you are what you eat

About a year ago, I sat chatting with a friend about this and that, and she brought up a blog post she had read recently about cutting out food containing preservatives.  I thought, "Wow, that's strange" about trying such a thing, and the conversation drifted to other topics. 

Two months later, at the end of my rope with our youngest child and his behavior, I was reading everything I could find about the Feingold diet as a way to manage ADHD.  This approach was incredibly successful, and suddenly I was in the same camp as the blog author, cooking from scratch and cutting preservatives and more out of my own family's diet.

Feingold has helped with many things, but more than anything it has directed me to a world that I never really considered and barely knew existed: the world of nutrition and its influence on health.  Organic foods, GMO's, vitamins, fish oil...all this and more has become a part of my working vocabulary, and I have seen firsthand how some of it affects my own children.  Consider:

-Chronic constipation in my breast-fed daughter, from birth.  Breast-fed babies are not supposed to be constipated.  For years she was on and off laxatives, many of which I hope never pass her lips again.  Then came the chronic diarrhea/constipation cycle.  Then other health issues.  While we don't completely understand all that was involved, every symptom disappeared when we removed dairy from her diet.  Her handwriting even improved. 

-Our youngest son was diagnosed with ADHD, but there was much more to the story.  As an infant he suffered from true GERD and feeding difficulties associated with it, then when he went on whole milk he started a cycle of ear and sinus infections.  Later he dealt with anxiety, was an incredibly picky eater, had geographic tongue, was always hungry to the point of irritability, and his iron was low.  Removing artificials from food was only part of the answer.  Removing salicylates helped the anxiety, constant hunger, and geographic tongue.  Removing milk meant no more spinning around, hyperactive behavior, and less pickiness in eating.  Adding iron and a multivitamin caused another bump up in behavior and more openness in trying new foods.

-Our oldest is still a bit of a mystery, but using some detective work is getting us closer to understanding his digestive triggers.  One thing we've learned is that clean eating means better health, even for him.

All this to say, I had never considered the impact of proper nutrition on the health of my children until this past year. 

Kelly Dorfman, a nutritionist, has written a book called What's Eating Your Child? that addresses the impact of nutrition on children.   In insightful, compelling case studies she uncovers the connections between nutrition and picky eating, anxiety, ear infections, digestive issues, learning and behavioral difficulties, allergies, educational success, and so much more.  As I devour each page, I am confirmed that those things I have suspected play a role in my children's difficulties are not fiction but fact. 

I honestly wish every parent, pediatrician, nutritionist, and educator could read this book.  I wish I'd had it when my children were younger.  It may have saved them some damage, unnecessary and costly medical procedures, and many difficulties.  And once I'm done reading it, we may never eat the same again.  But then again, that was a path we'd already started traveling.

The tide seems to be turning.  I'm hopeful that the next generation will know far more than I did.  I'm hopeful that more parents and doctors will know how they can help children heal through good nutrition.

www.whatseatingyourchild.com