Problem Behavior…Or Food?
Ever wonder why kids act the way they do?
Often it is their temperament, sometimes it’s our parenting style, and occasionally it’s the food they eat. Got a tot who seems fidgety? It may be too much red food coloring or sugar in his system. Traces of these additives are everywhere, even in margarine and toothpaste! Manufacturers put a red coloring into margarine to change it from drab white to eye appealing yellow. Sweeteners are put in most toothpastes. Read ingredients listed on the package and try to decrease these non-nutritives from food sources. Then increase your little one’s B vitamins, and see if his jumpiness subsides.
Bed-wetting accidents make you and your child fretful?
That yummy chocolate cake and sips of soft drinks may be the culprits. Caffeine, found in chocolate and many beverages, can trigger urinary incontinence. Combine this with a youngster’s immature bladder — about half of the three-year-old population wet the bed and 12% of six-year-olds still do — and you have additional problems. During the early years when little muscles are gaining control, ease off giving your child caffeine
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Are nighttimes a nightmare?
If you’re worn out with a child who constantly wakes in the night, discuss it with your pediatrician. Frequent insomnia could be a medical issue. It can also be your parenting response. Your pediatrician can rule out annoyances that cause nighttime waking such as pinworms or other problems. If your child gets a clean bill of health, then offer a bit more protein and calcium near the bed hour. A slice of cheese or cup of yogurt may have enough protein and calcium to produce relaxation. Then you and your wee one enjoy some much-needed zees. Some studies suggest that calcium may help with the stress of allergies, which causes frequent wakings.
Does your kid say she brushed her teeth but you smell a lie?
Rather than argue, know that chronic bad breath may be a throat infection or poor dental health. First, talk with your pediatrician about these two reasons. If there’s no cause, then consider a food fermenting in the intestines. In youngsters, food that isn’t being digested correctly may ferment and the odor escapes out the mouth. To keep halitosis out of your house, start a dietary diary to identify the “problem” chow. If you can isolate and eliminate it you may end the bad breath. Also increase vitimin-rich B, C, and E foods, which may help the body detoxify. It’s vital that we watch our children’s behavior and try to discern if what they’ve eaten is eating us. Regulating the foods in your home and lifestyle could help avoid some behavior problems. Then you will enjoy a better relationship with your child.
* The source for much of the nutrition information in this article is Foods for Healthy Kids, by Dr. Lendon Smith.
