By Ronnie Freedman, Ph.D.

Adam was an all around model student in the first grade, that is until after lunchtime. This quiet, cooperative student turned into a fidgety, irritable, and very vocal classroom participant. His teacher was perplexed at how quickly this pleasant and well-mannered child transformed into a disruptive and highly uncooperative classroom member.

Luckily, this teacher was a wise individual who scheduled a conference with Adam’s mother. Through a process of elimination they discovered the problem arose out of a noticeable change in the child’s diet. Ever since he began first grade, Adam was thrilled to learn he was allowed to purchase school lunches. His choices, unfortunately, did not serve him well. He was living on a daily lunchtime diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, washed down by a large chocolate milk along with a package of chocolate cookies. Unbeknownst to Adam, his parents, and his teacher, this combination of sugar, caffeine and simple carbohydrates was enough to create an unforeseen reaction, creating a path of havoc through the lunchroom into classroom and all the way home.

Bottom line, this intelligent, cooperative and virtually happy child was innocently victimized by a lack of knowledge concerning the food he was ingesting.

Adam is just one example of how food may affect your child, and yourself as well. The foods one selects, especially concerning children, have the ability to make or break one’s mood, behavior and how one feels in general.

Many children are cooperative in school and yet when they arrive home their afternoons unravel due to the choices of snacks being served up. What started out as a happy, well-behaved child quickly turns into an irritable, cranky and highly uncooperative member of the family.

The answer is simple. You have the power to create a less reactive, well-behaved member of your family, without taking away their joy of eating pleasant meals and snacks. With a few simple rules, your child can be easily transformed from an irritable, tired and cranky member of your family, to someone who is far more pleasant, more cooperative, and maintains a true sense of well being. He or she becomes healthier on all fronts. The only reason your child is behaving in this manner is because he or she is reacting to the foods recently digested. They are victims of what they are eating, victims to the overload of refined and processed foods. Victims of sugar overload. Their behavior is merely a signal that their foods are not fueling a healthy mind and body.

Suggestions:

1. Learn to use PROTEINS, real proteins, properly. Not protein bars or shakes, but real foods that are proteins…poultry, beef, fish, dairy, nuts, nut butters. Use them with every single meal and snack.

2. Learn to choose the proper carbohydrates and use them with every meal and snack, along with the correct proteins.

3. Slowly but SURELY cut back on foods containing the combination of caffeine and sugar. This will create an immediate improvement.

4. Incorporate outdoor activity (sports, teams, playtime) for your child daily. This will burn off excess energy and create a happier, less wired and tired child.

The goal is to make sure your child feels well. A child’s behavior reflects how they feel and how they feel is created by the foods they eat.

These suggestions along with our food plan will naturally boost serotonin levels in the brain, leading to a calmer, less reactive child, with a strong sense of well-being. Your child will sleep better, eat better and feel better in general.

You really do have control over this situation and the wherewithal to help your child feel his or her best. Behaviors are a signal, letting you know how your child is feeling, how their body is reacting to foods they eat. If he or she is acting out or behaving in a manner that is not indicative of a happy individual, it is your responsibility to heed this signal and make the necessary changes. It’s simple, it’s effective and most of all it works.

It is not a child’s fault that they are reacting to their foods in a negative manner but a few simple changes can help this child lead a happier and more productive life. They will feel better, their teachers will have an easier job and you will relax as well.

This simple way of feeding children also applies to adults, as it will produce a significant change in one’s ability to process stressful situations, difficulties in life and generally lead to a greater ability to handle life’s pressures. When one chooses to create a less reactive mind and body, they become more productive and able to genuinely enjoy life in a calmer more peaceful way. Attitudes change, spirits lift and relationships improve, all due to the fact that one has made the choice to use foods to work for them rather than against them.

Copyright © 2010 Anxiety Busters, Inc.