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2006/02/09, 11:53 AM
New research is showing a link between a child's consumption of food additives, particularly food colorings-like the kind used to give those chewy fruit snacks their brilliant red, blue, and orange hues -- and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). That probably isn't news to those of us who have witnessed first-hand how calm an out-of-control child can suddenly become when placed on a diet that eliminates the biggest offenders: soft drinks, cookies, sugary breakfast cereals, and countless other foods that contain refined white flour, refined sugars, and refined carbohydrates. These, along with food additives and colorings, introduce toxic chemicals in the bloodstream, altering brain function and behavior, making children (and adults) restless and limiting their attention span.
People who eat large quantities of processed foods are also more likely to suffer from other mental disorders, from depression, aggression, and violent behavior to learning disabilities. The problem is that society recognizes the symptoms but not the underlying cause of all of these conditions. Treatment becomes a drug, rather than a change of diet.
The solution is surprisingly simple, yet very difficult for those of us used to grabbing "convenience" foods like those individually wrapped fruit roll ups the little girl in the supermarket wanted so badly. What we need to do is eat whole, unprocessed food. And to end the cycle of disease and ADHD, not to mention obesity, we need to pressure food manufacturers to stop targeting our children by advertising unhealthy products directly to them. We need to reformulate school lunches, rip out school vending machines, and educate parents on how to feed their children a nutritionally sound diet that is good for both their physical and mental well being.
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Strength and Honor!
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2006/02/09, 12:06 PM
great post...
seems like wishful thinking getting the companies to change their tune...their bottom line is to make a buck and they don't really care how they do it...so long as the government is off their back....
I think it's very true to say that a good portion of ADHD can be attributed to the crap people put in their bodies.(one needs a PhD in chemistry/biology to know what they are putting in their bodies for many products ....or what those chemicals are doing to their bodies... it's becoming almost absurd)
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2006/02/09, 01:24 PM
I feel I can speak first hand here. I was diagnosed with ADHD and was HEAVILY medicated through middle school (military school until high school). My freshman year of high school, I started wrestling varsity, and training daily and eating healthier as a result. I was better off doing this, than I was on the medication.
I still feel the effects (I respond to stimulants such as caffeine and ephedra VERY differently than most people), but it is under better control now than it ever was.
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Iron and chalk.
Pain is only temporary, it is in your mind. If you can still walk, then you can still run.
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2006/02/09, 01:32 PM
Wrestler we're on the same wavelength once again it seems...I was diagnosed since early age with ADHD...and i was unmedicated b/c my mom didn't believe in it....I was always the little kid running around in the back of the classroom or getting in trouble....and since I started eating better and exercising I definitely noticed a big change.....my doc says it's part of a 'maturation' process and that it's possible to outgrow it...but that's a load of crap....I know it's with me but I am just finding productive ways of battling it....I react very different to stimulants also....as one would expect the meds given to ADHD kids are stimulants but they actually help calm them down....I am actually considering trying meds to improve my concentration....sick and tired of rereading stuff over and over or being unable to concentrate for more than half hour...I think the nutrition/lifting helped keep my hyperactivity under control more so than my ADD
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2006/02/09, 02:24 PM
As a middle school science teacher, I do a unit on health and fitness at the beginning and end of every school year. There is nothing in the state or district guidelines that say I have to; I do it because every day I see 120 or so 8th graders walk through the door of my classroom and it's easy to see that they have no idea what is good for them. They only care about taste. They admit, almost brag, that their parents allow them to drink soda for breakfast, or they go without eating anything at all. My daughter is 3 and a half now. She doesn't leave home to go to daycare until she has eaten her breakfast (her daddy fixes her some good stuff, too - whole-wheat protein pancakes, etc). I'm starting her off the right way and hoping the healthy habits stick with her.
I'm doing what I can, bb1. Pressuring food manufacturers to pull ads may or may not work. In Sweden (or some other European country - I can't remember), they recently banned unhealthy ads targeting kids. I'd like to see a study done in a couple years to see if that worked. My guess would be yes. But this is America. If you did that here, you'd have civil liberties unions all over complaining about it.
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--JBennett
"I've up-ed my intensity.... now up yours!"
"Pain is only weakness leaving the body."
"Never think of how weak you are; think of how strong you're going to be."
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2006/02/09, 02:34 PM
Majority of Americans are about as educated on the proper eating habits as 5 year old kids....so banning unhealthy ads period would do wonders....imagine the pavlovian response of an average overweight american seeing a Mcdonalds ads.....
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2006/02/09, 03:44 PM
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Quoting from menace3000:
Majority of Americans are about as educated on the proper eating habits as 5 year old kids....so banning unhealthy ads period would do wonders....imagine the pavlovian response of an average overweight american seeing a Mcdonalds ads.....
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I can attest to that! i had no clue on how to eat healthy until somewhat recently. Schools need to put more emphasis on this! I would love to see more healthy promoting ads!
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2006/02/09, 10:58 PM
Interestingly enough, there is an article in todays local paper that states 30 people have died or had serious heart attacks/strokes from ADHD medications lately. Pretty scary.
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Strength and Honor!
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2006/02/09, 11:14 PM
jeez....LOL...at least I'll be able to 'focus' on the fact that I am having a heart attack....
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2006/02/12, 11:41 PM
I think those foods are the contributing to the majority of our health problems today.
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