Be wary of food additives
Jun 13, 2004
Did you know that food additives could affect school performance, quality of life, productivity and behaviour?
Did you know that food additives could affect school performance, quality of life, productivity and behaviour?
The term “food additives†covers a wide range of chemicals. There are 5,000 additives used in foods by food industries.
They include:
-Food colourings - specifically designed to entice consumers through the sense of sight.
-Flavourings including sugar - designed to enhance the taste and smell of foods, making whatever food is involved irresistible to the senses of smell and taste.
-Thickeners - designed to give beverages and foods a smooth taste.
-Preservatives are added to keep foods and beverages from getting spoilt for long periods of time.
While food additives enhance the appearance, taste, smell and prolong the shelf life of foods, it does not mean they are all together good for everyone.
For example some adults and children are sensitive to some of the chemicals in food additives, but are not aware of it. This creates a problem especially for school children.
Children who are sensitive to food additives may experience problems such as:
-Impulsive behaviour - action before thought, abrupt shifts in activity, jumping up in class and poor organisation.
-Disorder of attention - short attention span, destructibility, lack of perseverance, failure to finish things, not listening and poor concentration.
-Disorder of memory and thinking - poor memory, thinking clearly and others.
These side effects are most likely to result in a child experiencing difficulties in schoolwork, behaviour, interaction with teachers and other students.
Unfortunately many children go undiagnosed; with both teachers and parents attributing the affected child’s behaviour and learning problems to a child simply being “bad†as such, the child is often spanked, rebuked, punished in various ways and in some cases totally humiliated.
Recommendations
-If your child has some or all of the described behaviour, before you resort to any form of punishment, consider the possibility that he or she might be allergic or sensitive to some foods or some food additives.
-Talk to a doctor who will in turn refer you to a specialist who tests and treats allergic related problems.
-Meanwhile, eliminate all foods and beverages containing food additives including sugar and caffeine.
-Discourage your child from taking sodas, eating cakes, chocolates, sweats, biscuits and any colorful soft drinks on the way to or from school.
-Additionally exclude from your child’s diet cow’s milk, soya beans and soya products, chocolate, orange, groundnuts, bread and other wheat products, maize, tomatoes, eggs, apple, fish and oats. Children who are sensitive to food additives could also have allergic reactions to these foods.
After three weeks or a month, you can re-introduce each food one at time. For two to three days observe the child’s behaviour.
Is there is any change for the better or worse? The elimination and re-introduction of the suspected foods will help you to identify the problem causing ones.
-Feed your child a health promoting diet containing: yellow and dark green vegetables and fruits such as: pumpkin, pumpkin leaves, carrots, collard greens (sukuma wiki), cabbage, green pepper , green beans and any other dark green leafy vegetables; mango, paw paw, fene ( jackfruit) water melon, pineapple and simsim seeds, dried cooked beans and peas, chicken, lean beef, millet products, yellow sweet and Irish potatoes and yams.
-It may be necessary to give your child a multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. When giving multi-vitamins and mineral supplements, make sure the supplements do not contain food colours, or calcium derived from milk.
Talk with your pharmacist about the right vitamin and mineral supplements.
-Inform your child’s teachers about the child’s condition.
While it is frustrating dealing with the side effects of food sensitivity and allergies, be patient. With proper help this problem can be managed.
The term “food additives†covers a wide range of chemicals. There are 5,000 additives used in foods by food industries.
They include:
-Food colourings - specifically designed to entice consumers through the sense of sight.
-Flavourings including sugar - designed to enhance the taste and smell of foods, making whatever food is involved irresistible to the senses of smell and taste.
-Thickeners - designed to give beverages and foods a smooth taste.
-Preservatives are added to keep foods and beverages from getting spoilt for long periods of time.
While food additives enhance the appearance, taste, smell and prolong the shelf life of foods, it does not mean they are all together good for everyone.
For example some adults and children are sensitive to some of the chemicals in food additives, but are not aware of it. This creates a problem especially for school children.
Children who are sensitive to food additives may experience problems such as:
-Impulsive behaviour - action before thought, abrupt shifts in activity, jumping up in class and poor organisation.
-Disorder of attention - short attention span, destructibility, lack of perseverance, failure to finish things, not listening and poor concentration.
-Disorder of memory and thinking - poor memory, thinking clearly and others.
These side effects are most likely to result in a child experiencing difficulties in schoolwork, behaviour, interaction with teachers and other students.
Unfortunately many children go undiagnosed; with both teachers and parents attributing the affected child’s behaviour and learning problems to a child simply being “bad†as such, the child is often spanked, rebuked, punished in various ways and in some cases totally humiliated.
Recommendations
-If your child has some or all of the described behaviour, before you resort to any form of punishment, consider the possibility that he or she might be allergic or sensitive to some foods or some food additives.
-Talk to a doctor who will in turn refer you to a specialist who tests and treats allergic related problems.
-Meanwhile, eliminate all foods and beverages containing food additives including sugar and caffeine.
-Discourage your child from taking sodas, eating cakes, chocolates, sweats, biscuits and any colorful soft drinks on the way to or from school.
-Additionally exclude from your child’s diet cow’s milk, soya beans and soya products, chocolate, orange, groundnuts, bread and other wheat products, maize, tomatoes, eggs, apple, fish and oats. Children who are sensitive to food additives could also have allergic reactions to these foods.
After three weeks or a month, you can re-introduce each food one at time. For two to three days observe the child’s behaviour.
Is there is any change for the better or worse? The elimination and re-introduction of the suspected foods will help you to identify the problem causing ones.
-Feed your child a health promoting diet containing: yellow and dark green vegetables and fruits such as: pumpkin, pumpkin leaves, carrots, collard greens (sukuma wiki), cabbage, green pepper , green beans and any other dark green leafy vegetables; mango, paw paw, fene ( jackfruit) water melon, pineapple and simsim seeds, dried cooked beans and peas, chicken, lean beef, millet products, yellow sweet and Irish potatoes and yams.
-It may be necessary to give your child a multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. When giving multi-vitamins and mineral supplements, make sure the supplements do not contain food colours, or calcium derived from milk.
Talk with your pharmacist about the right vitamin and mineral supplements.
-Inform your child’s teachers about the child’s condition.
While it is frustrating dealing with the side effects of food sensitivity and allergies, be patient. With proper help this problem can be managed.