“The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
Anne Wigmore
My previous blog underscored the emphasis on good mitochondrial health. This cannot be achieved without the intentional planning of optimal nutrition for children with special needs. We begin by removing the “bad stuff” and replacing with the “good stuff.” Often when we begin this process, parents need to introduce healthy options by swapping out similar foods with better nutrition before working toward eliminating all the ultra-processed foods in the diet.
Ultra-processed foods are genetically modified foods. These include anything with suspicious ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, sugars, dyes, and emulsifiers. These trans fats that are artificially produced and added to packaged foods to extend the shelf life. They are very toxic to children and adults and often have an addictive component to them. They induce inflammation which is a precursor to most disease and they add to the toxic load in children. Many of these processed foods include frozen pizzas, peanut butter, cakes, crackers, non-dairy creamer, and other pastries and pies to name a few. These foods are comprised of sugar and toxic chemicals; many of which are banned in Europe.
The best way to remedy this is to simply feed your children real food that comes from nature rather than a factory. Whenever you buy food in a bag or a box, become accustomed to checking the ingredients. There should never be more than a few ingredients and you should be able to pronounce them! There are lots of easy recipes out there that your kids will enjoy, and they will not even realize that you have made the swap! As they get older, you can teach them the importance of making healthy choices that not only fuel their bodies but also make them feel amazing!
Start by cleaning out your pantry and refrigerator to only include clean, nutritious foods. Remember this is a marathon not a sprint. Introduce your children to a variety of fruits and vegetables and for “picky eaters” include them in a smoothie. Check the environmental working group (EWG) for the dirty dozen and clean 15 list so you know which of these to buy organic when appropriate. Many of these are sprayed with pesticides that will add to the toxic load so be sure to always wash your fruits and veggies. These foods provide your child with powerful antioxidants needed to build mitochondria, improve gut health, and prevent chronic sickness and infections.
When purchasing meat, strive for organic grass fed and grass finished rather than conventional meat in which the animals are given hormones and antibiotics and fed with grain that has been sprayed with pesticides. When it comes to chicken, strive for non-GMO, organic, and antibiotic and hormone free. Meat from free range chicken is best. This concept also pertains when eating dairy. Conventional dairy products contain ingredients that will harm your child’s microbiome. When selecting fish, choose wild caught over farmed fish. The last thing our kids need is a diet loaded with steroids and antibiotics that will consequently weaken the immune system. When a child mostly eats a processed diet, it becomes a two-edged sword: causing immune dysregulation and further nutritional deficiencies. When gut bacteria (microbiome) are compromised by a poor diet and environmental toxins, it is often difficult to absorb the available nutrients needed to attain optimal health. This results in nutritional deficiencies that negatively impact health.
Hydration is something that seems simple, but it is often neglected. Drinking throughout the day needs to be intentional. Kids need filtered water more than they need dairy or juices etc. Water with added electrolytes as needed can be an extra bonus especially in hot weather, high activity, or sickness. Within the first half hour of waking up in the morning, strive for 8-16 ounces of filtered water for your child since the body is in a state of dehydration after sleeping all night.
We will dig deeper into nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, and “picky eating” in the next blog. Until then, start tossing from your refrigerator and pantry!
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