Additives and Sugar
Children's Diets
How additives, sugar and sugar substitutes effect some children.
and
Fish Oil Supplements - Do They Help Our Children ?
Speaking from a personal point of view the answer is a resounding yes.
Oliver, 9, has been taking a fish oil capsule every morning, with his breakfast, for more than 4 years. His concentration has improved enormously and his school work has come on in leaps and bounds which has culminated in an excellent school report. A friend has also seen a marked improvement in her son since introducing this supplement into his diet.
It's quite amazing to see his behaviour deteriorate during school holidays when he is sometime responsible for his own breakfast and he forgets to take the capsules - he becomes argumentative, awkward, sullen and not his usual sunny, pleasant self!
Many parents may be concerned about the cost of providing their children with these capsules or syrup, especially if more than one child would benefit, as some brands are quite expensive - Allkids Recommends
OMEGA 3 FISH OIL CAPSULES from Holland & Barrett
(I always stock up when Holland & Barrett are a running a half price offer)
These sites also have excellent articles and information
Fish Oil Helps Hyperactive Kids - Mail Online - Click Here
Does Diet Effect How Some Children Behave
'They are not abnormal children; they are normal children living on abnormal foods'
Dr. Ben Feingold , MD, an eminent American allergist
Once again this is something I strongly believe in - having raised a family of 4 with a huge gap between the older three and the youngest, I have seen first-hand how diet can disrupt a young child's life and lead to many confrontations especially during the teenage years.
During the 70's we were not aware how badly some children were effected by sugar, additives, colouring and sugar substitutes and simply did our best to contain and discipline the naughty and disruptive child. I only became aware of this when Oliver had his first taste of Coco Cola at 2 year old - his behaviour changed immediately and became almost manic and over the next few years I noticed a definite pattern emerging,
depending on what he ate.
Oliver is two different people - the lovely, funny, energetic little boy when he is eating a diet based on fresh food and fruit and the whining, misbehaving, tormenting, miserable disruptive child he becomes whenever he eats sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks and processed food.
I insist that his diet now consists mainly of food that does not contain additives, colouring or too much sugar. Sweets aren't banned but eaten in moderation, he prefers fruit juice to fizzy drinks (coke is definitely banned) and chocolaty/sugary breakfast cereals are off the menu totally as are smarties, skittles and similarly coloured sweets.
I sometimes feel sad that we weren't aware in the 70's, when his older brother was creating havoc, that we could have altered his behaviour by changing his diet - he would have had a much happier childhood and 'calmer' teenage years!
We are not doing our kids any favours by letting them eat food
that could ultimately ruin their lives!
Use the sites below to learn more about food additives and children's behaviour:
NETMUMS SPEARHEADING A CAMPAIGN TO REMOVE HARMFUL ADDITIVES FROM FOOD
OMSCo - THE ORGANIC MILK SUPPLIERS COOPERATIVE
The Hyperactive Children's Support Group-CLICK HERE
HACSG provides support to parents and professionals working with children who display signs of hyperactivity, with particular focus on nutritional influences.
Allergy & Hyperactivity/ADD Association Inc - US - CLICK HERE
This site is dedicated to the memory of the late Brenda Sampson, QSO. A truly remarkable woman, who devoted over 25 years research into the effects of allergy, ADD/ADHD and the pathway to criminal activity and drug abuse.
