Our society’s future depends on how we feed our children, intellectually, spiritually, and physically. Let us focus on the last one. There are five points I wish to make about it:
One, this is also about adults. However, “you cannot teach old dogs new tricks.” Present readership excluded, most adults are not able to make changes in their diet until their health breaks down and pharmaceutical drugs have not helped them feel better. Children can be influenced much easier.
Two, the Brain-Gut connection. We have known about it for millennia, but we forgot. Fortunately, scientists are proving its considerable impact with studies published in the best of journals. “Food for thought” takes on a new meaning.
Three, we need to encourage our children to have a healthy, non-sugar breakfast.
Four, babies do better if we start feeding them veggies at three months of age.
Five, let’s get rid of food additives, and chemicals in their food; they mess with all their organs, especially their brains.
References
Kids who skip breakfast more likely to be overweight than kids who eat breakfast twice
“The Washington Post (3/17, Brown) reports that a study published online March 17 in Pediatric Obesity suggests that “it is not children who indulge twice, but those who skip breakfast altogether, who are more likely to be overweight.” Put another way, “two breakfasts appear to be better than none.” The NPR (3/17, McMillan) “The Salt” blog reports after tracking some “600 middle-school students from fifth to seventh grade,” researchers found that “weight gain among students who ate ‘double-breakfast’ was no different than that seen among all other students,” whereas the “risk of obesity doubled among students who skipped breakfast or ate” breakfast on an inconsistent basis.”
Babies introduced to solid foods at three months may sleep longer through the night
“CNN (7/9, Scutti) reports, “Both the UK National Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed until about six months of age and then begin to introduce solid foods.” Now, a new study suggests that “an alternative feeding plan is also safe for babies.” Researchers found that “introducing a child to solid baby foods after just three months was associated with a small but significant improvement in nighttime sleep and slightly fewer wakings throughout the week compared with babies who began eating solids later, according to a study published” online in JAMA Pediatrics. Newsweek (7/9, Gander) points out, “The findings” also “contradict current recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which advises parents to move babies on to solid food at six months old.”
Food Additives and Child Health
J. Pediatrics July 2018 From the American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement
“Our purposes with this policy statement and its accompanying technical report are to review and highlight emerging child health concerns related to the use of colorings, flavorings, and chemicals deliberately added to food during processing (direct food additives) as well as substances in food contact materials, including adhesives, dyes, coatings, paper, paperboard, plastic, and other polymers, which may contaminate food as part of packaging or manufacturing equipment (indirect food additives); to make reasonable recommendations that the pediatrician might be able to adopt into the guidance provided during pediatric visits; and to propose urgently needed reforms to the current regulatory process at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food additives. Concern regarding food additives has increased in the past 2 decades, in part because of studies in which authors document endocrine disruption and other adverse health effects. In some cases, exposure to these chemicals is disproportionate among minority and low-income populations. Regulation and oversight of many food additives is inadequate because of several key problems in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Current requirements for a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) designation are insufficient to ensure the safety of food additives and do not contain sufficient protections against conflict of interest. Additionally, the FDA does not have adequate authority to acquire data on chemicals on the market or reassess their safety for human health. These are critical weaknesses in the current regulatory system for food additives. Data about health effects of food additives on infants and children are limited or missing; however, in general, infants and children are more vulnerable to chemical exposures. Substantial improvements to the food additives regulatory system are urgently needed, including greatly strengthening or replacing the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) determination process, updating the scientific foundation of the FDA’s safety assessment program, retesting all previously approved chemicals, and labeling direct additives with limited or no toxicity data.”
Added sugars in the diet are positively associated with diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides in children, Am J Clin Nutrition 2014;100:46
