Experts

Topic —  Health,

Good Behaviour Lunchboxes

October 24, 2011
Theresa Albert

What goes into the belly at lunch predicts the afternoon’s behaviour and focus. It is just that simple. The wrong lunch can make the blood sugar soar and then plummet which means mood swings. Nutrition aside (I mean, everyone knows to avoid sweets and stock up on veggies, right?) there is a whole bunch of in-between that you can do to be sure each day is productive. Not just for the kids (and their teacher’s sanity) but for you too.

A good breakfast that contains protein and fibre [http://www.myfriendinfood.com/2011/01/20/best-foods-ever/] will set up a blood sugar level that is sustainable. By lunch, the body wants fuel or it will get sleepy. Sleepy kids turn into either crabby kids or hyper kids, you know which was yours is (could be both). Lunch needs to focus on two things in order to prevent that

1. Slow burning protein as fuel
2. The avoidance of sugar and food colour

Protein provides calories that burn slowly and sustain energy levels. It will also help slow down the body’s uptake of other foods like bread, treats, juice that can cause a blood sugar spike. Here are some good choices:

• Cooked whole wheat tortellini (meat or cheese)
• Roasted chicken or cooked chicken breast in place of lunch meats
• Yogurt
• Cheese strings
• Thermos of soup/stew/chili

The rush obtained from a cookie or juice will quickly dissipate and behaviour won’t be far behind. I am always surprised to hear parents say that they never made the connection. A blood sugar crash is biologically present to turn the body into a bear on the prowl. It is intended to increase the desire to hunt/search/pick food above all other tasks. The trouble is that we don’t cognitively know that’s what we are supposed to do so we just get randomly nasty.

To avoid the crash:

• Avoid packages that contain excessive amounts of sugar, glucose-fructose, liquid invert sugar, corn syrup, etc.
• Bake a few banana loaves, zucchini bread or sweet potato muffins [http://www.myfriendinfood.com/2011/05/02/avoiding-sugar/] on the weekend and freeze them to be packed throughout the week. This ensures that you can control the amount of sugar plus use whole-grain flour which is higher in fibre. The fibre, like protein, also slows down the sugar’s march into the blood stream.

If your child is sensitive, or has behaviour issues at all think about avoiding food colour. Well, really, there is no need to be consuming it at all for any of us but the studies do show that these substances may negatively affect behaviour in specific people.

Avoid any label that contains the word ‘colour’.

In Canada that could mean any one of a number of natural or artificial food colours that have been linked to hyperactivity in children, asthma, skin rashes, and migraines and have been banned in Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium and France. Tartrazine is
one of the specific ingredients that you want to avoid and it may not be listed as such. It is often used to create that yellow or orange tinge in many baked goods.

In other countries including the US, each specific dye that is used needs to be named but right now. In Canada, the legislation does allow just the category ‘colour’ to be listed.

Do you have any success stories to share (or nightmares!) about how a change in diet has affected your child’s behaviour?

Topic —  Health,

Nitrate Debate

February 13, 2012
Theresa Albert

The ‘earth is flat’ food battle of our time is being fought and it’s called ‘nitrates are bad for you’. On the one side is the 10 year-old theory that nitrates in food mix with the bacteria in your gut to create nitrosamines which can lead to cancer. The new science refutes that claim and posits that more than 90% of the nitrates consumed come from otherwise healthy plants (leafy greens are a particularly rich source). If the old theory is true, the new science says it means that the very things meant to protect us from cancer are capable of causing it. But that can’t be right. It’s a head scratcher.

Professor Andrew Jones presented his findings at a food science conference about a year ago. This exercise physiologist explained how nitrate from beetroot juice widens blood vessels, reduces blood pressure and allows more blood flow. (It was verified, by the way, by isolating the nitrate in the juice and retesting. The nitrate-free juice did not have the same effect). They are now studying the effects of this isolated nitrate as a—get this—performance-enhancing drug. Well, that’s a game changer. What about the link to cancer?

The problem with science is that it doesn’t jive with human nature. The scientific method poses a theory and tests it. The conclusions must be retested by other scientists to either prove or disprove the findings, but once a theory is entrenched in the human lexicon, it is almost impossible to remove. The layperson just throws up his hands and says “First you said this, now you say that?! Forget it. I don’t want to listen anymore”. But we have to keep listening and keep letting the new information in if we are going to move ahead. (Just like any other effective relationship.)

The studies on nitrates and their link to cancer are in that process right now. The story is moving in slow-motion, but the questions being raised make enough sense for us to hit pause and listen. If nitrates exist in soil and plants, then why don’t we all have stomach and colorectal cancer? The epidemiological studies based on self-reported diet history indicating that high levels of processed meat consumption and colon cancer cannot prove cause and effect. (The self reporting alone is a terribly flawed way to assess data. It’s that human confounder again.) Epidemiological studies can only raise enough questions that need to be further investigated.

What heats the whole debate up is the use of said nitrites, and nitrates are in deli meats. And no one wants to listen to the producers of ‘Big Food’; we are certainly not going to get our health news from THEM, but they should get a voice in the conversation too. Know that nitrites, as a preservative, are mandated for use in deli meats. In other words, if you make and sell deli meats in Canada, the government says you must use them in your product to prevent other, more pressing problems like deadly bacteria. They can choose from a synthetic source or from a natural source like the vegetables stated above.

As a follower of the story, you want to find the best course of action. It’s more about what you DO in the meantime that matters. Vitamin C in plants helps to prevent the conversion of nitrates to the risky and suspect nitrosamines. Smoked and cured meats have been consumed for millennia and they taste good, nitrites/nitrates and all. So, if you are going to continue enjoying these meats, do so wisely. Choose the best one you can find that has managed the other factors that such a food comes with. Specifically, find the leanest, lowest sodium option made with the highest quality ingredients you can find. Enjoy it in moderation, and eat it with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (and keep reading to figure out whether the earth is round or flat…again).