The Effect of Advertisements on your ADHD Child
Everything we eat affects our minds and bodies. We may not recognize how or see its effects right away. Daniel G. Amen, M.D., author of Healing ADD, says, “Food can be used as brain medicine. It can have a powerful positive effect on cognition, feelings, and behavior. It can have a very negative effect on these as well. The right diet can actually decrease the amount of medication needed. However, the wrong diet will do the opposite.” Amen goes on to talk about food that is good for the ADHD brain. These include foods high in lean protein, fiber, and healthy fats, as well as brightly colored fruits and vegetables.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/packages/healthy-every-week/healthy-tips/foods-to-fuel-your-brain
On the other hand, highly processed foods and foods that are high on the glycemic index are enemies to our brains. Any food that causes our blood sugar to ride the roller coaster of extremes has detrimental effects on our thinking skills and mood. “steady blood sugar levels benefit the brain, whether a child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or not. But hyperactive children may have particular problems metabolizing sugar. It’s worth noting that the hallmarks of low blood sugar include problems with attention and focus, moodiness, and frustration.” (Reader’s Digest). Since one of the main symptoms of ADHD is the inability to maintain focus as well as moodiness, staying away from these foods makes sense.
If I can avoid taking my young kids to the grocery store, I do! When my son was five, I was forced to take him shopping with me because of a lack of available babysitters. The extent of my avoidance became apparent when we walked into the local grocery store. He looked around in awe and asked, “what is this place?” Next time you’re at the grocery store, pay attention to the items placed at your children’s eye level. What you’ll notice is that most of the foods within reach to them are the exact types Amen warns against for children with ADHD. It’s no wonder they beg at least fifty times for a brightly colored, sugary snack.
And if you’ve watched any amount of children’s television, you’ll quickly see a plethora of fast food and sugary cereal commercials claiming to be part of a well-balanced meal. When talking about large companies with even larger marketing budgets, Luka Radunovic says, “I am seriously worried about the future of the most vulnerable target group among all of us – the children. According to the “Buy buy, baby” book research, 50% of all children ads in the USA are for candies, snacks, sugary cereals, and fast food.”
Perhaps the frustration I’ve felt with saying “no” so often at the grocery store and again as we pass five fast-food restaurants on the way home, has nothing to do with my children’s pleas. Maybe the frustration I feel as a mother of an ADHD child comes from the subtle feeling that I’m fighting a losing battle with massive companies and their food marketing strategies targeting my innocent children.
Sources Cited
Amen, Daniel G. Healing ADD. New York, Penguin Random House LLC, 2013
Reader’s Digest Editors, Reader’s Digest.https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/adhd-and-sugar/. Accessed 10 July 2019
Comments
Post a Comment