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Is Food to Blame for so Many Childhood Problems?

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When I was a youngster in the 50s/60s ADHD, autism and similar were unheard of. Throughout my school years classmates did not behave differently although you did get cheeky/naughty kids, usually because their parents were the aggressive type.

We were allowed sweets one evening per week when dad brought treats home on payday.

I truly believe the advent of too much sugar and so much processed food eaten by pregnant women and children is the main cause. In fact a lot of research bears this out. You are what you eat has never been truer. Manufacturers don't care, they just want to make money so as long as they don't directly poison us they tip all sorts of chemicals, preservatives and colourings into our food. Nearly every family I know or have worked with has at least one child suffering these modern syndromes. We really need to take responsibility for what we eat.

Lynibis
4 days ago
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SueWard

I had a girl in one of my classes who was intolerant to orange squash which had an additive in it called tartrazine.The squash made her very silly and out of control.Once this was eliminated she was just like any other girl.I too have to be very careful as I have IBS and this can be triggered by additives and colourings which I carefully avoid.Yes, I do believe food additives are to blame for many behavioural issues.

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Lynibis

SueWard your story is similar to my sister and her son. He is 30 now but as a child he was hyper all the time, teachers saying he didn't concentrate etc. When sis cut sugar out of his diet he too became normal and lots calmer. The teacher took her aside and asked what she had done to him as he changed so much.

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telmel

You are spot on L, its both sugar and the additives and chemicals they cram into supermarket foods causing allergies and intolerances and i am convinced it is affecting the brain too , it can only help explain what is happening to the youth of today

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Lynibis

telmel so many people don't understand that sugar is a poison when taken too liberally. When I cut it out (as much as willpower allowed) with D2 I found my teeth also were healthier. Which is just as well as I haven't got a dentist anymore.😕

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martinlufc5637

Times are different now, autism ect...wasn't looked up on, they just closed you as a problem child, and I believe most kids who have ADHD don't have it, just spoiled kids with no discipline, allowed to do whatever they want then when they start school with rules and boundaries they haven't a clue how to deal with it, plus some parents push for it so they get the disability card and benefits, my neighbour is a classic example of this, and admits it, shameful

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JLouM

Yes I don’t believe it’s as widespread as it seems. Yes there are a few genuine ones but not all. One of my nephews has autism and one has speech difficulty. The parents were first cousins but sister in law insists not the reason. I think yes a lot to do with processed food and it wouldn’t surprise me if drink and drugs in pregnancy is a possibility too. I just don’t think some people are responsible and so end up with consequences. When I was at school these children were just lumped together in a remedial class. Nobody had heard of these conditions then.

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Lynibis

JLouM when I did contact supervisions for children in care I would often have to supervise parental contact with newborns who were suffering withdrawals from drugs and alcohol.

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MelissaLee1

Sugar is just so addictive and more readily available than heroin or cannabis.

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Jerseydrew

The stuff that goes into foods and drinks aren't great. They may or may not be the cause for some. Who knows. I do think it's always been around. It's not on the rise it's more we've better understanding of both autism and adhd. Added into it there's also bad parenting

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MrsCraig

I think it is a mixture of things. We know a lot more about conditions like autism and ADHD. But there are soke food additives that can cause hyper activity. Bad parenting is another factor. There was a boy who kicked our son in the face and punched him in the head at soft play. The boy admitted to doing it and his parents did absolutely nothing. He went on to terrorise other kids too.

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Leannexxx

I don't think food has anything to do with some children's behaviour some children are just born with some issues my nephews all have autism and their mother eat everything healthy the real dos and don'ts and it didn't make any difference

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Glitterandgold

Undoubtedly plays a huge role. I'd even go so far as to say it's the cause of many modern auto immune issues & illnesses.

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martinlufc5637

Food isn't the problem it's lazy parents who feed this crap to them, glad my kids love fruit and vegetables

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Leannexxx

martinlufc5637 I disagree on that one I wouldn't say I was a lazy parent and my kids hate fruit and vegetables I've tried from the moment they could eat they won't have any of it lol

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chele44

martinlufc5637 I love fruit but detest veg but I was determined my kids would be different and all 4 love both fruit and veg. Though I’ve 4 grandkids who love fruit and veg, 2 are autistic, 1 very high functioning who’s just gone back to school to do his A levels and a grandson with adhd. His school has told us he should be in mainstream cos he’s very clever but his attention span keeps him back. If he’s doing subjects he likes he’s amazing but can be disruptive in other classes. Where we live there’s quite few kids either autistic or have adhd and while my daughter grounds my grandson or takes away his phone etc for bad behaviour other parents say it’s their adhd and let them away with bad and disruptive behaviour

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martinlufc5637

Leannexxx some kids live on chicken nuggets, pizza, McDonald's ect.. McDonald's is a rare treat in our family, I know some my sister for example take my niece to burger king or McDonald's twice a week because she can't be bothered to cook, and she wonders why my niece is overweight

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martinlufc5637

chele44 in my daughters school there a couple with allegedly ADHD and they are a nightmare for the other kids, we've had a few issues with them, and trying to talk to the parents is a waste of time, they don't care, school wraps them up in cotton wool, quite a few parents have pulled them out of school, either home schooled or a new school

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Leannexxx

martinlufc5637 I'm not gonna lie my kids have nuggets, pizzas and it's mostly frozen food but I do make homemade meals too and we have a takeaway about every 3 months

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