In the spring of 2017, my seven year old son developed a rash. It was a rash that was showing up all over his body, including his face. Given the nature of the rash and the way we were eating at the time, we decided it was time to do a simple cleanse to help his body come back into balance. We talked to him about his rash and what we thought could help fix it, and he readily agreed to do what it would take.
For two weeks, he did a mini cleanse cutting out sugar, gluten, and dairy. (Well, we all did because it’s waaaay easier to do it as a family.)
Now, for the part we didn’t expect. I mean, it totally took us by surprise. By the end of the two weeks, we were absolutely shocked.
Although, knowing what we know about sugar and how it affects the body, we shouldn’t have been that shocked. It made perfect sense. But, we were shocked at how drastically it affected our son.
Our son is often the classic brother – taunting and teasing his sisters. But, during the two week time he was off sugar, he was an angel. An absolute angel.
What?!
Our home was peaceful. There was no drama, no fighting. There was no teasing, no taunting, no crying, no yelling, no tantrums from him. There was obedience. What parent doesn’t want this?!
When asked to brush his teeth or get dressed or pick up toys, he would do it the first time he was asked with no complaining. No complaining! He is a sweet, tender kid already, and it was showing completely in his behavior. He was himself.
Spencer and I talked about this change in our son’s behavior about a ten days in. By the end of the two weeks, we were stunned with the change in his demeanor. It was a stark contrast to how he had been acting before his mini cleanse.
At the end of the two weeks, we sat him down to congratulate him on working so hard to take care of his body. His rash was gone, and he beamed with a sense of accomplishment. We decided to ask him a few questions about what he’d learned and how he felt about the process.
Now, they weren’t leading questions in any way. Simply, “How have you felt the last two weeks?”
His answers were spot on to what we’d noticed.
He said, “I feel really good. I feel happy. My tummy doesn’t hurt.”
Hold on a second, back that up. “Your tummy doesn’t hurt?”
He said he regularly experiences tummy aches. He rarely said anything. How would we have known?
Often times, we don’t notice how bad we’ve felt until we have changed something and are feeling so much better.
The next thing he said confirmed everything I’ve learned about the nasty effects of sugar.
“I don’t feel crazy, and I feel happy. When I eat sugar, I feel crazy.”
Mind you, I’ve never once said to my kids “Sugar makes kids crazy.” I do my best to let them have experiences with food and come to their own conclusions about what makes their bodies feel well or not well.
We talked about this comment for a few minutes. He mentioned how when he eats sugar he feels crazy and it’s harder for him to control his behavior.
Wow.
Now, friends, with the current research about the negative effects of sugar on the brain and therefore, behavior, it’s no wonder he was feeling crazy. How many kids (and adults) are left with brain fog, mood swings, unhealthy digestion, inflammation, skin irritations, and the list goes on and on because of sugar intake?
Sugar is a drug. It acts exactly like a drug in our bodies.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Sugar is ok on occasion. It’s a “sometimes food,” not an all the time, every day food.
We aren’t perfect at it. And like everything else in the world, we’re learning to navigate it together.
If you have a child with less than desirable behavior (don’t worry, we all do!) I would strongly encourage you to try cutting back on sugar and see what happens. You just might be shocked at the results. And, in a good way 🙂
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Ready to change? We’re hosting a 30-Day Reset for the entire family that begins January 15th. It’s a gentle detox focusing on nourishing our bodies with whole foods, daily activity, sleep, and much more. Join us for free in our private Facebook group here. You won’t want to miss it!
