Take the old fashioned route to child health – good nutrition!
Frightening statistics from the UK recently suggest that today’s lifestyle and modern parenting is seriously damaging the future health of the next generation
In the year since I last wrote about childhood nutrition, I’ve been bombarded with mail asking for my comment on British media articles. The latest was headlined ‘Fast food and slow learning go hand in hand’ and continued ‘pupils who eat takeaway meals more than three times a week… shown to achieve lower scores in tests’. The study of 5,500 primary school children provides some of the most conclusive evidence yet of a link between poor diet and academic achievement; for many parents the answer lies in a balance of monitoring mealtimes and adding active nutritional supplements.
Studies into autism have long been headline news, but an article about actor Jim Carrey’s girlfriend Jenny McCarthy’s son who was diagnosed with autism aged two, caught my eye. Jenny wrote: ‘We believe what helped Evan recover was a gluten-free diet, vitamin supplementation, detox of metals and anti-fungals for the yeast overgrowth that plagued his intestines. He is now able to communicate completely.’ I’ve long advocated a similar regime: well done Jenny!
Before my recommended supplements (pictured), I’ve another concern as schools prepare to close: freedom of shopping! In a supermarket recently, an adolescent lad in front of me placed his purchases on the checkout, handed over his cash and disappeared with: two packets of crisps, two Red Bull drinks, chocolate biscuits and a cheap litre pack of wine. While I’m not suggesting this is normal, €10 changed hands and his age wasn’t checked. Official data in the UK shows alcohol-related hospital admissions for children rose by a third in six years including, horrifically, 1,000 admissions of children under 10. The Royal College of Surgeons stated: ‘Alcohol seems to have become an essential part of many youngsters’ lives, driven by peer pressure and ready availability.’ While I’m not suggesting this is yet a problem here, there’s little doubt that the freedom of school holidays plus the increase of pocket-money to cover snacks etc., carries a potential risk factor.
Let’s not get to smoking! We know children do – we possibly did ourselves – but Cancer Research UK records a third of children there between ages 11 and 15 have smoked and one in four smokes regularly. Once children have smoked five cigarettes, 90 per cent become life-long addicts, says Dr Chris Steele, a health journalist (www.thefamilygp.com).
Finally, my family supplement recommendations are:
An Omega Fatty Acid supplement like PolarPower, cold-extracted from wild Alaskan sockeye salmon to give exceptional levels of essential fatty acids (EFAs), vital for brain and eye function. Available in oil or capsules. Or Pure Omega from Sacha Inchi Oil – the best vegetarian source of EFAs.
Black Seed Plus – a mix of spice oils that helps with gastric parasites, constipation and digestive problems and which also helps strengthen the immune system; available in capsules or liquid.
Colloidal Minerals in the original liquid TJ Clark’s formula from the 1920s – can’t get more ‘old fashioned’ than that!
All the liquids can be made into smoothies for breakfast or used as salad dressings; PolarPower is probably best squeezed onto bread. All formulations mentioned/pictured are available from Tigon (Tel: 0044 116 236 6841 or on-line from www.oliveleaf.co.uk).
Higher Nature makes Dinochews (www.nutriglowexclusive.com) which I would also recommend; sadly not available locally.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Finding the best sunscreen
In 2007 you wrote about sunscreens, but I’ve lost the piece. Which are the problem chemicals and what do you recommend for children?
Mrs GA Oroklini
You’re right, I did… and there are still some ‘organic’ products containing known agents that may cause DNA damage. These include:
1. Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OM) – widely used as a UV absorber; may produce free radicals known to be toxic to cells
2. Titanium dioxide (TD) – DNA damage due to superoxide radicals, active oxygen radicals and hydroxyl radicals when exposed to light. When do you wear sunscreen?
3. Cinoxate or Cinnamic acid – may cause allergic skin rashes and DNA damage
4. Padimate-O – another substance that reacts unfavourably to light and substantially increases strand breaks in DNA when in contact with cells
5. Dibenzoylmethane, Parsol 1789 and Methyl sinapate – all bad guys that produce free radicals directly affecting DNA
6. Oxybenzone – is rapidly oxidised in the presence of light and inactivates important antioxidant systems in the skin (the skin’s natural protection system)
Since receiving your query, I’ve been researching several brands; Green People used to be among the best and available locally, but their latest SPF20 contains both MO and TD. Scottish brand Lavera won the sunscreen section of the Natural Health Beauty Awards this year, but their products rely on TD to absorb UV rays. They do have an innovative child’s product which is coloured, so you can see the bits you’ve missed when applying it!
For more information visit www.absolutelypure.com and www.ewg.org. For Lavera products by mail, go to www.sooorganic.com.
The single most dangerous thing about sunscreens is, with misleading sales hype, they give you false confidence to stay in the sun too long; there’s no product that’s truly ‘waterproof’ nor one that ‘blocks all harmful rays’ or provides ‘complete protection’. ‘Chemical-free’ is often found on sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, but is misleading since both of these compounds (even though they are naturally occurring) are in fact chemicals. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
