Diet Change Behavior/sleep

I have 3 very active boys. Peanut butter crackers and milk as a bedtime snack always worked wonders for me. The protein in yhe peanut butter help keep them satified all night and there is something in milk (especially warm or room temp.) that helps them settle and get to sleep. Good luck.

The diet of a child can definitely affect how they act. Most foods have high fructose corn syrup which is a very high allergen and can cause a multitude of reactions. Then you have the food dyes which also cause reactions. If you can switch to a more natural diet your child should benefit. Also sometimes a child will lack in calcium and magnesium. You can buy a powdered magnesium and calcium that you mix in water and they drink it. If you give it at bed time it helps them rest.
I don't know how you feel about aromatherapy, but lavender helps one to sleep. Just a couple drops of essential lavender oil on a cotton ball under the pillowcase and you rest much better. You can also put a dab on her forehead between the eyebrow area. Hope all this helps.

M.,
I think diet plays big role in our kids and their behaviors as well as adults. I have a three-year-old girl too. I wanted to mention to you that I was introduced to a product called Isagenix and it changed my life dramatically. My daughter actually takes their nutritional shakes every day. They have over 242 organic nutrients and you can put their servings of vegetable and fruits in it as well. I've hear testimonies of kids getting off their meds, if they're on any, and me personally was able to get off medication. I sleep so much better too. Once I studied how our foods were basically dead due to overprocessed farmlands and sprayed foods, I wanted to do something for my family that would give us the nutrition we needed. Isagenix did that for us and I'm in love with it. It is gluclose free and has no sugars or artifical anything, no preservatives whatsoever. So if you want to know more about it, you can give me a call at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com
I would love to talk to you more about it if you're interested.
Blessings,
S. Graf
Indpendent Isagenix Consultant

My son wasn't sleeping through the night and at age four I took him to my chiropractor (had tried EVERYTHING else) and it worked for him.

Our son has ADHD, and increasing the amount of protein in his diet has helped him sleep and behave better. Usually the snack of choice before bed is yogurt, string cheese, a piece of lunchmeat, not fruit because it has too much sugar before bed. We decreased the items that have red and blue dies. No fruit snacks, too much sugar and coloring. I read an article about diet suggesting that items with bubble gum flavoring can also cause some adverse behavioral systems. Our kids doctor also said that juice should be limited. A pediatric study showed that kids that have 4 ounces of juice a day, are more likely to have adult onset of diabetes. At some point, you may just have to close her door and you get some sleep, we had to after 6 months of no sleep. Good luck, I wish you some zzzzzzzz's.

After my husband had cancer last year at age 26, I started researching what was in our food. I read "If It's Not Food, Don't Eat It" by Kelly Hayford, C.N.C. It is a very entertaining and informative book. Everything is backed up by research. I would definitely recommend reading this book to inform yourself on all the of preservatives, sugar, artificial flavors/colorings, chemicals and additives found in food today, and especially foods that are targeted at children. They can really have an effect on behavior, especially in kids who are sensitive to them.

Whether you notice a difference in your daughter's behavior/sleep or not, this book will give you a new perspective on what you put into your body and your children's bodies. This book helped me learn that a lot of what is in "food" today, really isn't food at all and does not belong in the human body. You may not notice the harmful effects right away, and it's what everybody else is eating, so no one thinks there's anything wrong with the way Americans eat. However, these toxic substances build up over time and cause things like cancer, digestive problems, arthritis, headaches, fatigue, obesity, and a weakened immune system which can lead to more common colds and a number of other illnesses. Most of what we eat today can have an effect even 20 years from now.

This book describes ways of eating healthfully that are easy and doable, even for busy moms and people on a budget. I now look much more closely at what I feed my family. It can also teach your children healthy eating habits that they will hopefully use for a lifetime. I also think the idea about the chiropractor sounds like it's worth a try.

Dr. Sears' website has some good articles on kids and nutrition:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp "Feeding Toddlers: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater" It has good ideas for introducing new, healthy foods to kids, not just toddlers.

and
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040200.asp "ABC's of Teaching Nutrition to Kids" I thought this one was especially good because it teaches parents how to make learning about healthy food fun for kids. It talks about how to educate kids so that they make healthy choices on their own later on and so they know which kinds of food are healthy and why. The only thing I didn't agree with was that he suggested rewards, but everything else was pretty good advice.

Best wishes, and let me know if you have any more questions about nutrition. I have a lot of information. C.

Melatonin. Ask your pediatrician what dose... this is an OTC available at Target/Walgreens etc. My understanding is that Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps to signal the central nervous system to sleep by causing drowsiness. We use this for our daughter, nightly when younger, occasionally now. We have modified her diet with great success instead of medicating her for ASD (Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder). We feel like the diet enabled us to remove the nightly melatonin and only use it maybe once a month or so now. We modified to a Milk free and Wheat free diet.(commonly referred to as GF/CF GlutenFree/Casein Free) The entire family enjoys almost exclusively all natural foods now, a simpler diet of fresh fruits/veggies whole grains and minimal organic meats, food without all the preservatives. My daughter is a straight A student with no para professional help in the public school system, this change was complete after approximately 6 months on the diet. (her sleep patterns and behavior changed completely after 2 weeks) Some children simply don't process anything but more natural foods as well as others and the effects are seen in behavior and sleep patterns.

I definately think diet is important but I was wondering what type of activities you have her in. A dance or swim class might help her to use us some of the energy that might be causing restless sleep. Even as an adult most people who exercise will sleep better at night. You can also check into a multivitamin for kids while your trying to find the right meal plan for your little one. C.

Hi M.,

I don't have children yet, but I do know a lot and hold certifications in health, nutrition and fitness. What she eats can most certainly be an issue! It is soooo important that we all get in as many whole foods as possible. By whole foods I mean what nature gave us, nothing processed or man made. Processed foods are horrible. It amazes me what they allow in our foods. I won't get started on it because it is like opening up pandora's box!! I'm not sure where you live, but I work for a chiropractor and also see a holistic nutritionist that are both amazing!! THey have both helped many children with adhd, autism, colic, different neurological and musculoskeletal disorders and more. What they have done for me I will be forever greatful for. You can contact me at ____@____.com if you are interested. Good luck to you!

H.

My son is almost 8 years & has never slept through the night until now! I started him in the NAET program (3 weeks ago)& we are going on 1 1/2 weeks of sleeping all night! (All night, really!) It's amazing, he wakes up and you can tell he is rested. He is happier & I am hoping I will see an improvement in school soon. It's not cheap, but in the long run (instead of meds & regular dr.s visits) it weighs out to be cheaper. It's not something that you continue forever. I've listed their site below & you can find a list of providers in your area. Hope you find something that works for your family. If you have any direct questions I can be emailed at ____@____.com

http://www.naet.com

I actually went to a workshop for work called 'Practical Strategies and Interventions for Sensory Processing Disorder in Children and Adolescents'. There was a bit during the workshop targeted to improving sleep habits, that would work in any person, regardless of diagnosis (or lack of) or age. Here they are:
1. Exercise for 40 minutes 1 hour before bed.
2. Have a high-protein snack before bed (turkey, chicken, milk, wheat and oats, nut butters, cheese)
3. gentle skin contact (taking long shower or bath, then cool down, possibly have fan in bedroom (65-68 degrees), and possibly use a heavy quilt (downward pressure on the skin). Sleeping bags and possibly even a back rub might give good sensory skin contact.
4. Vision-- anything with slowly moving lights, such as a lava lamp may help induce sleep.
5. hearing-- CD of nature sounds or soft music
Above is a total sensory experience for inducing good sleep habits!! Good luck!!!

M.,

Changing your daughter's and everyone's diet is not unconventional. There is a TON of research out there that proves food additives, sugar, MSG, etc. has a lot to do with our health and behavior. I just wish I would have known this when my kids were smaller. They're now 17 and 13! But the last 5 years I have changed the way we look at food and how we eat and it has made a huge difference in our family on a variety of levels. DH is off his cholesterold meds, son is off of ADHD meds, (I'm now wondering if he really ever had it) and our daughter hasn't seen a doctor in 2 years. When she was 11 she had some weight loss and when I took her to the doctor we found out that she was in the "recovery" phase of mono. She had no other symptoms except a little weight loss!
Needless to say better health through nutrition has become my passion and I feel like it's my honor and obligation to educate others about what I've learned.

I would be happy to talk to you more if you're interested.

Lori Krause, RN, BSN
____@____.com