All Articles, Featured, Food & Nutrition
Special Kids . . . Special Nutrition
| September 10, 2011 | |
| Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego | |
Probiotics, DHAfatty acids and magnesium all positively influence behavior, temperament, digestion, sleep, aptitude and overall development in children. Along with adding these beneficial components, the flip side of the equation involves eliminating “anti-nutrients” or substances that often promote unfavorable free-radical generation, neurotoxicity (brain toxicity) and illness.
Many kids are sensitive to food additives such as BHA, BHT, salicylates, artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives. A study sponsored by the British government on cross-sections of British children found that a mixture of four dyes and a food preservative, sodium benzoate, impaired the behavior of even non-hyperactive children[7].
Many popular “kid foods,” such as those made by McDonald’s, Mars, Kraft and PepsiCo contain dyes in theUnited States, but natural or no colorings in theUnited Kingdomdue to a government band.
The following is the ingredient list of a popular, colorful children’s cereal: sugar, modified corn starch, corn syrup, dextrose, gelatin, calcium carbonate, yellow 5&6, blue 1, red 40, artificial flavor. Children are at an increased risk to the negative effects of dyes and additives due to their increased sensitivity to carcinogens as well as increased consumption of dyes per unit of body weight compared with adults[8]. At my clinic, LMI, we believe that cumulative early-life exposures to toxins and chemicals can contributions to full-life health risks, such as hyperactivity, learning disabilities and even cancer.
Another prominent anti-nutrient in a standard American child’s diet is glutamate the flavor enhancer found in MSG (mono sodium glutamate). Glutamates are excitotoxins, substances that rodent studies have linked with brain injury and cognitive impairment[9]. Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon with more than 20 years of experience and the author of Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills is a lobbyist for removing sources of these neurotoxins from the diets of developing children. In an excerpt from Excitotoxins he writes:
“Other studies have described similar findings on brain development and function. In one study mice exposed to MSG soon after birth demonstrated significant difficulties in adapting to stress and new environments, similar behaviors seen in autistic children. Examinations of the brains of animals exposed to MSG have shown injury to the hippocampus of the brain, an area vital for learning and memory, as well as emotional development[10].”
Children today have colossal amounts of MSG in their diets. From canned raviolis, pepperoni slices, ice cream and ranch dressing to potato chips, all of these “kid foods” are heavy sources of glutamates. Perhaps one of the biggest offenders is Doritos, cited to have five kinds of glutamates[11]!
Common food additives which have hidden sources of MSG include: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein and autolyzed yeast. Eating foods in their most natural state will eliminate these additives from the diet. Choose regular potato chips with the simple ingredients: potato, oil and salt. The popular artificial sweetener aspartame (Nutri-Sweet) is another food based neurotoxin.
Many kid foods are high in sugar, trans fats and calories and contain no nutritional value. Even foods that are usually considered healthy, such as peanut butter, often contain trans fat-rich hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Evidence of processes leading to inflammation, heart disease and type 2 diabetes has been found in children who consume trans fats, common ingredients in fast food, fried foods, processed snacks and baked goods[12].
Researchers have found that eating trans fats increased depression risk by 48%, while consuming olive oil reduced the chance of getting the mental illness by 35%[13]. Most chicken nuggets, pizza, and mac and cheese do not contain any olive oil. Luckily many healthy items such as peanut butter can now be purchased in their natural states without added hydrogenated oils. Homemade chicken nuggets can easily be baked with olive oil breading without trans fats.
Read food labels and restaurant nutrition information carefully to ensure your child is eating healthy foods that are low in sugar and don’t contain dyes, additives, caffeine, hydrogenated oil or glutamates (MSG). Invest the time to prepare whole foods at home to model the importance of making healthy food choices. Every diet decision from the infant feedings to lunch box options can make a big influence on how many healthy nutrients are being put into the diet and how many harmful anti-nutrients are being left out.
To all of the phenomenal parents I met at the Triangle Therapy Services in EatonOhio, I want to thank you for sharing your time and your stories. You touched me deeply and your kids are
amazing. I hope some day to be half as strong as they are and if anything I have written helps them even a little bit then God smiled on us both that day.
Margie Benge, you have an amazing gift.
Thank you,
Dr. Gary Huber
1 Pediatrics, onlineAugust 1, 2011
2 March of Dimes Omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy accessed online 8/3/11 at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/nutrition_omega3more.html
3 Koletzko, B., et al., for the Perinatal Lipid Intake Working Group. Consensus Statement: Dietary Fat Intakes for Pregnant and Lactating Women. British Journal of Nutrition, volume 98, 2007, pages 873-877.
4 Harding KL,Judah RD, Gant C. Outcome-based comparison of Ritalin versus food-supplement treated children with AD/HD. Altern Med Rev 2003;8:319-330.
5 Young GS,MaharajNJ, Conquer JA. Blood phospholipid fatty acid analysis of adults with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Lipids 2004;39:117-123.
6 Diabetes Care. 2005;28:1175-1181
7 McCann, Barrett et al. Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1560-7.
8 Hattis, Goble et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 April; 113(4): 509–516.
9 Ali, Bawari et al. Neurosci Lett. 2000 Apr 21;284(1-2):57-60.
10 Blaylock, Russel. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. Health Press, 1997 page 177.
11 Michaels, Jillian. Master Your Metabolism. Crown Publishers, 2009. Page 108.
12 Bauer LR and Waldrop J. Pediatr Nurs. 2009 Nov-Dec;35(6):346-51.
13 Trans fats linked to increased depression risk. PLoSONE. Published onlineJanuary 26, 2011.
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