They are what you feed them
Author: Dr. Alex Richardson
HarperCollinsPublishers. Ltd.; 2006; ISBN-13 978-0-00-718225-1

At least the past two generations should have had it, and now it’s finally here.  “It” is a book for parents, parents-to-be, students, teachers, school and prison administrators, educational physiologists, and anyone who cares, or should care, about what they and others are eating. 

They Are What You Feed Them will answer many questions concerning how what we eat can influence our personalities as well as our physical bodies. A Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, UK, founding director of FAB (Food and Behaviour) Research, and a former teacher, Dr. Alex Richardson is one of the world’s leading experts on the effect of nutrition on psychological phenomena.  Always interested in the practical benefits of her investigations, she works closely with educational and health practitioners as well as support groups and charities, such as the Autism Treatment Trust and the Dyslexia Research Trust.  She says that she has written this book to share her discoveries on how diet can affect children’s behaviour, learning and mood, and that although they are relevant to all children, she has found that these findings may be especially important to those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Dr. Richardson tells us that the material for her book comes not only from rigorous scientific research, but also from anecdotal evidence provided by persons who deal with LD students on a regular basis, and especially from mothers.   Why?  In addition to the fact that many mothers have done their own extensive research to find out what works best for their own children, the lack of professional investigation is amazing:

Truly independent research looking into how food can affect behaviour really has been extraordinarily limited, because, apart from a few charitable trusts, nobody has been prepared to fund this kind of work.  There is just no profit in it for the companies – and Government agencies and other conventional funding bodies have been either too blind, too conservative, or maybe too much ‘under the influence’ to look into this rather important area. (p. 27)

But while important to the improvement of individual lives, this book is vitally important to the improvement and safety of society itself. Better diets can reduce anti-social behavior.  Various studies done in prisons have revealed the following:

• A study by Bernard Gesch for the charity ‘Natural Justice” revealed that offences fell by more than 25 percent in the group receiving active (nutritional) supplements. (p.81)
• In one study more than 20 years ago involving 3,000 imprisoned juveniles, snack foods were replaced with healthier options, reducing the inmates’ consumption of refined and sugary foods.  There followed a 21 per cent reduction in antisocial behavior over 12 months, a 100 per cent reduction in suicides, a 25 per cent reduction in assaults, and a 75 per cent reduction in the use of restraints. (p.82)

Why haven’t these studies been followed up by governments?  And why has it taken     major psychological associations in both the USA and the US all this time to finally actively pursue this field of investigation?  We have seen a dramatic rise in criminal behavior and in the incidences of LD manifestations since the end of World War II when the use of refined and processed foods was introduced as a part of our regular diets.  Today they often constitute almost the entire food intake of many persons.  Good nutrition is vital for various mental functions like attention, cognitive functions, coordination and memory as well as for physical wellbeing, such as maintaining healthy hearts within less obese bodies.  Think of the savings to society if we needed fewer prisons.  Fewer mental health facilities.  Not so many hospitals. 

In her chapter devoted to a review of the LD spectrum, “What’s the Problem?,” Richardson reminds us that a diagnosis is only a description; it is not an explanation.    She assures us that genes are not destiny – and it’s worth pointing out that families often share dietary habits as well as genes! (p. 54)

In order to help evaluate the claims made by the food, health food, and diet industries for their products, she offers guidelines in the chapter entitled, “Facing the Facts”.  You need to teach these kinds of evaluation techniques to your children, too.  Read food labels together when you go shopping.  Become informed consumers.

She tells us that there are three basic problems in children’s diets today:

• bad reactions to some artificial food additives, like  colorings
• an “addiction” to simple carbohydrates, like sugar
• ingestion of too many bad fats, and not enough of essential fats

Regarding the latter, it is good to remember that our brain is 60% fat.  This is one of the reasons why the type of fat we take into our bodies is so important.  Dr. Richardson takes us down to the molecular level to show how our bodies metabolize this core food group.  Fats are very different.  Good fats lead to mental and physical health.  Bad fats can result not only in obesity, but also in poor neural transmission, which in turn affects both voluntary functions (like thinking) and involuntary processes (like heart beat).  Some cities in the US are considering banning the use of the bad, trans fats in their restaurants.  The fast food giant, Kentucky Fried Chicken, has said that it will stop using them.  All good news for our children and us if these kinds of measures really do become widely adopted.

The fats that the brain does need to function effectively are called essential fatty acids.  And it is vital that we include these nutrients in our diets, because as with vitamins, our bodies cannot manufacture them from other substances.  There are two main kinds of essential fats – omega 6 (of which we usually get plenty) and omega-3 – which many of us are lacking. Seafood is our best source of the crucial omega-3 fatty acids needed for healthy brains (and hearts, and joints)..

Richardson was the lead researcher on the Oxford-Durham Study, carried out with the help of Durham Educational Authority in England.  This was the first randomized, controlled, double-blind placebo trial of dietary supplementation with Omega 3 fatty acids in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (dyspraxia), and it revealed the following:

• Reading progress was three times greater than would be expected for normal children of the same age.  By contrast, children receiving placebo treatment made progress only at the expected rate for their age.
• Spelling progress was twice as great as would be expected for normal children of the same age.  By contrast, children receiving placebo treatment made progress at less than half the normal rate, falling further behind their normally achieving peer group.
• ADHD-type symptoms fell markedly (this was true of difficulties in attention and concentration as well as hyperactivity and impulsivity).  The size of this effect was similar to the reductions usually achieved by stimulant medication. (p. 252-3)

What about supplements?  She cautions us that “supplements can be useful – but as with drugs, my view is that these should be a last resort, not the first option.  Remember that your child’s physiology has been shaped by evolution.  It’s used to dealing with foods, not isolated nutrients, and natural foods always contain numerous different ingredients in combination, as a package.” (p.99)  It is always best to get your nutrients from fresh food.

Dr. Richardson, who has the delightful style of never talking down to her audience while providing detailed and understandable explanations, takes us through a step by step tour of the alimentary canal, where our first stop is the mouth.  We learn about the digestion that begins here, and the importance of chewing each mouth full into a fine paste before swallowing.  Children mimic the behavior of others, so be sure to set a good example yourself.

Sliding through the esophagus down into the stomach we come to understand why we shouldn’t drink too much during our meals.  It dilutes the acid that is produced to ensure the proper break down of food.  She recommends drinking a ½ hour before and/or after the meal to avoid thirst.

Then down into the intestines where digestion continues, the process of getting the nutrients into the bloodstream occurs, and waste materials are passed down and out.  There are some fascinating insights here, and detailed descriptions that are at times both visual and olfactory.  They will greatly help to reinforce your resolve to feed your family properly.

Dr Richardson stresses the importance of Micronutrients (including vitamins,minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidants) and illustrates the possibilities for disease if these essential elements are missing.  We’ve all heard about scurvy, a condition that can result from the lack of vitamin C.  But did you know that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, together with magnesium, is essential for getting calcium into your bones?  You might drink plenty of milk and eat lots of yoghurt, but without these micronutrients, you are not improving your chances of being spared osteoporosis.  But there’s some good news.  If you get enough of bright sunlight in the summer, always taking care not to burn, you should be able to store enough of this vitamin to last you through the darker days of winter.

MACROnutrients are your major food groups, the proteins, fats and carbohydrates.  She recommends a reasonable proportion of these would consist of 1/5 protein, 1/3 fat, and ½  carbs. But, she cautions, the type and quality of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that your child consumes matter infinitely more than the overall quantities. (p. 71)

Throughout her book, Richardson takes pains to point out that while dietary changes can improve behavior, learning and mood, these are not a substitute for other approaches, and that we still need a great deal more research into the effects of diet on mental health.  Over and over again she stresses not to begin any major changes in diet without first consulting your child’s doctor.  What might appear to be a food allergy might prove to be something else, and your child might be spared having to relinquish some cherished foods.

If you read the book from cover to cover, you will run into a lot of repetition.  No doubt this is for the benefit of the reader who initially wishes information only on a specific topic.  The book is carefully structured and provides an excellent cross-referencing system for just this purpose.  And as many readers will already know, repetition is a great aid to learning.

For some there will be the usual differences in British versus American spelling to contend with (e.g. behavior/behaviour), and some differences in terminology (in the UK, squash is not only a sport, it is also a rather noxious orange drink marketed especially to children).

And while you are reading or browsing, don’t avoid consulting the excellent appendix and the references and resources section.  They provide not only important elaboration on some of the topics broached, but they also point you in the right direction if you wish to continue your research into a specific area. 

Some prime points to take away:

• eat fresh and in season
• know where your food is coming from and what, if anything, has been done to it to improve its shelf-life in stores
• avoid the use of over-refined foods with their colorings and additives  (this will save you lots of time and money when you go to the grocery store)
• always consult with your child’s doctor before introducing major dietary changes
• be sure to vary your menus
• introduce new foods slowly and with respect for your children’s preferences
• involve your children in meal preparations
• offer choices
• be sure to explain why we eat certain things, and how these are necessary for good functioning bodies and minds
• set a good example for your children to follow

The bottom line is that basically there are no quick fixes.  Adopting healthy eating habits takes time, patience, and planning.  Not what we like to hear in this era of  pill-popping, ‘miracle cures’, but then who wants to have their child receive a diagnosis of ADHD, autism, or any of the possibilities along the LD spectrum?  And should we have a child who has received such a diagnosis, do we not want to employ the best techniques to help that person achieve their highest potential?  But she doesn’t leave us to fend for ourselves.  Strategies on how to win over your family to healthy eating and recipes to try with them are also provided. 

The information contained in this book is of great value to all of us, not just children.  But children are the most vulnerable among us, and Dr. Richardson has rightly directed her attention here. 

All of Dr. Richardson’s profits from the sale of this book will go directly to the Food and Behavior Research Trust (http://www.fabresearch.org/ ) to help fund further investigations.  All of her research into the importance of nutrition is independent of any commercial influences or interests.  A copy of this book can be ordered via amazon.com.  If you access this site via http://www.fabresearch.org/view_item.aspx?item_id=250,  a portion of the sale will also be donated to the Trust by amazon.

Reviewed by Susan van Alsenoy, Educational Support Committee Chair for the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas.

The Beacon Street Girls Series
Author: Annie Bryant

The Beacon Street Girls offer us a multi-sensory, multi-ethnic, and multi-situational mix of wit and wisdom. But I must confess that it was Charlotte's first bite into a crisp New England Macintosh apple tossed to her by a Russian émigré shopkeeper on her way to her first day of 7th grade, and her first day of school in America, that had me hooked before the end of the second chapter. In Europe, I've only been able to find this transporting taste of home and autumn in a fruit shop in Zurich's international airport, a place, alas, infrequently visited by me.

In addition to being the new girl on the block, Charlotte is the only child in a single-parent family. As soon as she gets to school, she will make the acquaintance of Katani, business and fashion guru whose grandmother is the school principal, athletically-gifted Avery, Asian and adopted, who doesn't like descriptive boxes and Maeve, boy crazy, philanthropic, emphatic, and dyslexic.

All of the girls permit us a visit to the land of emerging adolescence, that tender and scary place of swirling hopes and dreaded embarrassments, surprising maturity and silly slips back into childlessness. This series provides a passport for adults into perhaps-forgotten memories, and a familiar, welcoming port of call for those currently exploring this landscape.

The well-paced narrative, full of modern multi-facetted communication techniques like IMs and blogs, shows us in delightful ways that differences can make good bedfellows, and one friend's weaknesses can be helped by other friends' strengths. But this is no Pollyanna saga. The girls' problems are real ones and their characters and problem-solving techniques are, for the most part, believable.

In many ways, these books are especially pertinent for us and our kids. Katani has a sister who is autistic, and Katani often needs to care for her. Maeve's dyslexia, while not the most favorite part of her life, nonetheless is not her defining feature. Charlotte is coming back to her home country after years abroad and is in many ways a stranger in a strange land. Avery is trying to fit into a country and a culture which is and is not hers.

While a bit on the commercial side, www.beaconstreetgirls.com offers many well-constructed freebies of interest. My favorite was the movie-making option which permits visual as well as linguistic creativity with the added possibility of being able to send your magnum opus off to friends and other critics for viewing.

So far there are two books in this sensitive series by Annie Bryant, published by B'tween Productions, Inc., in 2004, Worst Enemies, Best Friends and Bad News, Good News. Letters from the Heart, Out of Bounds, and Standing Together are on the way. It is available from amazon.com and retails for $7.99 in paperback. . ISBN: 0-974587-0-7.