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