So much of how we feel and act is tied into how our body is feeling, and is tied into what we are putting into it. Take a quick look at a few simple things we can do to help our kids, and ourselves, feel better.
"Children act how they feel." Sydney Walker MD,
When I heard Dianne Craft speak a few weeks back about learning and behavior, one of the key things she touched on was the massive essential fatty acid deficiency that is going on in so many of us today, because of the changes in our diets, and the changes in the way that food is processed (and the amount of processed food we eat).
Dianne listed off some behavioral characteristics of essential fatty acid deficiency: inattention, impulsivity, anxiety, dyslexia, dyspraxia(coordination problem), ADD, sensory integration problems, hyperactivity, speech problems, and auditory processing problems. Yikes! And physical ones: excessively thirsty, dry skin, asthma/eczema, warts, bumps on back of arms, dry hair, chapped lipps, prematurity, white spots on fingernails (zinc deficiency - zinc is needed to use EFAs), and LOVES butter and mayo (trying to get those fats!).
Quick rabbit trail - she mentions Sensory Integration problems - here are a few markings of these: sensitive to loud noises, transitions are hard, grinds teeth, dislikes being in a group, delayed language, food textures bother them, selective eater, chews on clothing, clothing tags bother them, socks have to be seamless, and dislikes non-soft clothing. All kids may have one or two of these "issues" to a certain extent, but SI kids REALLY have them , and they can be consuming.
There may be other things that are feeding into these things we, or our kids, are struggling with, but if it really is something as simple as an essential fatty acid deficieny, how sad would it be to not correct something so easily correctable? All that we need to do is stop eating so much processed/boxed foods (good oils are removed to help product last longer and bad oils are added that our body can't use well), eat more fish, use more real butter and mayo, and drink more water. Additional supplementation with fish oil and primrose oil can also be helpful, and actually has been shown to raise levels of the neurotransmitter Serotonin!! A recommended supplementation regimen (by Dr. Sturdy) is 500 mg DHA, 1200 Eve Primrose Oil, and 120 ius' vit. E. You can find this blend already in Nature's Way EFA Blend for children. You can also find the fish oil component in cod liver oil (that stuff really is good for us!!)
Oh, one more quick thing - Lecithin - found in oatmeal, eggs and soybeans, is a happy thing to go along with the EFAs. It actually breaks down the EFAs so our body can use them better. As a side perk, it calms the nervous system, settles down hyperactivity, lowers cholesterol, improves auditory memory, and improves chemical brain activity. Not bad!! Dianne Craft (at http://www.diannecraft.org/) recommends taking it in granule form for best results (it can be sprinkled on or added to all kinds of stuff).
So that's it - food for thought... oh, how punny!!!
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