Are food colourings safe for children?
Does your child love: Lollies Cordial Soft drink Ice cream Store bought cakes and slices? These foods are really attractive to kids as they contain artificial colours. Articifical colours are even in certain brands of pickles, smoked salmon and salad dressing, as well as medications. Children are the biggest consumers of food colours. Is it […]
Good Fats for Healthy Brains
Fat is one of the three main macronutrients (along with carbohydrates and protein) that our bodies need to function and survive. Getting enough healthy fats is essential for growth and development, especially for kids. Why do we need fat? To build the brain. Fat gives the structure to cell membranes and myelin (the fatty sheath […]
The health effects of aluminium
I do a lot of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis with my clients. It’s reasonably priced, it doesn’t involve taking blood and it gives a tonne of information. Something I see come up a lot is high levels of aluminium. What is aluminium? Aluminium is the 3rd most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, it has […]
7 foods to calm your anxious child
Making a few small tweaks to your child’s diet can be enough to reduce their anxiety to more manageable levels. I’ve compiled my 7 favourite foods to incorporate into your anxious child’s diet. Oily fish These contain omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for all things brain and nervous system related, including anxiety. Omega […]
Why does a gluten free diet help autism (Part 3)
This is final instalment of a 3 part series on gluten and autism. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 first. The first thing most parents of children on the spectrum say when I recommend removing gluten from the diet is that they can’t as that is all their child will eat. That is […]
Why does a gluten-free diet help autism (Part 2)?
Welcome to part 2 of this 3 part series on the connection between autism and gluten. You can catch up on Part 1 here. Gluten is inflammatory. This is a bit of a general statement, which really applies to everyone, but especially for people with autism. It is inflammatory to the whole body, including the […]
Why does a gluten-free diet help autism (Part 1)?
One of the best-known diets for autism is gluten-free, but what does this mean, why does this work and how do I try it for my child? In this post (Part 1), I will explain what a gluten-free diet entails. Part 2 will explain why this is approach is worth trying and Part 3 will […]
Is it worth trying the Mediterranean diet for ADHD?
The short answer is….. YES! So what is the Mediterranean diet? The Mediterranean diet is not a diet loaded with pizza and pasta! Instead, it is a whole food way of eating, based on unprocessed, natural foods. In addition to the actual food, it also reflects a way of eating. Foods included in Mediterranean diet […]
Why is my child so anxious?
Everybody is different. Some people (and children) tend towards being a bit anxious. Others seem totally carefree. This purpose of this article is not to “pathologize” your child’s unique personality. The purpose of this article is to give you tips and tricks to help your child feel more comfortable doing day to day activities, and […]
Mindfulness for kids
In our society today, fast paced productive lifestyles are praised. Rest, sleep, relaxation and leisure time is no longer a priority. Work days are increasing with access to instantaneous communication. Expectations and to – do lists are forever growing. Let’s be real, it is hard to switch off, leaving us exhausted and anxious. We all […]