Saturday, June 26, 2010

Behavior and nutrition


We are walking chemistry sets.

I often walk by the lunch table at my son's preschool and am amazed at what parents are packing in their kids lunches. Then watching the total meltdowns in the parking lot after school and I am bewildered at the fact that the parents look surprised. Or some, resigned, as if that is 'just life'. "Kids, right?" Well, no.

Our bodies need fuel. Fuel that will offer the capacity to behave ourselves. We should be in control of our emotional, mental and behavioral state... not the donut we had first thing in the morning.

Our bodies need stability. Something that will keep our blood sugar even for long periods of time. Protein and vegetable glycerin are a good start. The rule in my home is protein first. Then if some sugar hits the blood, it has the protein to stabilize the rollercoaster ride of the sugar.

Fat too. Fat can slow down sugar in the blood. Good fats like almonds, avacado or peanut butter eaten in combination with fruit can be better than fruit alone. Not as much spike in the blood sugar will occur.

Also, vitamins and minerals. Of colossal importance. Our bodies (and quite importantly, THE BRAIN) cannot function properly without them. And supplements are not efficient enough. We need the real deal, people. EAT YOUR VEGETABLES.

Now, don't get me wrong... my son has had his share of tantrums. Many even sugar induced, nobody is perfect. But, it is a conscious way of living for him and myself to do our best nutritionally. I would like to see more parents become accountable for their children's behavior using proper nutrition. No more pills.

We send them to school with sugar (high glycemic) foods and expect them to be able to sit still and listen? Fair? I'd say not. Many foods that claim to be "healthy" have a high glycemic index. Without being coupled with some low index, more stable foods, first... meltdown, no attention span or crash!

Glycemic Index: This is the rate at which sugar enters your blood. If it is high, it enters quickly and you get a hyperness. If it is low, you get more stability. You can get a list of a glycemic index at www.glycemicindex.com.

Let's keep them stable and see what happens to the overall behavior in our schools.