Back-to-Basics Nutrition for Children

By Kathy O'Brien
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 1/23/03)

During Catholic Schools week, one subject to consider because it impacts children’s lives on a daily basis is what we are feeding our children. Are we giving them junk and getting the same in return in terms of behavior and performance? Or are we supporting our children’s growth and development?

If we see children with behavioral problems, lack of energy, interest or focus, or kids who are simply not reaching their potential, we should first look at what is fueling their brains, which is the first organ to suffer from a lack of nutrients.

Our food choices impact us now and long term. What we feed our kids influences their health and well-being into adulthood. Dietary deficiencies are often the underlying cause of many health problems. Increasingly, patients with obesity, diabetes and other degenerative diseases are being seen by medical professionals at younger and younger ages. Depression, mood swings and behavioral problems such as inattention are also common complaints. Children are especially prone to these deficiency-related problems.

It is difficult to imagine that we who live in a land of plenty are malnourished. Generally, we are not empty-bellied. In fact, as a population, we over-consume food and yet are undernourished because the foods we eat often lack nutrients. In what I call the "100 Year Experiment," we have been introduced to an abundance of processed foods that our ancestors never had available. Children’s food is a relatively new and extremely lucrative business. Before this "experiment," children did not have specially designed foods.

How is this "experiment" affecting our children? What price do we pay for satisfying taste buds and filling bellies without providing the nutrients for the body?

In short, the human body thrives on real, whole, nutrient-rich foods, not the chemically-laden, nutrient-deficient end products of improving shelf life.

Two years ago, a book titled Crazy Makers, written by Carol Simontacchi, addressed the question of children’s nutritional needs and what happens when those needs are not met. Simontacchi reported on studies that researched the effects of reducing sugar in children’s diets. The studies yielded interesting results. As a whole among subjects studied, students’ performance in academics and behavior improved. Other studies that limited consumption of artificially flavored/colored foods in children’s diets reported similar results. Simontacchi’s book also explains the importance of high-quality proteins and good fats, and highlights the physical and mental consequences of a diet that lacks the essential nutrients that come from whole foods.

Consuming chemically treated and altered foods has become the norm more than the exception. But this is not as nature intended, and while none of us intend to hinder our children’s development, we may be doing this inadvertently through the foods we offer them. Now that we have a century of experience to see the effects of processed foods on our health and well-being, it is time to get back to basics. This can happen by making small, but manageable changes over time. Even small changes in diet can have significant rewards.

I suggest limiting sugar at home. Have sweet snacks and desserts two days a week. On other days, encourage non-sweet snacks and beverages such as cheese, fruit, veggies and dip, homemade popcorn, nuts and water.

Also, eliminate sugar from breakfast, as this meal sets the tone for the day. Try eggs, meat, yogurt, cottage cheese, nut butter on toast and cooked breakfast cereals.

In the weeks and months ahead, I will offer further information on how what we eat impacts our daily health and functioning. "I hope you are in good health — may you thrive in all other ways as you do in the spirit" (3 Jn 2).

O’Brien is a certified nutritional consultant at the MARQ Health Center in Annandale.

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