My son is soon to be entering “the terrible two’s, which most parents find a challenging age, so I thought I’d share some helpful tips to navigate tantrums. Toddler tantrums are a natural part of growing up. However, while emotional and developmental factors are often to blame, diet, nutrients, and especially blood sugar levels can have a significant impact on a child's behavior. Regulating blood sugar through proper nutrition may help reduce the frequency and intensity of tantrums. Here's a closer look at how blood sugar influences mood and what dietary strategies can help.
The Connection Between Blood Sugar and Tantrums
Blood sugar, or glucose, is the primary source of energy for the brain and body. When a toddler’s blood sugar dips too low (hypoglycemia) or spikes too high (hyperglycemia), it can lead to irritability, fatigue, and mood swings—all of which can manifest as tantrums.
Low Blood Sugar:
A sudden drop in blood sugar can lead to feelings of shakiness, confusion, and irritability. In toddlers, this often shows up as crying, frustration, or aggressive behavior. This can happen if a toddler hasn’t eaten in a long period of time, or they have consumed a high carbohydrate snack, spiking blood sugar followed by a big dip afterwards
High Blood Sugar:
Rapid spikes in blood sugar, often from consuming sugary or highly processed foods, can lead to hyperactivity followed by a sharp crash as mentioned above, resulting in mood swings and tantrums.
Key Dietary Strategies for Blood Sugar Regulation
1. Offer Balanced Meals and Snacks
Meals and snacks that include a good balance of protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates that are low GI and healthy fats help slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, preventing spikes and crashes. Consider foods like:
Nut butters on sliced apple, or pear
Sliced veggies like capsicum, cucumber, and carrot with hummus
Turkey and avocado whole grain wraps
Hard-boiled eggs alongside fruit
Brown rice cakes with avocado
Coconut yoghurt with berries
2. Limit Sugary Foods and Drinks
Avoid highly processed snacks, sugary cereals, and sweetened beverages. These items can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar followed by a quick crash, leading to crankiness. Instead, focus on natural sources of sweetness like fresh fruit, which contain fiber that helps regulate sugar absorption. If your little one has a kids party to attend, fill them up on healthy snacks before hand so they won’t be as hungry at the party, and will hopefully consume less sugary items.
3. Regular Eating Schedule
Just as we have a circadian rhythm for sleep, our bodies also thrive on a regular eating pattern. Toddlers need at least three larger meals, with snacks in between meals to maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day. Aim to space out food at least every 2-3 hours to prevent blood sugar dips.
4. Incorporate Slow-Digesting Carbohydrates (Low GI)
Whole grains, beans, and vegetables are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates that provide long-lasting energy and steady blood sugar levels.
Examples include:
Grains such as brown rice, cooked and cooled white rice for resistance starches, quinoa, rolled oats
Vegetables including sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, peas, zucchini, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, Brussel sprouts and many other vegetables
5. Hydration is Key
Sometimes, what seems like a tantrum is just the result of dehydration. Ensure your toddler drinks plenty of water throughout the day, especially during warmer months or when they are active.
Foods to Include in a Tantrum-Reducing Diet
Protein-Rich Foods: Eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork, fish, tofu, and legumes help stabilize blood sugar.
Healthy Fats: Avocados, olive oil, chia seeds, and fatty fish provide slow-burning energy, and reduce blood sugar spikes
High-Fibre Foods: Again - legumes, stewed apples, pears, rolled oats, and vegetables help regulate bowel motions, feed our microbiota and slow sugar absorption.
How to Make Mealtimes Enjoyable
This all sounds great on paper for helping with tantrums, but if your toddler refuses to eat the foods, that can be tricky to navigate!
Make mealtimes fun and stress-free by:
Involving them in food preparation (e.g., stirring ingredients or picking veggies)
Offer a variety of colorful foods on their plate, and have a “no thank you” plate for any foods they aren’t keen on, as this helps them to stop throwing
Keep offering the foods, even if you’re toddler has rejected them a few times. Sometimes they need to smell, taste, touch and play with the food before eating it.
Lead by example: try eating meals together and demonstrating eating the food item
Add hidden veggies to meals to gain nutrition from them, while continuing to offer the food as a separate finger food item too. That way they gain benefit from the nutrients before actually accepting the food into their diet
Nutrients That Regulate Mood
Certain nutrients can play a big role in toddler behaviour. These include Iron, Zinc, B6, B9, B12, and Omega 3 fatty acids. If your toddler is deficient in any of the above nutrients, this can lead to imbalances in neurotransmitters, making it hard for them to regulate mood. Not to mention, if they are low in minerals such as magnesium and chromium, this can also make it harder for them to regulate blood sugar, so it can be a viscous cycle.
The Gut Plays A Huge Role in Behaviour
Having the right balance of microbes in the gut can help support blood sugar regulation, and also mood in our toddlers. If we have pathogens or too many pathobionts, they can produce a metabolite called LPS, which interferes with barrier functioning of the gut, and inflammation. This impacts child’s behaviour via the gut brain axis.
Conclusion
While tantrums are inevitable during the toddler years, focusing on balanced nutrition and blood sugar regulation can make a big difference. By incorporating nutrient-dense foods and avoiding sugar-laden snacks, you can help keep your toddler's mood steady, reducing the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
With the right foods and routines, you may see a calmer, happier toddler and a more peaceful household as a result! Don’t forget, use your intuition here, and if you think your toddler needs screening for nutrient deficiencies or gut dysbiosis contributing to their tantrums, I can help.
Here’s to not just surviving the toddler years, but thriving through them
Bec xx
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