| New research is appearing now that's | | | | out, these refined sugars also cause |
| showing the link between the consumption | | | | behavioral disorders by depleting the |
| of food additives by children - | | | | body of nutrients that are critical for |
| especially food colorings - and | | | | neurological health. These nutrients |
| attention deficit hyperactivity | | | | include the B vitamins and several |
| disorder, or ADHD. Well-informed parents | | | | notable minerals, including magnesium |
| have long realized that the consumption | | | | and zinc. When the human body is |
| of food additives causes hyperactivity | | | | deficient in these vitamins and |
| in their children, but most conventional | | | | minerals, it will, of course, exhibit |
| doctors have dismissed the idea as pure | | | | both mental and physical disorders. The |
| bunk. Of course, far too many doctors | | | | problem in all of this is that rather |
| dismiss the idea that food choice has | | | | than recognizing the true cause of these |
| any relationship to health in the first | | | | mental and physical disorders in our |
| place, so the view from conventional | | | | children and in our adult population, |
| medicine doesn't carry much weight. | | | | conventional medicine labels it a |
| The real story here, however, is not | | | | disease. Therefore, the treatment |
| that food additives and artificial | | | | becomes a drug rather than changing your |
| colorings cause ADHD, but that there are | | | | diet, and that's where things get crazy, |
| several other dietary substances that | | | | because now we're dosing up tens of |
| heavily influence a child's mental state | | | | millions of our children on Ritalin when |
| and day-to-day behavior. | | | | the true answer to their behavioral |
| Let's face it: the human brain is a | | | | problems or lack of focus is to |
| flesh and blood organ, and it is | | | | immediately remove soft drinks, cookies, |
| strongly influenced by blood chemistry, | | | | and sugary breakfast cereals from their |
| which is, in turn, dictated almost | | | | diets. If you feed your children foods |
| entirely by diet. What you eat, in other | | | | that enhance their health - that is, |
| words, determines what your blood | | | | unprocessed foods like fruits, |
| composition looks like, and what your | | | | vegetables, whole grains and superfoods |
| blood composition looks like determines | | | | - then they won't exhibit these |
| the way your brain functions. Of course | | | | behavioral problems. |
| there are other factors, such as | | | | In fact, the solution to all this is |
| physical exercise and environmental | | | | surprisingly simple: we need to change |
| influences, but the largest factor of | | | | the diets of our children. We need to |
| all is dietary. | | | | take vending machines out of our public |
| So when you eat processed foods | | | | school systems. We need to reformulate |
| containing additives and artificial | | | | school lunch programs so that they are |
| colors, you are introducing toxic | | | | feeding our children foods that promote |
| chemicals into your bloodstream. Those | | | | learning and mental health. We also need |
| chemicals find their way into the brain | | | | to educate parents about how to feed |
| and alter brain function, and in the | | | | their children right, so that they |
| case of children who have been diagnosed | | | | aren't so easily influenced by foods |
| with ADHD, it alters their behavior to | | | | that their children want to eat. |
| make them restless or to have a | | | | And finally, we need to ban all |
| shortened attention span. It can also | | | | advertising and marketing of unhealthy |
| cause children and adults alike to | | | | products to children. It should be |
| display other problems derived from | | | | illegal, in a civilized society, for |
| their mental state. (We'll discuss the | | | | companies that manufacture products that |
| impact of nutritional deficiency on | | | | cause obesity and ADHD to promote those |
| adult society next time.) | | | | products to children, because it only |
| But it isn't just food additives causing | | | | creates a cycle of disease and chronic |
| detrimental effects - it's also refined | | | | illness that brings society down, and |
| carbohydrates. People who eat large | | | | the long-term effect of all of this is, |
| quantities of white bread (or food | | | | of course, skyrocketing health care |
| containing refined white flour) also | | | | costs. |
| suffer from mental disorders. These can | | | | Once again, the answer to all of this is |
| include depression, aggression and | | | | simply to change the foods and drinks |
| violent behavior, and learning | | | | that we feed our nation's children. The |
| disabilities. Consuming refined | | | | answer is certainly not to be dosing our |
| carbohydrates also causes people to have | | | | children with powerful narcotics such as |
| brain fog - that is, they can't | | | | Ritalin, because right now in this |
| concentrate for very long, and they | | | | country we are raising a generation of |
| don't feel like they have clarity of | | | | brain-numbed children through our public |
| mind. | | | | school system and through the reckless, |
| Drinking soft drinks also causes the | | | | widespread pharmaceutical prescribing |
| same effect, because it is essentially | | | | habits of many doctors and |
| the same macronutrient that's poisoning | | | | psychiatrists. |
| your body: refined sugars. As it turns | | | | |