How cutting out certain food Additives could curb ADHD (and cancer too).
Cases of allergies, asthma, ADHD & Autism are surging among U.S. children. A U.S. Government survey claims that 1 in 10 U.S. children now have ADHD. This is a dramatic increase from several years earlier. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) makes it difficult for children to control impulsive behavior and pay attention. Approximately 2/3 of the children diagnosed with ADHD are on some form of prescription medication.
Scientists are exploring whether these conditions are related to exposure to toxic chemicals that are common in most of the processed food that fills our supermarkets, homes & school cafeterias.
We all know that Junk food is bad, but when money and time are tight, fast, readily available processed food is often the cheapest way to put calories into your kid’s belly. These fast foods are often riddled with unhealthy ingredients that experts think may contribute to, and worsen, ADHD. The most common are:
- Sodium Benzoate, a preservative (e.g., found in soda)
- Blue #1 and #2 food coloring
- Green #3
- Orange B
- Red #3 and #40
- Yellow #5 & #6
If your child has ADHD-like symptoms, first be sure your child has been given an age appropriate assessment to rule out that his or her “acting out” is actually normal. Then implement the following strategies as they often work exceptionally well in treating this condition.
- Eliminate most grains and sugars from your child’s diet. Even organic and whole grain can cause problems. Give him/her a “grain holiday” and see if behavior improves.
- Replace soft drinks (whether diet or regular), fruit juices, and pasteurized milk with pure, clean non fluoridated water. While you may believe fruit juices are a healthy alternative to soda, they really aren’t and need to be avoided.
- Avoid all processed foods, especially those containing artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
- Minimize the use of nearly all processed fats, especially trans- fat as they disrupt nerve cell intercommunication.
- Clear your house of dangerous pesticides. Pesticides are not chemicals to preserve life. To the contrary they are created and used to end it by killing bugs and weeds. Pesticide exposure has been linked to ADHD.
- Avoid commercial grade washing detergents and cleaning products and replace them with naturally derived cleaning products with no added dyes, perfumes, softeners.
- Increase omega 3 fats by taking a high quality animal based omega-3 oil. Krill oil is the best for this as it is more easily absorbed.
*information obtained from ewg.com, mercola.com, feingold.org & gapsdiet.com