Dr Phil Kieran: What can I give my kids for an upset tummy?

As a parent of young children, this time of year can be a nightmare for limiting sugary foods

Dr Phil Kieran: "The key is teaching your child to limit the amount of sugar they consume." Picture: iStock.

We're on the go a lot over Christmas, mostly visiting family and friends. The problem is that the children are given sweets or desserts in almost every house we call into. It's done with a big heart, but I'm rarely consulted before the treats are handed out. Last year, my youngest felt quite ill after eating too much sugar in one day. Can I have a standby medicine in case we have to deal with another tummy upset?

As a parent of young children, I am all too aware that this time of year can be a nightmare for limiting sugary foods. You can do your best to restrict it at home, but sweet treats will often appear if a grandparent is visiting or it’s the last day of their sports or school.  For the person giving the treat, it’s no big deal. After all, it’s just one biscuit, chocolate or sharing-size bag of jellies. But for your child, it may be their fifth treat that day. And if you say no, it makes you the bad guy with your child, and the person giving the treat, so you let it slide.

The ideal solution would be if friends and family members offered healthy snacks when you visited, but that isn’t likely to happen. The year I suggested this to the team I coached, the others roundly defeated it.

The key is teaching your child to limit the amount of sugar they consume. I know this is difficult and an ongoing issue for many parents. Teaching kids healthy eating patterns is a slow process that will stand to them over the years but will not help you this Christmas.

A few things happen when you eat a lot of sugar in a short time. Sweets have a high sugar-to-water ratio, which means they dehydrate and can irritate the stomach lining. Next, your blood sugar climbs, prompting a rapid rise in insulin to bring it back in line. This increase can also cause you to feel unwell.

So, what can we do? I suggest feeding your children before you leave the house. Ensure they eat a decent-sized meal with proteins, fats, and complex carbs (low GI food). This approach will do a few things. 

Firstly, the proteins and fats take longer to break down, leaving them feeling fuller for longer, hopefully making it less likely they will gorge on sweets. Secondly, low GI foods will mean that sugars enter their system at a slower pace and, therefore, won’t cause such a rapid spike in blood sugar.

Another option is to accept the treats and bring them home. That way, you can dole them out to your child in a slower, more controlled manner.

I try to follow this approach with my children. It works sometimes, but as I said, this is a tough time of year for healthy eating.

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