Back to School: Food for Thought

It’s back to school time.  Can foods help your children stay focused and alert through the school day?  Definitely.  With its stressors of tests, homework, peer pressure, plus the need for attention and alertness that was unnecessary in the summer, the school day requires that kids have the right fuel for their bodies to be at their peak mental alertness. How can parents help?   

Decrease processed foods.  Most of you reading my newsletter know that processed foods are devoid in nutrients, high in sugar and salt, and overall not a good option for children, or adults for that matter.  Processed foods with refined flours and sugars lead to a blood sugar roller coaster, with a spike in the blood sugar followed by a rush. This up and down of blood sugar levels results in poor focus, attention, and mood. Be sure to give your kids nourishing whole foods.  What if your child just isn’t interested in your efforts to change the family meals?  Start slowly by adding in new foods.   When you’ve been eating foods high in salt and artificial flavors, it can take a bit of time for your taste buds to begin to appreciate the healthy flavors of real food.  But, don’t worry, they will.  

Buy the highest-quality foods you can afford, including proteins.  Children are rapidly growing from birth through high school, so provide the best building blocks you can for their bodies.  Seek out organic fruits and vegetables. Pesticides are killing agents.  If they kill living insects, the residue can certainly damage human life.  Children consuming high amounts of pesticides have been shown to have higher rates of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Also important are quality proteins, such as organic and pastured meats, pastured eggs, and organic dairy.  Healthy proteins also help kids maintain their energy throughout the day, leveling out blood sugar imbalances.  Amino acids in protein build neurotransmitters; a low-protein diet causes fewer neurotransmitters and upsets brain chemistry, causing apathy, aggression, and poor concentration.  Neurotransmitter health dictates learning and behavior, and what feeds your child’s brain supports your child’s scholastic and social wellness and achievement.

Incorporate the right fats. Fat is brain food, including essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and saturated fats.  Over half the fat in the brain is saturated, and the nervous system requires saturated fat to function properly. Cholesterol also helps the brain to build serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical.  Low serotonin levels can cause aggression and depression. Low-fat foods often contain excess sugar to make it taste better.  This is a double-edged sword:  fat as part of meals help satiate the body and signal you that you’re full, so a food that is low in fat will be more easily over-eaten. As discussed above, refined sugars wreak havoc with blood sugar levels and cause inattention and lack of focus.  Low-fat, sugary foods are the cause of weight gain, not whole foods eaten with the fat that accompanies them (such as chicken and chicken skin).  Also of note: the lungs require saturated fat to function, and kids who eat little saturated fat have a higher incidence of asthma than those who eat butter and whole milk.  In addition to animal products, saturated fat is found in coconut oil and milk, and palm oil.  

Provide clean water. Water is important for the body’s cells to move toxins, to stay healthy, and to eliminate waste.  Juice, tea, coffee, and sodas are no substitute for water.  Dehydration can cause headaches and lessen attention spans.  A clean water source is also important; most city water supplies are contaminated by cancer-causing agents as a byproduct of the disinfection process, agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), and pharmaceutical drugs containing hormones and other substances.  Filter your water at home, and send a water bottle to school with your child.  

What’s good for kids is good for adults as well!  While you may not be growing in height, your body needs quality ingredients at every age to function at its best.  Keep your brain sharp by eating organically grown produce and whole grains, choosing pastured raised meats and organic pastured dairy if you eat animal foods, and avoiding processed foods.  You have a long life ahead of you; live it to the fullest!    

Local cuisine and outside influences...

I was recently traveling in Sweden and Norway.  I don’t travel abroad as often as I did in my 20s (sigh) but when I do, I make a point of trying the local foods.  What culinary gems are offered by world cultures?  I was in Iceland nearly 11 years ago where we ate lots of herring (pickled, smoked, you name it), lamb, fish, and fresh seafood.  I expected something similar from Iceland’s Scandinavian siblings.  I was not disappointed: fresh fish, reindeer, Swedish meatballs were accompanied by lingonberries and endless potato salad.  Every meal I had was flavorful, fresh, and presented artfully on the plate.  I was always surprised, however, to see how ubiquitous the American contributions to the waistline were.  Not nearly in the density as in the U.S., but the options were there.  Swedes and Norwegians gulped down American soft drinks, dined at American fast food restaurants, and one of the largest restaurants on the Oslo waterfront is an American restaurant chain that has all but disappeared in the Denver area! (Hint: it’s named for the last day of the workweek.)  Why couldn’t we export the good and healthful food ideas the U.S. offers?  Maybe because when people think about American food, the first images that come to mind are fast food, drive thrus, hamburgers, and convenience?  I wanted to tell the diners at these establishments, “Don’t eat there, don’t be like us!  The U.S. leads the world in heart disease and obesity rates because of the crap food we eat.”  But they know, in their heart of hearts, just as you know, that eating nutrient-poor food doesn’t build great health.  It’s the acting on this knowledge that’s key.  Healthy food and traditions don’t have to be tasteless, plain, or fat-free.  My hope is that the siesta of Spain (a rest following a long lunch) and the lengthy French noontime meal will endure in their respective countries, and that those customs of self-care and enjoyment of food will be embraced by other cultures, including the U.S.

In the meantime, I’ll keep scoping out the slowly prepared, delicious dishes that regions and cultures have to offer.