The Importance of Healthy Eating

"What you put in is what you get out.” A famous saying we’ve all heard before. Maybe it’s time to take some time to understand exactly what this means.

Children don’t want to eat vegetables anymore. They’d rather have a burger and chips. And a nice cold Coke to wash it all down.

According to the Society for Neuroscience, recent studies reveal that diets with high levels of saturated fats actually impair learning and memory. Sadly these are the foods that are more affordable and readily available for kids in school cafeterias, people on the run and fits easily into busy schedules.

In addition to the saturated fat, many of these foods include white bread or other refined grains, fried foods and sugary foods and drinks which are all high in glucose. After such a meal the body sends all the energy to the digestive tract to process the food, causing the child to feel lethargic and having trouble concentrating in class. Other side effects include irritability, lack of mental performance and a regular diet of high glucose can result in damage to the kidneys, eyes, blood vessels and nerves.

A study done by Prof. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla of UCLA found that junk food reduces brain performance while commonly known healthy foods have numerous benefits. Omega 3 fatty acids (found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit), for instance, improves learning ability and memory as well as help fight against certain mental disorders.

It is well known that child obesity is increasing, but the interessing part is that both over and underweight children may suffer from malnutrition. Unlike commonly thought that malnutrition only happens in developing countries with famine, malnutrition is not a lack of food, it is a lack of nutrients.

This means that children in first world countries can be malnourished if they don’t eat food with essential vitamins, minerals and nutirents, like vegetables, fresh fruits and proper meat.

This doesn’t mean that you have to look for vitamin enriched cereals next time you go to the store, this means you have to change the diet of your family, making sure everyone gets al least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

I was visiting family a while back and had some cereal for breakfast when I noticed the price was extremely cheap and only after examining the box I found the that best before date was 10 years earlier! The cereal tasted just fine.

The rule of thumb for food: if it doesn’t spoil, don’t eat it; but always eat it before it spoils.

You and your children need live foods, because “dead” food (those that lasts forever) have no nutrients and therefore doesn’t contribute to your body (except perhaps add some love handles). The body needs proper food in order to work and do what you expect of it.

Your children need a healthy diet, because they are growing and learning new things every day. If they are malnourished, their brains can’t work as they should and you will hear a lot of “I don’t want to go to school”, “I’ll do my homework later”, “I don’t want to study”.

Change your family’s lifestyle today. Eat healthy foods, find out how great fresh produce tastes and save fast foods for emergencies.

References:

Gail Chen, “How Diet and Nutrition Impact a Child's Learning Ability” 2008

at http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/28

Randall Parker, “Diet Matters For Brain Performance” 2008

at http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/005348.html

ADHD Controversy

Hyperactive children can be unmanageable, defiant and aggressive. Many parents have their fingers in their hair, staring at this little creature and think: “This isn’t what I signed up for”. Children are supposed to be the ultimate joy in a parent’s life.

So what went wrong?

While it is true that some children need ADHD management and medication, the rate of misdiagnosis is staggering. Earlier research stated that about 2-3% of children, more boys than girls are affected by ADHD. Looking at reality, in a class of 30 kids about 5 or more are on medication which is about 16%, far more than the 2-3%.

Some people claim that ADHD can be better diagnosed and therefore more children are being picked up (research shows that 10% of children are now diagnosed), but I believe that the true reason is misdiagnosis.

How many mothers have you met who says: “Jason was diagnosed with ADHD when he was grade 1, but when I had him retested in grade 3, they said that he didn’t have ADHD.” I know quite a few mothers with the same problem. Children are being misdiagnosed and put on medication they don’t need.

Why are kids being misdiagnosed?

There are several reasons. One is that a teacher complains to a parent about their child being hyperactive, distant or short concentration span. Parents want their child to be the best, nicest and most beautiful, so such a report must be changed.

Another is that parents compare their kids to their friends’ and find that their child is naughtier or more defiant than their friends’ “little angels”, resulting in medical intervention.

There are many other people who regularly complain to parents on the behaviour of their kids - grandparents, friends, babysitters, etc.

The next step is to have the child tested by a professional who will find the child has or doesn’t have ADHD and take necessary action.

Misdiagnoses happen when normal children seem hyperactive.

Now you may think I’ve lost my mind, but there are a number of reasons why a normal child displays characteristics of hyperactivity or attention deficit.

1)      Children consume too much sugar and preservatives and too little nutritional food or drink.
Children need real nutrition for their brains and bodies to work properly. How much frozen, crumbled chicken or other shaped food do you serve your kids? They’re easy to make: just bake, pan fry or deep fry, they keep for ages in the freezer and kids love them.
Why you shouldn’t give your children food like this: they’re full of preservatives, salt, sugar, fat, ground up meat off cuts, and more. The amount of real nutrition in these is shocking.
Your children need to eat real meat: chicken, beef, fish and vegetables (not take-away cheesy veggie bites) and fruit. The fresher the food, the better the nutrition. Frozen veggies can be used, but fresh veggies tastes better and are actually better for your family.
Rule of thumb: if it doesn’t spoil, don’t eat it; but eat it before it spoils.

Here is a fantastic article written by Dr. Michael G. Conner (Psychologist) which explains how food and TV can make your perfectly normal child seem hyperactive, defiant or even mentally disturbed.

2)      Children need to drink enough water. This is actually part of the previous point, but it is too important to skim over. Kids love sweet drinks, soda and flavoured milk, but the fact is that the need water. You can treat them from time to time with their favourite drink or candy (not a bucket load of candy, just about one child’s handful), but they need to eat fruit and drink water daily and by default.
Your kids should know that the answer to: “Mommy, I’m thirsty,” is “Here’s a glass of water.”

3)      Children need involved, assertive parents. If you let your kids walk all over you, that’s exactly what they will do. Your house is not a democracy - you are in charge and your kids need to understand, from as early as possible, that your rules are the law.
I’m not going to go on and on about how to be a good parent. There are numerous books and articles out there to help you be a better parent. Still, even if you’ve read every single book and article on parenting, it is still your house and you have to be comfortable with your life.
Just make sure that the kids understand that the parents have to be obeyed and they can’t manipulate you. Make sure that your rules serve the purpose of loving and protecting your child and your choices have their best interest at heart.

Children disobey parents and teachers when they aren’t sure that they are loved and/or when they always get their way. The latter can make children become increasingly manipulative with parents, other people in authority and peers.

If you suspect that your child has ADHD, first eliminate external factors, like diet and parenting style, before you march off to the doctor.

Circadian Rhythm & Sleep

(Extracted from an article by Dr. Annette Lotter)

The pituitary gland control the excretion sleep and awake hormones namely serotonin (awake) and melatonin (sleep).

Sleep

 

Sleep is crucial to your central nervous system because of the amazing things that happen during sleep. This is when the body repairs itself, detoxifies itself, and replenishes its energy stores. Sleep is the one thing that humans have never been able to give up for any length of time. Everyone must have it on a regular basis. Many people with chronic conditions typically suffer from sleep disturbance, which slows down and hampers the body’s healing abilities.

Circadian Rhythm

The sleep/wake cycle is driven primarily by melatonin, the “sleep” hormone, and serotonin, the primary “awake” hormone.

Our bodies are basically designed to sleep when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light. But Thomas Edison changed all of this! And today, the average person in America gets exposure to effective sunlight only 21 minutes a day. 21 minutes is not enough for the body to receive the signals it needs to regulate its circadian rhythm from light.

Circadian Rhythm Disorder is usually involved in most sleep and mood disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, insomnia, mood swings, premenstrual syndrome, elongated and irregular menstrual cycles, menopause, prenatal depression, postpartum depression, ADD/ADHD, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Tips for restoring sleep:

·   Do NOT use supplements of L-theanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, or 5HTP in the evening. While this does go against the conventional wisdom, these substances actually raise serotonin levels—the “awake” hormones. This is particularly true of 5-HTP. These can be used during the day to make you feel more alert, but keep away from them at night.

·   Establish a rhythm where you go to sleep and wake up at close to the same time each day. This should include weekdays and weekends.

·   Sleep in as dark a room as possible. Total darkness is best.

·   Don’t drink much water after 8:00 p.m. This will limit your need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

·   Do stretching exercises before you go to bed.

·   Do not do strenuous exercise late at night.

·   If possible, take a hot bath or sauna in the evening.

·   If you are hypoglycemic or your adrenals are weak, eat a small, balanced snack before bed. Also, keep something healthy around, like almonds or pecans, to snack on if you wake up. Low blood sugar can keep you awake.

·      All meals should have a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. However, you should eat more protein in the morning and more carbohydrates in the evening. Carbohydrates tend to make you sleepy.

·      No colas or coffee, including decaf, at any time throughout the day.

·      Consider taking a “timed release” melatonin 30 to 60 minutes before you want to sleep. Timed release, also known as sustained release, is important because the half-life of melatonin is only 20 minutes. If the melatonin supplement is not a timed release, the melatonin will be “dumped” into the body all at once and it will be used up too quickly. Most people need the effect of melatonin to last several hours or more to gradually put them into a deep and restful sleep.

·      If you do wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep on your own, this is the time to use non-timed release melatonin.

·   And when you wake up after a good night’s sleep, expose your eyes to sunlight as soon as possible. Sunlight helps you wake up and feel less groggy in the morning.

Water of Life

Why is water so important?

Our bodies consists of ±65% water. That is more than half of everything that our bodies are made of. Our brains alone consists of ±78% water.

Water is important because the cells in your body, your metabolism, brain and nervous system need it to function properly.

Without proper hydration your body won’t function optimally. Your brain won’t function as its supposed to because the neurotransmitters in your nervous system will be disrupted.

Imagine a dehydrated child in classroom or exam. He cannot process new information or remember properly. Even while studying children should drink enough water to keep their brains functioning optimally and get the most out of their study time.

Some signs of dehydration are thirst, loss of appetite, dry skin, dry mouth, fatigue, weakness, chills, head rush and headache. Most of these symptoms can be relieved by simply drinking water, even headache!

So how much water is enough?

Many people advise 8 glasses of water per day. While this is a good start, you have to take your size, diet and activity level in consideration.

The rule of thumb is for every 10kg (22lb) you weigh, you have to drink 1 glass of water and then another 2 more glasses.

eg. If you weigh 50kg (110lb) you should drink 5 glasses of water plus 2 = 7 glasses.

If you eat lots of salt, sugar and preservatives, you have to increase your water intake. For every glass of soda you drink (normal or diet), you have to drink an extra 3 glasses of water to replace lost fluids. Yes, sugary drinks causes dehydration!

If you play sports, jog or go to the gym, drink extra water to replenish water lost through sweat and metabolism.

Drink water as clean as possible, without extra additives like tea, coffee or concentrates.

Some people are sensitive to the taste of water while others don't taste anything at all. Personally I don't like the taste of tap water and even some bottled water. I have found that purified water that have been treated with ultra violet tastes crisp, clean and sweet. If you can't stand the taste of water, read the labels on bottled water or paid water dispensers and look for ultra violet sterilization.

Water is part of us, it is all around us and it is mostly free or cheap. By just drinking enough water you can improve your life so much. Teaching your children to drink enough water can improve their lives significantly and may even improve their grades. I'd think giving water a chance is the least one can do.