We are what we eat. Moreover we need to be more careful about what we put in our children's mouths. Studies have shown that we have reason to be concerned about the relationship between food and behavior.
Our food is depleted of nutrients because of changes in agricultural practices adopted in the seventies. What we eat is contaminated by additives. We also tend to over process our food, thus further depleting it of nutrients.
First, changes in agricultural practices have changed the nature of our food. In his book, "Anticancer: A New Way of Life," Dr. Servan-Schreiber locates the paucity of omega fatty 3 acids in our modern diet in the dietary changes of our modern cows. Grass pastures are naturally rich in omega 3's. The replacement of grass pastures with battery farming in the seventies has changed our cattle feed from grass to a mixture of corn, soy and wheat which are wholly devoid of omega 3 fatty acids.
Battery farming has literally taken omega 3 out of the human food chain. Research has shown that children with ADHD have lower concentrations of omega 3, specifically DHA in their bodies, a situation that has already been linked with an increased risk of depression and brain deterioration.
Researchers have also linked the doubling of fatty tissues in children between 1970 and 1990 to the change in the character of milk coming from corn fed cows.
Second, most of us are unaware of the added components in our food like emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners and additives. According to Dr. Janet Starr Hull, there are over 14,000 man-made chemicals added to the American food supply today.
Children are the most vulnerable victims because they are often fed these additives from infancy. What many people do not realize is that these chemicals can produce a host of different reactions in different people. Most studies on food additives have been done on separate and individual items.
The safety of one item does not guarantee the safety of the product in which multiple additives are combined. Certain combinations can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive children; others may not be affected at all.
Third, our modern food processing procedures strip foods of important nutrients. Commercially grown vegetables have been stripped of 87% of their nutrients. Refined white flour, for example, has only 2 or 3 nutrients while unbleached whole wheat flour has more than 60.
Foods processed in cans are heated at high temperatures. What this means is that natural enzymes are destroyed. In our modern culture, we do not eat enough raw foods which are filled with natural, life supporting enzymes.
We need to become more conscious of whole foods cooked at home: bread baked with unbleached whole wheat flour without additives, soups and salads made with organically grown fresh garden tomatoes and greens harvested not weeks ago, but moments ago.
We have traded the immediacy of "live"foods for convenience and we have contaminated our children with a culture of food allergies and sensitivities. ADHD and various behavior orders in children are on the rise. We can change this situation by returning our children to whole foods that are free from chemicals and additives.
Our food is depleted of nutrients because of changes in agricultural practices adopted in the seventies. What we eat is contaminated by additives. We also tend to over process our food, thus further depleting it of nutrients.
First, changes in agricultural practices have changed the nature of our food. In his book, "Anticancer: A New Way of Life," Dr. Servan-Schreiber locates the paucity of omega fatty 3 acids in our modern diet in the dietary changes of our modern cows. Grass pastures are naturally rich in omega 3's. The replacement of grass pastures with battery farming in the seventies has changed our cattle feed from grass to a mixture of corn, soy and wheat which are wholly devoid of omega 3 fatty acids.
Battery farming has literally taken omega 3 out of the human food chain. Research has shown that children with ADHD have lower concentrations of omega 3, specifically DHA in their bodies, a situation that has already been linked with an increased risk of depression and brain deterioration.
Researchers have also linked the doubling of fatty tissues in children between 1970 and 1990 to the change in the character of milk coming from corn fed cows.
Second, most of us are unaware of the added components in our food like emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners and additives. According to Dr. Janet Starr Hull, there are over 14,000 man-made chemicals added to the American food supply today.
Children are the most vulnerable victims because they are often fed these additives from infancy. What many people do not realize is that these chemicals can produce a host of different reactions in different people. Most studies on food additives have been done on separate and individual items.
The safety of one item does not guarantee the safety of the product in which multiple additives are combined. Certain combinations can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive children; others may not be affected at all.
Third, our modern food processing procedures strip foods of important nutrients. Commercially grown vegetables have been stripped of 87% of their nutrients. Refined white flour, for example, has only 2 or 3 nutrients while unbleached whole wheat flour has more than 60.
Foods processed in cans are heated at high temperatures. What this means is that natural enzymes are destroyed. In our modern culture, we do not eat enough raw foods which are filled with natural, life supporting enzymes.
We need to become more conscious of whole foods cooked at home: bread baked with unbleached whole wheat flour without additives, soups and salads made with organically grown fresh garden tomatoes and greens harvested not weeks ago, but moments ago.
We have traded the immediacy of "live"foods for convenience and we have contaminated our children with a culture of food allergies and sensitivities. ADHD and various behavior orders in children are on the rise. We can change this situation by returning our children to whole foods that are free from chemicals and additives.
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