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Short attention span, hyperactivity, tantrums, and ADHD. Do those things sound familiar in your child’s behaviour?

Inevitably, some parents have to deal with these issues, you may see it in a restaurant, you may see it from your next door neighbour, you may see it at home with your unending requests to your child who don’t want to go to sleep yet.

Parenting really does not come with a manual and that’s important because every child is unique, unique thought processes, unique cognitive development, the way their individual body functions and their behaviour. But science is there to assist you in your child’s crucial development years.

In order to improve your child’s behaviour, you must pay attention to their physiological process, and focus on child’s nutrition and diet.

Just like adults, what we nourish our toddlers with will affect greatly his growth, one growth area of course is brain function and development which in turn affects behaviour.

Is your child currently eating a natural unprocessed diet? What are the significant nutrients he/she is getting?

Let’s take a look at what’s on your child’s plate:

1) Gluten and processed food

Considered one of the most poorly digested foods that causes an inflammatory response affecting brain function.

Eliminating this can greatly improve your child’s learning and behavioural problems.

Processed foods can also have this effect on children. Feed them instead with whole foods that are high in protein and fibre that aids digestion. If this doesn’t work, see if your child has food intolerances to items such as diary, wheat, eggs or any other items, after all every child is an individually and understanding their intolerances is the key to unlocking a healthy future.

2) Good fat

Foods that are rich in Omega 3 are essential for optimal brain function.

Omega 3’s DHA and EPA comes from fatty fish, these help to establish connections and chemical messengers in the brain.

3) Zinc levels

Zinc has been shown to improve ADHD symptoms as it helps the brain’s neurotransmitters to function well, zinc also aids in the metabolism of melatonin which regulates the hormone dopamine.

Research concludes that 150 mg/d of zinc can improved impaired social behaviour and can reduce hyperactivity and impulsiveness, foods that are rich in zinc include, meat, spinach, wheat germ, seafood, nuts, pumpkin, and squash.

4) Magnesium levels

Known to support the brain’s electrical activity, magnesium is also proven to increase cognition, it also has a calming effect on the central nervous system.

This is a fantastic nutrient for children with hyperactivity and a short attention span, foods that are high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, fish, soybeans, avocado, banana, and dark leafy greens.

5) Water

Is your child getting enough? Water is a vital player in the health and wellbeing of your child.

Importantly, avoid sugar, any product that contains refined or processed sugars or syrups will undoubtedly have a negative impact on your child’s behaviour.

Of course it’s important to speak to your doctor to see if the information contained in this article is right for you and your child, you and your doctor know your child best.

Have you ever made changes to your child’s diet and noticed an improvement for the better? Please share in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com
  • I dont know if I was lucky but my kids had zero allergies food wise and they ate a good mix of various foods from fresh fruits and veggies to packets of chips and lollies, etc. Noen of my kids were over weight and they had no behaviour problems. Perhaps its diet or perhaps its genetic.

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  • My kids ate everything put in front of them and sugary things [drinks, sweets, cakes, etc.] were always a treat for birthday Christmas of Easter. If more people did this today the children would be fine.

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  • There is undoubtedly a link. I have seen the changes in a family friends child since their diet has been dramatically changed.

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  • I have no doubt at all that there is a strong link to foods and behaviour with kids, and to a lesser extent, adults.

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  • I agree all kids are unique and child behavioral books don’t fit every child!

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  • I would say this is almost always the case. Less processed food, little sugar and not too much take away food goes a long way towards a calmer happier child.

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  • good article. Food is always the first place you should look if you are having consistent behaviour issues with your child.

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  • Great article. I truly believe that food is linked to behaviour and lots of other ailments etc.

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  • i eat at home, i cook a lot but when i have a break and eat takeaway, i always regret it. i always feel so run down and exhausted the next day

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  • great info there

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  • i think that so much food is packed with extras so i think that we should try to eat foods in their pure form.

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  • My kids have a really healthy diet with no processed food, I cook everything myself. I have heard of diet changes helping other kids behaviours

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  • Very interesting read. I really have to stay on top of what my son eats or he’d eat junk food all the time!

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  • I think so, and not enough sleep. we expect so much from our kids now. My son slept from 6pm to 6am. there is no way I expected him to behave out to dinner, etc… kids need lots of sleep

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  • It is very important to give kids good quality food, not processed junk.

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  • I’ve wondered about this. I haven’t seen the effects on my toddler but it’s worth keeping in mind.

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  • nutrion linked

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  • Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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  • I an convinced behaviour and food are linked, eat fresh for great health inside and out.

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  • I definitely agree with this, when I get slack and give my daughter processed food just coz it’s easier I notice she is grumpy and hyperactive. I do find that she then tends to refuse to eat “good” and has a tantrum if I don’t give her “sweet” foods. I have recently tried to really cut down on all bad processed food and figure if she’s hungry she will eventually eat the “good” food. My only problem I do have though is variety in fruits as she thinks all fruit is “yuck”! She loves bananas and apples and that’s it-any tips on getting her to eat other fruits or just keep giving them to her until she finally eats it??


    • Absolutely, here are some tips I give to clients:
      Make healthy food fun! McDonalds wins because they make everything fun, they have a playground, they have a free toy…free WiFi, so they win! I bought my own type of Happy Meal Boxes when the kids were little, I had to buy an entire box so I think I ended up with 500!!! They had dinosaurs on them and they were perfect, I would make vegie nuggets, sweet potato fries, chop up strawberries or an apple and then put a little treat in the box, it may have been a little dino or a lizard, maybe a little car (Bought in bulk from ebay). We could take our happy meals to the playground and the kids were so happy with this alternative.
      Something else I recommend is to focus on what she does like as a topping eg a little bit of melted chocolate, a few sprinkles, tomato sauce. Whatever it takes to get her to eat something, over time she will go from eating strawberries with a drizzle of chocolate to just strawberries, same with vegies and tomato sauce.
      Also I would highly recommend you pop over to our website and grab our free ebook “Kid Famous Snacks” which has some very creative ways kids can make their own snacks using a variety of fruits and vegetables. It was made by kids for kids because if they can get involved in the preparation they are much more likely to eat the food.
      I hope that some of these suggestions are useful for you
      x

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