Childhood Aggression and Violence
Who among us is not astonished and upset by the violence perpetrated by our children? Not necessarily your own, but by children in the communities across our country. A recent story in the Citizen Times discussed the assault of our teachers. Obviously, this is not a distant problem that we can dismiss as somebody else’s!
I have reviexed the research literature from the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda MD, and I have found some surprising documentation suggesting that WE, the parents, may be responsible for this behavior.
No, it isn’t an issue of discipline, or affection, or even abuse…although these issues may be a part of the problem. What I found, however, is a significant correlation with dietary habits and anti-social behavior!
The shocking correlation is that the types of fats that we eat, or don’t eat, are highly predictive of antisocial behavior, ranging from depression and delinquency, to suicide and homicide. This is extremely important for our parents to understand, because the development of the brain begins inside Mom, so her diet during pregnancy and breast feeding, and the diet that parents provide for their children determine the integrity of their teenagers brain.
First of all, it is important to understand that the brain is composed of approximately 60% fat, in the form of essential fatty acids. Essential indicates that we are required to consume them in our diet, otherwise deficiency occurs. The brain cells, or neurons, absolutely depend on these fats for their ability to function properly. So, physiologically and anatomically, it makes sense. As well, research backs up this fact… that fat influences our behavior, our ability to reason, think, learn, and therefore influences our personality, not to mention vision, intelligence, balance and coordination. The bottom line is that if you want an intelligent, happy, social, coordinated child, you must feed them (and Mom) the right fats.
So what are the “right” fats, and just as importantly, what are the “wrong” fats? The simple answer is that the length of the fat determines its function. Longer fats are more fluid, and are more functional for the brain. Shorter fats are “harder” and impair the function of the brain. If you are not a chemistry major, that may not make sense yet, but if you have spent any time in the kitchen, you are plenty qualified to grasp this concept. For instance, what is more liquid…butter or olive oil? Butter is solid at room temperature, and olive oil is liquid at room temperature. Fish oils are the most fluid, as they stay liquid in the freezer. These oils are the best for brain function. Margarine and Crisco are processed to decrease the fluidity…making a liquid vegetable oil into a solid. OUCH! These fats are the worst for brain function! These fats are found in many of the “kid friendly” snack foods, such as chips, cookies, crackers, French fries, etc. So it is no wonder our poor children’s brains are malfunctioning if they are making brain cells out of French fries and chips.
The abbreviated solution is to avoid all trans and hydrogenated oils, limit butter and animal fats, as well as vegetable oils, such as corn, sunflower, safflower. Replace them with extra virgin olive oil, and increase long chain fats, such as fish oils, and flax oils. Many times these oils need to be supplemented, because of significant imbalance, and the fact that we have polluted our fish with mercury and other toxins.
There are many essential fatty acids, which I don’t have the space to fully describe. They can be measured by a blood test. You can also look for signs of fatty acid imbalance beyond mood and behavior. For instance, check the backs of your child’s arms…do you see “chicken skin,” or white spots, do they have rough or dry skin, dry hair or dandruff, does their skin crack on their heels or fingertips, do they get sick a lot, or are they tired a lot? These are some of the external signs of fatty acid imbalance.
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