Did you know that there are other foods besides sugar that affect your child’s mood?
Today we are going to talk about 5 foods that most negatively affect it.
Maybe scenario sounds familiar… you know around Halloween and Easter, days when we have all the candy in the world everywhere and all your kid wants is to get into that basket all day long.
For me personally, I can’t wait for this candy craze to end… by hopefully running out and giving them a break from all this sugar.
So what is it so attractive and is it just sugar? You will see in the text bellow that it isn’t.
Us moms intuitively know that certain foods can impact their child’s behavior and mood. We know that sweets, for example, can cause bouts of hyperactivity. The following five foods are the most common contributors to mood and behavioral changes in children. If your kiddos are acting a bit goofy, have you ever thought “What did they eat today!?” If so, you’re not alone.
They are excited and happy for one minute and then moody, cranky and tired later on.
So here are the 5 foods that are mostly affecting your child’s mood.
- If your child is lactose intolerant or allergic to the proteins found in dairy, you may see changes in her mood and behavior. Many children become irritable, cranky, or aggressive. Children with dairy allergies or intolerance also tend to suffer from frequent colds and ear infections. Babies may exhibit colicky symptoms, whereas toddlers and older children may become inconsolable and irritable.
This means that some children act out more than usual after consuming milk, cheese, yogurt, or other food with lots of dairy. Kids with a dairy sensitivity often become congested, bloated, and tired, but those are just the physical symptoms. They might also become irritable, depressed, anxious, and unable to concentrate.
2. Artificial Coloring. Many countries have banned artificial coloring due to the detrimental effects these chemicals have on children. Linked to ADHD, anxiety, hyperactivity, and headaches in children, artificial coloring can also cause significant behavioral changes. Because artificial coloring is in many sugary foods, parents often blame behavioral changes on sugar.
Artificial coloring is often hidden in unexpected foods such as bread and yogurt even pickles. If you’re concerned about your child’s mood swings after consuming food with artificial coloring. Undesirable child behavior and food dye are also often related.
According to Disease Proof, food dyes are found in most processed foods, including cereal, juice, and candy. The dyes that are known for causing symptoms include Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Red 40. Hyperactivity and food dyes have been linked in studies.
That’s probably why synthetic food dyes are actually banned in some countries, such as the UK, but most of the processed food in the US still includes them.
3. Preservatives- may cause behavioral problems in children. They include but are not limited to nitrates, nitrites, and sodium benzoate. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that also causes mood and behavior changes, including headaches and hyperactivity. Sodium benzoate is commonly found in juice products marketed toward children.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is used in a plenty of foods in grocery stores, restaurants, school cafeterias and more. It’s in everything from fast foods, processed meats, frozen meals, soup mixes, salad dressings, to crackers and many other processed foods. MSG, as dangerous as it is, makes food taste good and is dirt cheap, just like sugar.
MSG is an excitotoxin, a type of neurotoxin that essentially excites your brain cells to death. It has profound effects on the mood and behavior in children such as: mood swings, rage reactions, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorders, lethargy, sleepiness and insomnia.
According to neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, MSG crosses the blood/brain barrier and can cause the developing nerve fibers to be mis-wired. Unfortunately, there are numerous pseudonyms for MSG that may appear on ingredient labels that you need to lookout for such as hydrolyzed protein, autolyzed yeast and sodium caseinate.
4. Food Allergens. Common food allergens are dairy, nuts, eggs, soy, and corn. When a child has an intolerance or an allergy to a particular food, it can cause significant health and behavior issues. However, it can be difficult to pinpoint which allergen is making your child sick without the help of an allergist. A food intolerance, for example, is often missed and a child is instead diagnosed with ADHD.
If you notice behavior changes or mood swings in your child, consider keeping a food journal. Track what they eat and when they exhibit concerning behavior. Try eliminating suspicious foods to see if the behavior changes. While food isn’t the cause of all behavioral issues and conditions, it’s important to make sure that your child is not suffering from something that can be easily remedied.
5. Gluten and Irritability
Gluten is another of the food triggers that can lead to bad behavior in kids. Gluten is mostly found in wheat, which means most types of bread, cereal, and crackers contain this common ingredient. Hyperactivity and food with gluten seem to go hand in hand in children with some sensitivity to this food. Irritability and aggressiveness are other bad behaviors that gluten can trigger.
You’re probably now scared as I am because we know we can’t eliminate all of these from your kids diets. But we can do our best to limit them as much as possible. We all want our kids to be healthy and have a good working immune system to protect them.
Because of this I created a free guide 10 Immune Boosting Foods for Kids- They Will Actually Eat. I know I always like ideas for new meals & snacks that are healthy. I know this guide is going to be super helpful to you. I remember the days when my kids were always catching something, having sniffles and running fevers. Now that is a rare occasion since I added these 10 Immune Boosting Foods into their diet. If you’d like those, happy to send them your way, just click the button bellow.
