Column from February 25, 2010

Sugar-free (or low sugar) can be tasty

I’m pretty excited about tomorrow’s class on attention deficit disorder and I hope parents who have questions about their child’s behavior will attend. It takes place tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Othello High School.

My 6-year-old grandson is diagnosed ADD, with hyperactivity. He has some emotional issues because he was born four months before he should have and these ADD isn’t unusual for premature babies.

He also has sensory problems that are related to his early birth.

Babies born as little as he was (one pound, 10 ounces) aren’t able to be held and cuddled. They are so very fragile and their skin can tear easily. So they miss out on that one-on-one stimulus necessary to learn early feelings of touch, smell, warmth, etc. Plus, he had to be fed through a tube, so his hunger senses are also affected.

He spent the first four and a half months of his life in the prenatal intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. When he came home, he was still on oxygen and monitors for a while.

Today, he’s a very rambunctious boy and you’d never guess he was a preemie … unless you spent time with him on one of his “bad” days. Then – oh, my – watch out! He turns into a miniature monster in a split second.

He becomes angry, violent, cries easily, bounces off walls and can even be downright evil. It’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

He takes medications that help to a point, but these are emotional issues he will need to learn to deal with as he grows up and becomes mature enough to understand why this happens to him.

In the meantime, it’s up to his parents and grandparents to act as mediators between those two differing aspects of his personality. He’s a precious addition to the family and can be wonderfully sweet and charming, so the extra work is worth it to us.

One thing that does seem to help is limiting his sugar intake. It’s not necessary for him to be on a strict sugar-free diet, but anytime an alternative is available, it certainly is better for him.

There are many items available in local grocery stores – and some actually taste pretty good – but homemade is always better. Here’s a recipe that is tasty and a good substitute for sweet snacks.

It is also good for you with all those carrots and raisins in it.

Oatmeal raisin carrot cookies

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cups sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup quick-cooking (1 minute) oats

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and spices.

With the mixer on low speed, or working by hand, stir in flour mixture. Once no streaks of flour remain, stir in carrots, oats and raisins.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned on the edges. Cool for three or four minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about two dozen cookies.