The tips below come from a Mercola.com
article on the use of ADHD medicines in children but, really make
sense for both kids and adults. If your child has skin problems, emotional
problems or any other health issues, why not try cleaning up their diet? What
do you have to lose?
1. Severely limit or eliminate fructose from your child’s diet as sugar/fructose
has been linked to mental health problems such as depression and schizophrenia.
2. Avoid giving your child ANY processed foods, especially those
containing artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. This includes
lunchmeats and hot dogs, which are common food staples in many households.
3.
Replace soft drinks, fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure
water. This is HUGE since high fructose corn syrup is a primary source of
calories in children.
4.
Make sure your child is getting large regular doses of healthy
bacteria, either with high-quality fermented organic foods and/or high-quality
probiotic supplements.
5.
Give your child plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats like
krill oil. Also, make sure to balance your child’s intake of omega-3 and
omega-6 fats, by simultaneously limiting their intake of vegetable oils.
6.
Include as many whole organic foods as possible in your child’s diet,
both to reduce chemical exposure and increase nutrient content of each meal.
See my nutrition plan for a comprehensive guide to healthful eating.
7.
Also reduce or eliminate grains from your child’s diet, especially
wheat. Beyond the fact that even healthy organic whole grains can cause
problems as they too break down into sugars, gluten-containing grains have
pharmacologically active peptides that can contribute to cognitive and
behavioral issues in susceptible children. Additionally, whole and even
sprouted wheat contains physiologically significant amounts of wheat germ
agglutinin(WGA), which can have adverse effects on mental health due
to its neurotoxic actions. Wheat can also interfere with the production of
serotonin, the largest concentration of which can, again, be found in your
intestines, not your brain. Try eliminating all gluten-containing grains first
for 1-2 weeks and see if you don’t notice a significant improvement in your
child’s behavior.
8.
Avoid artificial sweeteners and colors of all kinds.
9.
Make sure your child gets plenty of exercise and outdoor playtime,
remembering that midday sunlight provides the UVB wavelengths necessary to
produce vitamin D3.
10.
Get them out into the sun to help maintain optimal
vitamin D levels. Scientists are now beginning to realize
vitamin D is involved in maintaining the health of your brain, as they’ve
recently discovered vitamin D receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and central
nervous system. There’s even evidence indicating vitamin D improves your brain’s
detoxification process. For children and pregnant women, getting
enough vitamin D is especially crucial, as it may play a major role in
protecting infants from autism. If natural sun exposure is not feasible,
for whatever reason, you can use either a safe tanning bed or an oral vitamin
D3 supplement.
11.
Give your child a way to address his or her emotion health. Even
children can benefit from the Emotional
Freedom Technique (EFT), which you or an EFT
practitioner can teach them to use.
12.
Be sure you are also providing positive praise to your child. Dr.
Smith believed parents should be
able to say nice things to their child twice as often as they give commands or
ask questions. If you are shouting and scolding more than you are
complimenting and rewarding your child, it could be contributing to psychiatric
problems.
13.
Prevent exposure to toxic metals and chemicals by replacing personal
care products, detergents and household cleaners with all natural varieties.
Metals like aluminum, cadmium, lead and mercury are commonly found in thousands
of different food products, household products, personal products and untold
numbers of industrial products and chemicals. Also be aware of exposure to
metals from vaccinations and dental fillings. The presence of toxic metals in
your child’s body is highly significant, as they are capable of causing serious
health problems by interfering with normal biological functioning. The health
effects range from minor physical ailments to chronic diseases, and altered
mood and behavior.
If
you think all of this doesn’t matter, ask yourself why we have all of these
increases in things like ADHD, autism, celiac disease, and food allergies in
children. To deny that the issue is a food/ environmental one is simply
foolish. You don’t need to agree with every single item on the list but, don’t
reject the premise. Get high fructose corn syrup out of your house, buy a green
laundry detergent, start to give your kids Krill Oil a and a probiotic in the
AM. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
