(Note- please read to the end for a special announcement!)
How does food (and metabolism) drive our mood, cognitive and mental health, and how do we optimise our childrens ability to learn, focus, and sustain their concentration? Do you find that your child has a meltdown when they come home from school, or finds it hard to get to sleep at night? Read on to see how nutrition may be the key...
Foods to support mood & energy: If you find that your child is having meltdowns after periods of energy output, has difficulty focussing, or experiences anxiety or energy crashes in the early afternoon, it is a sign that they have blood sugar imbalance, so get a good amount clean protein in the diet - swap out the post school chocolate bar for some trail mix, a hemp/ almond milk smoothie, homemade apple crisps or even a little soup in a Thermos flask (I used to do this all the time when my family were deep in our gut healing journey) -the aim is the keep the blood sugars balanced by eating foods low in sugar, and rich in protein or fat and nutrient dense to satisfy hunger.
Foods to calm anxiety - if your child is experiencing anxiety and there is no obvious external source, it may be alleviated by tweaking the diet. Protein is broken down into amino acids which are the building blocks for neurotransmitters like calming GABA, or Acetylcholine. (If your childs mind is racing - low GABA is usually the culprit). Eating a good quality protein each day is important for your growing child. Soaked legumes (if their digestion is robust), eggs, chicken, fish, lamb or even wild meats - these are all fantastic protein sources.
Foods to support focus & concentration:The brain is made up of 60% fat, and so for brain & nervous system health - Its important to include a source of high quality fat in yours and your developing Childs diet - bone marrow, butter, full fat yogurt, dripping - you get the picture! eating a good quality fat helps the fat soluble vitamins (A, D , E & K) to be absorbed through the cell wall.
Reducing refined or ultra processed foods is important as (along with other issues) these can strip the body of essential nutrients like Zinc (a key mineral in mental health, and one of the more common deficiencies I see in anxiety and ADHD)
Refined foods typically contain alot of sugar, and is devoid of nutrition - so after the sugar rush, comes a crash, and a feeling of irritability and hunger! I (and my clients) find that feeding my family nutrient dense foods, and avoiding sugar means that they have more stable energy, better moods, less mood swings and better concentration stamins/ brain energy.
If you would like more regular support to nourish your family with nutrition, I am launching Family Wellness Hub TOMORROW! (Sign Up Here https://full-spectrum-health-with-ella.circle.so/checkout/family-wellness-hub
Family Wellness Hub a membership space created exclusively for families with children experiencing anxiety, eczema, mood, sleep or development / behaviour/concentration issues and who's parents want to understand how to heal from the inside out. We will look at topics like fussy eating, meltdowns, sleep issues, energy , and support parents from a coaching and nutritional perspective.
You will receive:
Recipes tailored for childrens development (sugar, gluten and cows milk free)
Live calls each Tuesday 12-1:30 GMT
Q&A sessions
Discounted lab tests
The support of a nutritional therapist at a fraction of the cost
Access to my Nervous System Regulation sessions to soothe the whole family
Resources, recommended reading lists etc
and a Village of support while you walk this path to wellness with your family!
Please reply to this email if you have any questions!
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