What's the first sign that my kid is eating too much sugar?

The number one sign that your child is eating too much sugar is moodiness. Changes with their mood like grouchiness, irritability, and whining may be happening because they're consuming too much sugar. 

Popular foods for kids that have hidden sugar:

• Orange juice

• Apple sauce 

• Fruit juice

• Fruit snacks

• Granola bars 

• Vitamin water

• Mac' n' cheese

Moodiness can be the first symptom, because what happens is the blood sugars go up, insulin kicks in and pushes the blood sugars down, and now they have low blood sugar. Moodiness is a symptom of low blood sugar. 

1. Sugar, in general, interferes with different parts of the brain and the production of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters calm the nervous system. 

2. Sugar blocks the absorption of vitamin C. In the presence of sugar, the body can't absorb vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary to make neurotransmitters. 

3. Sugar also depletes zinc, vitamin B1, potassium, and magnesium. All of these are key minerals and vitamins that help calm a child down. 

When a child is consuming too much sugar, they could:

• Be hyperactive

• Have attention deficit problems

• Have a difficult time learning, studying, and retaining information