Optimum Nutrition for Your Child’s Mind
All parents have an instinct to help their children be all they can. We want our children to
be happy, intelligent and resourceful, with the full range of life skills they’ll need to live
productively and well. That is what childhood is all about. We teach our children how to
eat, how to walk and talk, how to get the most out of what they’re learning at school. We
give them as much love and attention as we can to enable them to develop physically,
mentally, and emotionally. We read books about parenting and we try not to make the
same mistakes our parents made. We struggle over choosing the right school to support
our child through the process of becoming an adult and finding their way in the world.
But through all of this, do we really take into account the fact that every step a child takes
– whether it’s their first toddle on the kitchen floor or their sudden plunge into emotions
and relationships as teenagers – depends on how well their brain is working? And that, in
turn depends in large part on how well their brain is nourished? If there is a difference
between the learning and behavior of kids who eat junk food with abandon and those who
are following the so-called ‘well balanced diet’ what is that difference, why is there a
difference and what exactly should you, as a parent, be feeding your child? Many
research studies show that simple changes in nutrition can have profound effects for your
child. Optimum nutrition can help your child reach their full potential, and not just
children with autism, hyperactivity, or behavioral problems. Optimum nutrition can
sharpen up your child’s mind and mood even if you feel they are doing ‘all right’.
 Food directly affects how your child thinks and feels because their brains (and
yours) are made of it.
 There are five essential brain foods: slow-release carbohydrates, essential fats,
phospholipids, amino acids, and vitamins and minerals.
 An optimum intake of these is essential for maximizing your child’s potential.
 There are five ‘anti-nutrients’, substances that can disrupt fats, certain chemical
food additives, toxic minerals and food allergies.
 Optimum nutrition means achieving the right intake of the five essential brain
foods:
 Balanced blood sugar- the brain’s super fuel
 Essential fats- Omega 3 and Omega 6- Children deficient in essential fats have
more learning difficulties, while children who are breastfed have higher IQ’s at
age eight than bottle-fed babies, which is thought to be due to the higher levels of
fats in breast milk
 Phospholids-memory molecules that give “oomph” to the brain.
 They are the ‘intelligent’ fats in our brains. They are found in fish, eggs, and
organ meats.
 Amino acids- the brain’s messengers.
 Nutrients such as amino acids help to tune up you child’s brain.
 Vitamins and mineral- the intelligent nutrients that keep the brain in tune.
Essential fats – Every type of intelligence – IQ,(Your child’s ability to perform in this
world depends upon a balance of mental, emotional, and physical intelligence. EQ
(emotional intelligence) and PQ (physical intelligence which is about brain-body
coordination.
Phospholipids- are the insulation experts, helping make up the myelin sheath that covers
all nerves, and promoting a smooth run for all the signals in the brain. They make the
brain sing, enhancing your child’s mood, mind and mental performance.
Amino acids – Adrenalin, noradrenalin and dopamine make us feel good, stimulating us
and helping us deal with stress. GABA counteracts these stimulating neurotransmitters,
by relaxing us and calming us down after stress. Serotonin keeps us happy, improving our
mood and banishing the blues. Acetylcholine keeps our brain sharp improving memory
and mental alertness. Tryptamines keep us connected. For example, melatonin keeps us
in sync with day and night and the season. Eating protein every day will help ensure
adequate intake of amino acids.
General Guidelines for Brain Fats
•Provide plenty of seed and nuts- the best seed are flax, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower and
sesame. You get more goodness out of them by grinding them first and sprinkling them
on cereal, soups, and salads.
•Choose coldwater fish such as wild/organic salmon two or three times a week. This
provides a good source of omega-3 fats.
•Avoid fried food and processed food.
•Choose fish oil to supplement omega-3 fats and evening primrose oil for omega-6 fats.
General Guidelines for Optimal Phospholipids
 Add a tablespoon of lecithin granules to your child’s cereal everyday.
 Give your child an egg for breakfast- preferably free-range, organic, high in
omega -3s and lightly boiled, poached or scrambled, but definitely not fried
 Or supplement a brain food formula providing phosphatidyl choline and
phosphatidyl serine, especially if your child is having learning problem.
Connection of Food and Behavior
 Foods affect neurotransmitters: foods become neurotransmitters. In fact, most
fundamental processes of mental activity involve ordinary foods we eat daily.
 Foods protect against damage from a polluted environment. Poor nutrition makes
children vulnerable to toxic environmental hazards to the brain, how long they
remain there depends upon vitamin status. Subtle vitamin deficiencies slow the
body’s excretion of harmful burdens of heavy metals.
 Recent evidence shows that food additives interfere with behavioral control and
sleep and increase somatic complaints and allergic-like symptoms in young
children.
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General Guideline to Help with Nutrition to Feed Your Child’s Brain
 Choose whole foods- whole grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, and
vegetables. Vegetable should include all leafy greens, broccoli, green beans,
lentils, potatoes, spinach.
 Choose fresh fruit such as black cherries, blueberries, figs, pineapple, prunes,
strawberries, melons: infrequently bananas.
 Choose whole grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, millet, rye, oats, whole
wheat, corn or quinoa in cereal, breads and pasta.
 Avoid overly processed foods.
 Avoid refined ‘white’ foods- white flour, white sugar, white salt- these are know
as ‘white death’ to your body.
 Avoid sugar and foods containing sugar. This means anything with added
glucose, sucrose, and dextrose, and fructose (HFCS). Don’t be tempted to go for
sugar substitutes- most are detrimental to health and they all keep sugar cravings
alive. The sugar substitutes have been tagged with the name ‘Sweet Poison’.
 Combine protein foods with carbohydrate foods by giving cereals and fruit with
nuts or seeds, and ensuring your child eats carbohydrate-rich foods (potatoes,
pasta, brown rice) with protein-rich foods such as fish, chicken, lentils, and
beans. As fiber is important for slowing sugar absorption, make sure your child is
getting ample fiber in fruits and vegetables.
 Choose real fresh fruit juices and dilute them 50/50. Steer clear of the highly
processed kind with a long shelf life.
 Encourage your child to eat breakfast.
 Help your child avoid caffeinated food and drinks, such as chocolate, tea and
coffee. NO Sodas.
 Avoid foods that contain hydrogenated fats
 Choose free-range, organic and omega-3 rich eggs.
 Steaming vegetable is the best cooking method as they retain more nutrients than
boiled and are healthier than fried.
 Many children will happily eat raw vegetables rather than cooked. You could
provide these as pre-dinner snacks.
Fruit Juice May Cause Restlessness in Infants
 Fruit juices that contain sorbitol or high levels of fructose as sweeteners may
cause restlessness, gas and stomach distress in infants.
 The sweeteners may cause problems in babies because young children often have
difficulty breaking down carbohydrates, including these sugars.
 In this study the authors note that a juice manufacturer’s survey found that 90% of
infants drink some type of fruit juice by 1year of age.
 The study can be found in the “Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
1999: 153: 1098-1102 Research Article. It is wonderful to see this problem being
documented in traditional medical journals. Unfortunately, they are not seeing
the big picture. The study focuses on the relatively minor issue of bowel pain due
to the fructose and sorbitol fermentation in the gut.
 What the researchers and most all of traditional medicine fails to recognize is that
the sugars in fruit juice contribute to major distortions of insulin balance which
leads to hormone and neurotransmitter shifts which increases a child’s risk for ear
infection, ADHD and allergies.
 I believe that fruit juice and milk are two of the most misunderstood foods in our
culture. Most people believe they are health foods, while the opposite is true.
 One of the easiest and most powerful steps that someone can take is to switch all
of their fluids over to pure water.
Fructose Is No Answer for a Sweetener (HFCS)
The consumption of fructose (High Fructose Corn Syrup) has risen considerably in the
general population within recent years. In 1980 the average person ate 39 pounds of
fructose and 84 pounds of sucrose. In 1994 the average person ate 66 pounds of sucrose
and 83 pounds of fructose. This total of 149 pounds is approximately 19% of the average
person’s diet. This increase is due to several factors. The decreased use of cane and beet
sugar in processed foods and a widespread use of corn syrup due to economics are only
two factors. Corn is cheaper than table sugar and twice as sweet as. Today approximately
25% of our average caloric intake comes from sugars, with the larger fraction as fructose
HFCS is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. It is cheap to produce,
sweet, and easy to store. It is used in everything from bread to pasta sauces to
bacon to beer as well as in “health products” like protein bars and “natural”
sodas.
Today fructose is not only being used by some diabetics but is used for a variety
of foods, drinks and confectionery around the world. It is used for diabetics,
desserts for weight watchers, drinks for the sportsman and jelly for the health
conscious.
The following is a list of factors concerning fructose or High Fructose Corn
Syrup:
1.
Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins, or minerals and robs the body of its
micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use.
2.
Fructose browns food more readily (Maillard reaction) than with glucose. This
may seem like a good idea, but it happens with any sugar. With fructose it
happens even seven times faster than with glucose, results in a decrease in
protein quality and a toxicity of protein in the body. The Maillard reactions
between proteins and fructose, glucose, and other sugars may play a role in
aging.
3.
Research showed that in subjects that had healthy glucose tolerance and those
that had unhealthy glucose tolerance, fructose caused a general increase in both
the total serum cholesterol and in the low density lipoproteins (LDL) in most of
the subjects. This puts a person at risk of heart disease.
4.
Fructose is absorbed primarily in the jejunum (a section of the small intestine)
and metabolized in the liver; then it is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a
greater rate than glucose. The liver cannot convert all of the excess of fructose
in the system and it may be malabsorbed. Diarrhea can be a consequence.
5.
A study of 25 patients with functional bowel disease showed that pronounced
gastrointestinal distress may be provoked by malabsorption of small amounts of
fructose.
6.
Fructose is not metabolized the same as other sugars. Instead of being
converted to glucose which the body uses, it is removed by the liver. Because
it is metabolized by the liver, fructose does not cause the pancreas to release
insulin the way it normally does.
7.
Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. This may be one of the
reason Americans continue to get fatter.
8.
Fructose inhibits copper metabolism. A deficiency in copper leads to bone
fragility, defects of the connective tissue, arteries and bone, and an inability to
control blood sugar levels.
9.
There is continuing increase in sugar consumption in the U.S. We now eat 153
pounds of sugar per person per year. This increase is mostly in the form of
fructose.
Effect of Fish Oil on Learning
 A recent study revealed that 40% of children showed significant improvements in
reading and spelling when given fish oil supplements. (Fish oils contain omega-3s
that are essential for brain development and function, but such oils are lacking in
modern processed diets.
 Researchers studied close to 120 British children (ages 5-12) who were judged to
be normal but were labeled underachievers and believed to have dyspraxia-a
condition encompassing problem with motor skills and coordination that
frequently overlaps with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and
autism.
 Half of the children analyzed were give fish oil supplements over three months,
while the other half were give placebos of olive oil. After three months, the
placebo group was also given the supplements. Children who took fish oil
supplements made about three times the amount of progress in their reading skills
than those who took the placebo. Similar boosts in progress were then found in
the placebo group when switched to active supplements.
 None of the children involved in the study were labeled “ADHD”, though onethird of them demonstrated “symptoms” that could have put them in the category.
However, after three months of taking fish oil, half of them showed significant
improvements that no longer would have been diagnosed as “ADHD”. This
research information was obtained from “Pediatrics, May 2005, Vol.115, No
5:1360-1366.
Note: Mothers can help insure that their infants get the omega-3 fats necessary by
having an adequate supply of it in their own diets.
Food Additives and Your Child
 New research is now appearing that shows the link between consumption of food
additives by children and ADHD. An online article published in “The Lancet” in
September 2007 found that artificial food coloring and additives commonly
located in children’s food exacerbate hyperactive behaviors in children. The
study consisted of 153, 3 year olds and 144, 8 & 9 year olds. Analysis was based
on observation, plus computerized test of attention for the 8-9 year old children.
 Depending on the child’s sensitivity, food additives cause biochemical imbalances
in the body which strongly influences the way the brain functions.
 There are more that 5,000 additives in our food supply making it almost
impossible t o completely eradicate them from our diets.
 Limit the intake by preparing meals containing whole foods and by reading labels
to identify ingredients shown to exacerbate symptoms.
 A study conducted by the UK’s government Food Standards Agency (FSA) found
a definite link between food additives and behavior problems in children, such as
temper tantrums and poor concentration.
 See Link on right side of page for “Top 15 Additives to Avoid”
Food Sensitivities and Reactions
Food reactions include:
1. IgE (immunoglobulin type E) allergies, the most severe, but least common,
type of food reaction.
2. IgG (immunoglobulin type G) sensitivities, which are much more common then
classic allergies, but usually less severe.
3. Intolerances, which are not caused by the immune system, but by chemical
reactions. They are very common, and can cause serious symptoms. The signs
and symptoms of each of these three food reactions may be similar, and may
include the following:
 Congestion of the nose, sinuses, and throat. Infection may accompany
chronic congestion.
 Gastrointestinal problems, including bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation,
nausea, or vomiting.
 Watery, glassy eyes, puffiness around the eyes; dark circles under the
eyes; or a horizontal crease just under the eyes.
 Perspiration for no apparent reason, or night sweats.
 Ear infection triggered by congestion; or red, warm earlobes.
 Dizziness, vertigo, or poor balance.
 Headaches, migraines, or tension in the neck and shoulders resembling
that of stress tension.
 Eczema, skin rashes, or canker sores.
 Coughing, sneezing, wheezing, asthmatic symptoms.
 Muscle aches, leg cramps, or twitchy legs.
 Cognitive problems, including poor focus, poor memory, or brain fog.
 Insomnia, restless sleep, or chronic bedwetting.
 Negative behavioral symptoms associated with autism and ADHD,
including hyperactivity, disassociate behavior, tantrums.
Top 4 food sensitivities are: Cow’s Milk (Casein protein in Cow’s Milk different than
other proteins in other animal milks), Wheat/Gluten, Soy, Eggs. Ask for an IgG when
you get the IgE blood tests! IgG test for food sensitivities, a chronic issue often missed!
Refined White Flour
 Today, the nutritious portions of the grain are sold off to health food stores and
supplement manufacturers, so in effect, we pay for the same grain two to three
times in the form of flour, fiber to combat constipation, and finally quite a few
number of nutritional deficiencies in white flour when compared to its stone
ground counterpart. The following are just a few:
 Zinc, which naturally occurs in the outer portions of the grain, is milled away in
the production of white flour. Any cause of a zinc shortage in the body is a cause
for concern. This very important mineral is a catalyst to many enzymatic and
hormonal functions, not to mention being essential to protein syntheses and
reproduction.
 White flour contains on 13% of the chromium, 9% of the manganese, and 19% of
the iron that is contained in whole wheat. Due to the fact that many of the B
vitamins are concentrated in part of the grain, white flour is deficient in B
vitamins.
 White flour does not contain the germ of the wheat, which is a potent source for
vitamin E deficiency in those whose diet is inadequate for vitamin E sources.
 Research shows that since as long ago as the 1950a, conventionally farmed
American grains have been low in protein quality and quantity. So much so, that
whenever the U.S. tried to give its surplus grains away to countries with starving
populations, THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT OUR GRAINS IF ANY OTHER
COUNTRY WAS OFFERING THEIRS. They found that deficient U.S. grains
did little to maintain or improve the health of the starving
 So the next time you go to buy “enriched flour” remember most of the vitamins
and minerals have been extracted.
 After 130 years of consuming highly processed grains in the form of breads,
pastries and cereals, chronic disease states are rampant among most industrialized
nations, with the greatest prevalence in England, which has the greatest
consumption of white flour, white sugars and tea per capita. Unfortunately, the
U.S. IS A VERY STRONG SECOND.
Nutrients Needed by Almost Every Child
 Vitamin C. This nutrient is of special benefit to autistic kids, as well as ADHD,
Allergies, and Asthmatics. It reduces harmful oxidants. Oxidative stress damages
brain cells. Helps balance levels of dopamine. Helps balance amino acids
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phenylalanine and tyrosine which are important for physical and mental energy
and have a direct impact upon the brain. Helps form L-carnitine which helps
metabolize fatty acids. Helps balance hormone levels particularly those of
oxytocin, vasopressin, and cholecystokinin. Oxytocin is important for emotional
bonding. Helps with immunity. Helps decrease and prevent and prevent
constipation.
Vitamin E. Primarily used therapeutically to boost several important metabolic
functions: Important antioxidant. Potentiates the effect of methy-B-12. Boost
sulfation. Helps prevent essential fatty acids from being oxidized. Helps restore
damaged cells in the liver. Helps protect against the damage done by saturated
and oxidized fats. Helps boost immunity.
Zinc: Zinc is vital for proper cognitive function, but it is typically deficient among
autistics. In one study of autistics, 85 percent had low zinc.
Low zinc impairs digestion, methylation and the immune response.
Low zinc can contribute to excessive levels of copper, which can be neurotoxic.
Zinc deficiency often occurs because of GI dysfunction, which is then
exacerbated by low zinc, in a vicious cycle. This cycle is common among
autistics.
One advantage of giving zinc that it tends to increase the desire of autistic kids to
eat a wider range of foods, in contrast to their usual limited preferences.
Calcium and Magnesium: these two minerals should be taken together because
they work in tandem. Calcium is an important element in hormonal activities. It’s
good for bones, and is also known for having calming effect in some children.
(Natural Calm) Magnesium and B6 should be taken together with calcium to help
balance magnesium’s effects. Magnesium is often low in children with
behavioral, cognitive and mood disorders.
Cod Liver Oil-rich in vitamin D, vitamin A, and essential fatty acids. It has so
many important ingredients, all of which are present in balance, it is usually better
to give cod liver oil than isolated forms of the nutrients that are in it.
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that promote good digestion, and help control
dysbiotic gut flora, such as candida. Probiotics are of special importance for any
child who has recently taken antibiotics, which kill both good and bad gut bacteria
and can therefore destroy the healthy flora that the GI system needs. (See link to
Leaky Gut Syndrome)
Honest Food Guide
 The Honest Food Guide empowers consumer with independent information about
foods and health you can see as you study the handout.
 It is a replacement chart for the USDA’s official food guide pyramid. In the
spring of 2005, the USDA came out with a new food guide to replace the old food
groups/food guide pyramid that had been around for decades. The USDA paid
$2.5 million to a PR/marketing group to help design this new food guide pyramid
and that group is best known for doing work for the dairy industry. Guess what!?
It says we should drink a lot of milk.
 The Honest Food Guide is built to benefit you.
 Healthy way of eating-food with nutrition, not empty calories.
 Get more information about the Honest Food Guide at www.honestfoodguide.org,
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A Campaign for Real Milk
The source of most commercial milk is the modern Holstein, bred to produce
huge quantities of milk-three times as much as the old-fashioned cow. She needs
high-protein feed and antibiotics to keep her well.
Her milk contains high levels of growth hormones from her pituitary gland, even
when she is spared the indignities of genetically engineered Bovine Growth
Hormone to push her to the “udder” limits of milk production.
Most milk comes from dairy cows that are kept in confinement their entire lives
and never see green grass.
Soy meal in commercial feed has the wrong protein profile for the dairy cow,
resulting in a short burst of high milk production followed by premature death.
Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminished vitamin content, denatured fragile
milk proteins destroys vitamins C, B12, and B6, kills beneficial bacteria,
promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic
in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, and heart disease.
Inspection of dairy herds for disease is not required for pasteurized milk.
Homogenization is a process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not
rise to the top.
Low-fat and skim milk are not good for anyone. Only by marketing low-fat and
skim milk as health foods can the modern dairy industry get rid of its excess poorquality, low-fat milk from modern high-production herds.
Powdered skim milk, a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic
amino acids, is added to 1% and 2% milk.
Low fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them
body.
Butterfat contains vitamins A and D needed for assimilation of calcium and
protein in the water fraction of the milk. Without them protein and calcium are
more difficult to utilize and possibly toxic.
Butterfat is rich in short-and medium-chain fatty acids, which protect against
disease and stimulate the immune system. It contains glycospingolipids, which
prevent intestinal distress, and conjugated linoleic acid, which has strong
anticancer properties.
Average butterfat content from old-fashioned cows at the turn of the century was
over 4% (or more than 50% of calories). Today butterfat comprises less than 3%
(or less than 35% of calories).
Foods and Your Child’s Brain
 What children eat can profoundly shape the course of the brain’s growth, its
functions, and its capabilities.
 Children’s brains are actively changing, dynamic structures, strongly influenced
by what, how much, and when they eat.
 Food nurtures the brain, providing key nutrients and energy for growth.
 F Food changes the moods of the brain, both through the pleasure it affords and
by its chemicals.
 Food alerts as well as calms the brain.
 Food is part of human culture, habits, and lifestyles.
 Important new understanding now exists about the ways that food changes
behavior, mood, and mental proficiency in children; and how human behavior in
turn affects nutrition.
 Foods can enhance problem-solving ability, optimize alertness, and improve
mood and behavior.
Examples of SI issues related to nutrition
Sensitive to sounds (auditory defensiveness): lack of magnesium in diet.
Poor motor coordination, delayed motor skills:
lack of L-Carnitine, Essentia Fatty Acids, Vit. A to name a few…
Sensitive to touch (tactile defensiveness):
lack of EFA’s (Omega 3’s), Vit. A & D (Cod Liver Oil),
magnesium usually.
Poor Attention: EFA’s (Omega 3’s), magnesium
Poor Bowel functions/picky eater: Probiotics, Cod Liver Oil, EFA’s, magnesium,
digestive enzymes
Quick Review
Do not have these foods in your home as a choice:
1 Foods your child is sensitive to or allergic to
2 Foods with processed chemicals ~ more than 5 ingredients or words that aren’t
natural! Read labels
3 NO white sugar, high fructose corn syrup or any corn syrups in ingredients.
4 Foods with white flour, enriched flour, bleached flours, etc. Whole grains only.
5 NO foods or drinks with artificial colors or flavors.
6 NO MSG…often called “artificial flavor” proven to be a neurotoxin!
7 NO Artificial sweeteners…only honey, cane sugar, or Stevia as a sweetener is
safe.
8 Increase opportunities to eat whole foods, put out muffin tins or trays of raw fruits
and veggies when home.
9 Follow the HONEST food Guide for real health
10 Increase protein ~ turkey, chicken, nut butters, smoothies with protein, protein
bars (Odwalla)
11 Increase Purified WATER intake; keep pitchers out and water bottles out as often
as possible, car, home, school!
12 Essential Fatty Acids are ESSENTIAL!!!! Omega 3’s cannot be out of a child or
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adult’s diet without harm to the brain and body! 1 gram and up a day depending
on age! Purified forms only.
Whole food multivitamins
Vit A & D in Cod Liver Oil purified
Magnesium
Consult with a nutritionist regarding needs for other supplements and amounts,
digestive enzymes, Probiotics, etc.
Consult with a nutritionist regarding needs for other supplements and amounts,
digestive enzymes, Probiotics, etc.
See Beryl & Dr. Bernui PLEASE if disorder is pervasive!
Overwhelmed????????
So, you now know the importance more than ever of good nutrition, eating fruits,
vegetables, nuts, and proteins and decreasing carbohydrates. You think you can do the
supplements and vitamins by using powders in capsules, creams, liquids hidden in foods
or smoothies. But What about your picky eater? How are you going to get the 7-11
fruits and veggies in daily? First, What is a picky eater?
Picky Eaters vs. Problem Eaters
Picky eater: decreased variety of foods less than 30 foods. Foods lost
due to burn out regained after 2 weeks, able to tolerate new foods on
plate, touch, and taste. Eats at least 1 food of each texture, adds new
foods after 15-25 tries or seeing the food.
Problem eater: less than 20 foods eaten, foods not regained once
burned out, falls apart when presented with new foods, refuses entire
category of textures, adds new foods in more than 25 tries.
SOS feeding therapy helps both groups.
Why are they a Picky or Problem Eater?
Physical: pain, discomfort, nausea, stool issues, allergies, food sensitivities,
intolerance to certain foods: Must get tested!!!!!
Motor: delayed self feeding, over stuffing, choking, delayed chew, tongue,
swallow coordination: must get oral motor therapies!!!!
Sensory: texture hypersensitivity, oral hypersensitivity, oral aversion, sensory
processing problems, auditory (hurts to hear the crunching sounds, or the
sounds in the meal room), too stimulating: must get OT!
Behavioral: hyperactive, low frustration tolerance, highly distractible, need for
routine, impaired social interactions. If they can’t sit in a chair any other time,
why would they sit there to eat for 15 minutes or longer? OT and Behavior
therapies help!
Impaired social skills: eating meals is very social, they have to answer questions,
look at others, possibly touch one another... Usually helped by adapting the
environment, calming techniques, sensory diet.
Malnutrition: 99% of our children and adults are malnourished in US, this
causes us to be pickier eaters, craving sugar and carbs! Need more whole
foods, fruits and veggies for the body to crave more!
General Treatment Ideas
General TX strategies: with any child these can be done!
Social modeling: the family eating together, not the child eating separately from
the adults or other children. Have the family come for last part of the meal, so
there is an overlap of time together if SI issues.
Structure meal and snack times: Sit down for eating together at set times in the
day.
Manageable foods: look at the plate; don't put more than 3 foods at a time, 1
tbsp for each year of age and no more! They become visually
overwhelmed!
Positive reinforcement: don’t say “don’t”, say “do this”... Don’t ask, “do you
want…” say, “YOU CAN EAT….” Don’t let the child have a “no”
answer…Eliminate choices and don’t give in!!!!
Appropriate mealtime language: words mean a lot, don’t beg them to take foods
(they will take control and say “no”) children with disabilities will control with
their mouth.
Prevent Food Jags
Prevent “food jags”: real problem with these children...eat the same thing over and over,
all of a sudden they stop eating that food and never go back to that food. When it comes
back they see it as all new food again, so they get smaller diets. Suggested that from
early on, do not give the same food more often, every other day, and change the foods
shape, what is with it, etc. Make sure that they never see the package that the food comes
in, so that they won’t associate foods with packages as “safe” they will associate safe
foods by just seeing the food, not the package. Avoid stress responses and giving in
because of stress…take control!
Environment and Role Modeling
Steps to eating: Introduce food in play away from meal time first...one food at a
time...
29 steps to eating a new food! WOW!
Role modeling and good eating behaviors are vital from parents!
1. Tolerate: the food is in the room with them, the food is on the other side of
the table, with food in front of the table, look at the food directly in front of
food, new food is next to “safe foods”.
2. Interact: assists in preparation, shopping to hold it, choose it at store, don’t
go in parts of store with poor foods (outer aisles best), uses utensils to stir or
play with the food, uses utensils or containers to serve self.
3. Smells: tolerates being near the smell
4. Touches: play time!
5. Taste: spit bucket handy
6. Eat & swallow, often with safe foods or as snack time choice.
Has your child seen you eat broccoli 29 times yet? Or French fries 100
times?
Another helper I use: Juice Plus
A current client as an example: food sensitivities, casein sensitive, runny noses,
frequent sinus infections, frequent ear infections, leaky gut, picky eater…
HAD to take out all forms of casein to see big results, sensory wasn’t enough, good diet
wasn’t enough, supplements used, had to take out the food stressor. HAD to supplement
with a fruit and vegetable supplement. Was spending $30 a month just on a good
vegetable supplement.
Parents now spending $22 a month on Fruit and Vegetable gummies!
Contact me if interested in Juice Plus at srpcoaching.com