Have you helped your child stay focused by changing his/her diet? What foods help and which foods/additives should we avoid?
Books titles that address this would be great, too.
Thanks!!
A pediatric specialist at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center gave my teenage daughter Spark to help her concentrate in school.
I've helped myself to concentrate by watching my diet. I need a fairly constant supply of protein, and low sugar in my diet. I need to eat six times a day, usually. I don't have diabetes but it runs in my family.
I always start the day with a protein shake (Spiru-tein mixed with milk) cuz I don't care for eggs and other usual breakfast proteins. .
You can check out the books called "the New Glucose Revolution" for guidance as to what foods keep blood sugar steady and which raise and then lower it. You might be surprised at what you read, for instance ice cream is better than potatoes.
A large British study a few years ago found that certain food colors and preservatives made some children measurably more hyper. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,###-###-##...
Our son was helped tremendously in that area by the removal of gluten and dairy (and later some other offenders).
We also try to keep our ingestion of artificial colors low, and sugary, processed foods don't help either.
My favorite book is "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics . . . " by Kenneth Bock, MD and Cameron Stauth.
Good luck.
Wow, what a great question.
I don't have any book titles for you. What I do know is that people who eat a diet which helps to regulate their insulin have more consistent energy through out the day and likewise, better ability to concentrate. Actually, The Zone book lists favorable/unfavorable carbs (you can likely find it on their website). The 'favorable' carbs are more complex and stay with you longer: think steel-cut oats for breakfast instead of standard packaged dry cereal. The oats take longer to digest and provide more long-lasting energy than the stuff in the box. Berries are another good one. Many carbs are digested too quickly and snacks higher in sugar require more energy to digest.
Nuts are another good one. Cheeses in moderation and good proteins will help. I'd lay off the crackers, unless they are whole grain/multi-grain, and the same with bread. Green veggies are good, while potatoes, carrots and other root veggies are less helpful and provide more calories but less actual energy.
In our house, we offer the whole grain crackers in moderation, served with a nut butter, nuts or cheese for a snack. Instead of giving my son a bowl of yogurt, it's often mostly berries and a couple tablespoons of yogurt, or apple slices cut up to dip in yogurt. Instead of having a whole dinner of mac-n-cheese, it's served as a side along with some veggies and a meat or other protein. Oh, and we rarely do juice, and when we do, it's mixed at least 50% with fizzy water. My son seriously wigs out on straight juice, so it's been relegated to 'special occasions'.
If you avoid the starchy, sugary snacks though-- and anything with artificial colors/ingredients (I don't do artificial sweeteners) and esp. high fructose corn syrup-- you're halfway there.
No. Not unless he is allergic to something. You may get a nice placebo effect for a few days. Attention is a neuropsychological function, which is dependent on brain function and can be a medical and/or learing issue. Diet has not been shown to be a factor in the research.
Get an evaluation of your child if they have attention issues. You need to see a Developmental Pediatrician, and if diet is the issue, they will send you to a dietician.
M.
Only if the lack of concentration has to do with malnutrition or an allergy.
You may find this parent's guide helpful - http://www.shaklee.net/pws/library/business/superwell_sup...
Feel free to message me if you have questions.
