Carbohydrate-Addicted Kids:
A Definition

Car-bo-hy-drate Ad-dic-tion:

• A compelling hunger, craving, or desire for carbohydrate-rich foods;
  an escalating, recurring need or drive for starches, snack foods, junk food, or sweets.
  
• Carbohydrate-rich foods include, but are not limited to: breads, bagels, cakes, cereal, chocolate, cookies, crackers, danish, fruit and fruit juice, ice cream, potato chips, pasta, potatoes, pretzels, rice, pie, popcorn, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
  
• In addition, many carbohydrate-addicted youngsters crave foods that contain sugar substitutes, including artificially-sweetened sodas, sports drinks, candies, mints, gum and other foods and beverages sweetened with sugar substitutes.

And the number is growing every day.

As many as seventy-four percent of overweight youngsters as well as those who may not be overweight but who struggle with behavioral, learning, attitude, or motivation problems or mood or energy swings, are carbohydrate addicted. Some parents may suspect that their youngsters are experiencing the effects of a physical imbalance - causing their kids to crave carbohydrate-rich foods repeatedly and intensely. Other parents may wonder if - when it comes to junk food, snack foods, and sweets - their kids are simply overindulging. In either case the underlying cause of these youngsters' cravings and their related problems often goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Carbohydrate addiction in youngsters and adults is caused by an imbalance - an over release of the hormone, insulin, when carbohydrate-rich foods are eaten. Among its many jobs, insulin signals the body to take in food (it has been called the "hunger hormone." In some carbohydrate addicted kids, the food energy is quickly shuffled off to the liver and fat cells. These youngsters gain weight easily. In some youngsters, no matter what their weight level, insulin-related blood sugar swings and changes in adrenaline may cause extreme swings in mood or in energy levels (leading to hyperactivity or sluggishness or both), as well as an inability or unwillingness to concentrate, to stay focused, or to control impulsiveness. Carbohydrate-addicted youngsters and their parents may not realize the power that carbohydrate-rich foods have on determining one's emotional, behavioral, psychological, and physical well-being.

The scientific term for carbohydrate addiction is post-prandial reactive hyperinsulinemia which means too much insulin is released after eating. Over time, kids who are hyperinsulinemic can become insulin resistant, that is, the cells in their muscles, nervous systems, and organs start to close down to the high levels of insulin in their blood. Insulin is no longer able to open the doors to these cells and allow food energy (blood sugar or glucose) to enter. At this point, one may experience symptoms of low-blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) including irritability, shakiness, tiredness, intense cravings, confusion, and headaches. In time, as the body becomes increasingly insulin resistant, blood sugar becomes trapped in the bloodstream so that, as adults, these youngsters may be more likely to become adult-onset diabetics.

At this time, there is no accepted blood test to definitively determine whether or not your are carbohydrate addiction. Fasting insulin levels do not necessarily predict how a youngster's body will react after eating carbohydrate-rich foods and glucose tolerance tests use highly sweetened drinks that are not the equivalent of typical carbohydrate-rich meals. If your youngster is carbohydrate addicted, however, chances are you know that something different about the way in which his/her body responds to starches, snack foods, junk food, and sweets.

We have found that the best way to determine if your youngster is carbohydrate-addicted (that is, is hyperinsulinemic) is for you to take the test found in the book, Carbohydrate-Addicted Kids.

A short version of the full test appears at online, on the web page located at: http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/kidquiz.html. The full quiz will also help you determine if your youngster is likely to be successful on our carbohydrate-balancing program. The higher the score, the more likely it is that your youngster's cravings and related problems are caused by an excess of insulin.