What foods can cause hyperactivity in toddlers?

Question

My son doesnt have much sugary stuff really, but is very hyperactive, what other foods or E numbers and colours should i avoid and what are they found in?

please help!

Just to show his daily food.
Breakfast - normally weetabix and banana or toast
lunch - sandwich (mostly tuna or egg mayo as he loves these) yogurt
tea - varies really from fish/sauasge/pots he loves veg especially sprouts, cabbage and sweetcorn.fruit especially pineapple/kiwi/grapes i admit its not all fresh food as i work but i do try my best, he does like his juice but its sooooooooooooo weak

ps he is nearly 22 month old

he has bread daily but i try and give him brown/wholemeal he has at least 2 lots of milk a day as he loves it, if i tried to cut out bread, what suggestions would you have to give him for lunch?

Answer 1

All kinds of foods can cause hyperactivity. Obviously you should cut out all artificial colourings and sweeteners, but it sounds as if you do that already. In some children, fruit (particularly citrus) or wheat, or milk can cause hyperactivity, so if you think your son is really out of control, you could try cutting these out, one item at a time, for at least two weeks, and see if it makes any difference.

However, don't forget that most toddlers are pretty active, so it may just be a normal phase he's going through.

Answer 2

I would say to avoid ALL food colorings and processed foods as much as possible. Also make sure he's getting plenty of exercise. Boys have a ton of energy and even if it's letting him play outside in the cold for 10-20 minutes will tire him out a bit. And also try to keep the juice intake at a minimum (2 6oz servings at the most) even if it is all natural it still has sugar.

Answer 3

As a child, I had problems with the red food coloring. My brother (24 yo) still has problems with it. It appears that my daughter is going to have the same reaction to it as well. It would make both my brother and I hyper. As we got older, especially for me it became almost like an allergic reaction but mostly with cherry flavoring. To this day if I take a cherry flavored liquid medicine, it makes me sick,

Answer 4

We have a child that has ADHD and we have found that most foods that are attractive to kids have sugar in them. We have had to cut down luchbox fillers such as muesli bars, fruit sticks, fruit juices.
Even some sandwich fillings have sugar in them.
So, we have just had to cut everything down within reason. Because you have to allow for functions such as parties etc for the child to attend.
I hope this helps in some way.

Answer 5

Maybe he has food allergies.
Next time you have him to the doctor ask for an allergy screening.
It's worth trying.