Mommy, my brain is hungry!

Young kids tell you what they want. The iPad. Angry Birds. Skylanders and Lego Ninjago. American girl dolls and My Little Ponies.  A pop tart. A fruit rollup. Goldfish. Noodles with butter. Sound familiar?

If only they knew what their brains wanted … to help regulate their physical and emotional states. Their pleas might then sound like this: “Mommy, my brain is hungry!  I gotta have some protein to focus. I need some avocado to think of something else before I hit my brother!”

The brain/nutrition link is elementary. The brain runs on neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are made from food, specifically protein. Neurotransmitters are carried on the superhighways between cells that are coated with fat. [Fat, you say? Good fats.] And sugars provide glucose for brain energy.  Complex carbohydrates supply sustained, long-lasting energy; simple, quick burning carbs only give rapid, short-lasting energy, leading to “zoom and crash.”

A parent might as well say,

“Blood sugar, go to your room!”

 

An after-school tantrum can reflect low blood sugar.  Classroom distraction can reflect inadequate intake of quality protein. Poor impulse control can reflect deficiencies and DHA and EPA.  I am no longer content to blame behavioral problems on “psychological” issues when the body may be the problem, or at least part of it. How silly that distinction even sounds… the distinction between mind and body is history.

Parents bring kids to psychologists to help change how their minds work … when it’s children’s bodies that often get them into trouble. The unspoken assumption is that the child mind can control his body, given the proper “tools.” But it’s more and more clear to me ~ we often have to help the body and brain first before I can do much with the mind.

Nothing is more proximal to your child ~ closer to his interior being ~ than what’s in his cells at any given moment.  

… closer than your hug, your touch, your loving words or threatened punishment … closer than therapy interventions. 

 

Over the past 4 years of my practice, my referrals for child psychiatry consults have plummeted.  Why? Because parents are trying nutrition first with profound results. Many kids accept new food routines and even request specific foods at key times. They quickly recognize how different ~ and better ~ they feel.  These children actually start to say, “Mom, I need some protein…” My colleague Jan Katzen, former Montessori teacher and Certified Nutritionist, often says, “I have yet to meet a brain that does not respond to better nutrition.”  Jan is one of my most valued referral sources. Learn more about her at http://www.NutritionforLearning.com.

Do I lose business with all my nutrition referrals?   Sort of! Some kids improve by eating differently and no longer need my services.  But more often, kids come back after a nutritional boost. Then therapy is more efficient and effective. That’s because a child’s brain chemistry and blood sugar is working with me.

Findable, affordable foods could potentially transform your child’s brain and body from dysregulation to balance.  Changing the timing and composition of snacks and meals can make all the difference. Canned black beans, apples with almond butter, stone-ground tortillas, walnuts and cage free eggs can turn around brains and behavior. Not being a nutritionist, I’ll stop there and leave it to the experts.  Picky eater?  Nutritionists of often have sneaky ideas for helping gradually change your child’s palate.

Does changing your child’s diet take some time and money? Yes. So does therapy. Try one, and you may not need the other.