Cedar Wood Chiropractic | Dr. Suzy Harris

Ever wonder if the food you feed your kids is working for them or against them? These days it is fairly common knowledge that too much sugar is a sure fire way to wind your kids up only to watch them crash into emotional meltdown within 20-30 minutes post-consumption. Not so many parents are aware, however, that the same overload of sugar in the diet can cause problems like bedwetting, ear infections, allergies, decreased immune function, irritability, ADHD, and constipation, just to name a few.

Okay, so summer is over and we are all ready to back off the creemees, campfire s’mores and the like, but are you aware of all the places sugar can hide?

Basically, it comes down to checking to see if your kids are eating foods or products. Here is an example list of foods versus products to stimulate your awareness.

Food	Products
Eggs/Bacon	Most Cereals
Tuna Fish	Lunchables
Cheddar Cheese	American Cheese Slices
Orange Juice	Sunny Delite
Grilled Chicken	Dynobites
Pasta with Butter	Kraft Macaroni'n'Cheese
Apples with Honey	Kellogg's Fruit Chews

Products contain high fructose corn syrup, the leading cause of our country’s skyrocketing increase in childhood diabetes and obesity. There are movements starting within the U.S. to ban high fructose corn syrup due to its harmful nature.

Most products also contain preservatives such as ammonium chloride, which can build up in our bodies and cause low-grade chemical toxicities that interfere with your child’s wellness. Products are also high in refined carbohydrates, which break down into sugar within minutes after being eaten. (This means the whole wheat bagel may seem like a great healthy option but breads, pastas, and other refined foods should only be eaten in moderation.)

Why are there preservatives within our food? Once the food industry figured out how to cheaply mass produce products they also made sure the shelf-life of that product would withstand warehouse time, shipping, and waiting for the consumer as it sat on the shelf in large quantities. Products are cheaper for them to make and less waste with higher profits. Good for them, bad for us and our kids.

Food sensitivities are another cause of behavioral issues, bedwetting and immune problems in children. These sensitivities are easily identified using Applied Kinesiology muscle testing techniques -– no needles or allergic reactions necessary! (Click on About Us for details and testimonials from our patients.) Limiting the foods your child may be sensitive to can make a world of difference in their ability to digest and absorb the great foods you are already feeding them.

Our grandparents know “we are what we eat.” In our fast-paced lives we have slowly replaced foods with products. This trend is directly responsible for nutritional deficiency and functional health problems in us and our kids. Let’s wake our minds, raise our awareness and make choices that reject the food industry’s profiteering and the medical community’s attempt at using chemicals to cure issues of nutritional deficiency. Feed them brain food and watch for the return of thought.

Yours in health,
Dr. Suzy Harris
Clinical Nutritionist/Chiropractic Physician