the hi way attitude...Things were a little different back in the 60's and 70's....There wasn't as much patient teaching going on in many of our homes, about things like waste, discipline, thankfulness etc...About the best many of us could hope for was..."Because I said so, that's way!"
And of course becoming a parent myself starting in my early 20's, I understand a little better how easy it is to fall into the trap of expectations with your children...vs patient teaching.
C