Alright my fellow parents, are you wondering if it’s possible, and if so, how to avoid food-induced kid holiday meltdowns? Or have you already thrown your hands in the air and are simply expecting them?

Expecting them is one approach, especially if you plan for it, then it is not so bad. The worst is when the meltdown arrives and we are surprised.

Before I was a parent, I witnessed kid meltdowns that made me question ever becoming a parent. They look and sound rough.

Now, being on the parent’s side I have a whole new perspective. They are optional. Once we understand how sugar and flour affect most (not all) people’s insulin levels and mood crashes then post holiday meltdowns are optional.

Think about it, we all feel pretty yucky after a big piece of pie on top of an overstuffed belly. All the unfriendly microbes in our gut are having a party and making us feel sick. Then there is the dopamine high where kids go running in circles wild then go in for the crash. It is a gut brain full-on crash.

We are in Israel at the moment and my little one was given a donut, against our sugar-free flour-free request. The teacher profusely apologized after; I was just glad we knew why our little one fell apart an hour later.

The answer is simple, yet hard for many to execute. Abstain from sugar and flour. Bring berries to share and enjoy as an alternate dessert if you must. By the way, parents, the only real way to get your kids to abstain is by you walking the walk. I know it’s tough, but beneficial to all.

And if you choose to partake in the sugar and flour, expect the meltdown, love them and hug them and know that they are not giving us a hard time, they are having a hard time. Physiologically and internally they are struggling. It will pass.

When my little one had the donut meltdown this week, I held her and helped her make the connection… do you see how weird you feel in your body… Do you remember that donut you ate at school?

It is powerful to make the connections between the foods we eat and how they affect our moods.