I picked up this book, Optimum Nutrition for your Child’s Mind at the library in the “new books” section. It is a fascinating book with a ton of scientific and practical information on why kids need healthy food for their brain to develop and function. It also discusses how allergies can factor into the equation. According to the book:
“As many as one in five adults and children, and probably one in three with behavioral problems are sensitive or have an allergic reaction to common foods such as milk, wheat, yeast, and eggs.”1
Optimum Nutrition also explains why healthy fats are so important and how to deal with everything from sleep, anorexia, autism, ADHD to aggression through nutritional intervention. When I started reading this, it was so comprehensive, I thought to myself: “Oh, good! I don’t have to write a book. It’s already been written.” It is well researched and full of graphs and charts and journal citations and it covers so much it can be that “go to” parent book when your child has issues.
1. E. Young et. al, “A Population Study of Food Intolerance,” Lancet 343 (1994): 1127-29: British Society for Allergy and Environmental Medicine, Effective Allergy Practice (1984).