TBHQ and ADHD

TBHQ and ADHD - What do they mean?


TBHQ is a preservative found in many of today's foods and especially convenience and snack items.  This preservative helps the food to not go rancid too quick.  Shelf life is an important part of our food manufacturers.

TBHQ stands for Tertiary Butylhydroquinone.  This is a chemical preservative in the form of butane. The risks and side effects of this chemical creation far outweighs the benefits.


ADHD.  ADHD stands for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.  ADHD is a behavioral disorder that effects 8 - 10% school age children.  I believe it effects far more and reaches far beyond childhood.  Boys are about 3x more likely to exhibit ADHD.  Kids with ADHD act without thinking, have trouble focusing and are hyperactive.  Some kids can display rage.

We were out and about this weekend and although I limit purchases from vending machines, I gave in on a Payday.  This is a peanut, caramel candy bar.  I glanced at the ingredient list and somehow missed TBHQ listed but there it is:


INGREDIENTS:
Peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of: Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and cottonseed oil), salt, carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, TBHQ (preservative), egg whites, and soy protein.


My son is paying the price for eating that .90 cent candy bar.  He is restless, impulsive and not feeling strong in balance.  He is having a hard day at school and got in to it with one of his best friends at recess.  I so hate seeing the effects of chemical reactions in my kids.  One of the worse parts is the after effect.  His self esteem plummets.


You may be interested to know that TBHQ is in fast food fries.  It is in the oil which allows food preparers to heat the oil at super high temps and use the oil over and over again.  There are just 3 fast food places I know of that do not use TBHQ in their french fry oil and they are 5 Guys, In n Out, and Wendys.


A home remedy that works for us is a warm Epsom salt bath.  The magnesium in the salts help restore balance.  I am also using essential oils and am seeing success.  More on that to come!


We avoid artificial colors like Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1, artificial flavors like Vanillin, BHA, BHT and TBHQ, as well as high fructose corn syrup.  Its not as hard as it sounds, and if I would have held my own and not caved at the vending machine, I would not have been reminded how miserable these chemical additives are.


Studies on BHT, BHA and TBHQ
http://www.feingold.org/Research/bht.html

Bully Box

Can you spot a bully?  What do you think a bully looks like?

A bully is not all inclusive.  Bullies are many.  Boys, Girls, Grown Ups.
Its widespread and can happen anywhere.  It should NOT be accepted as "kids just being kids" or kids just fooling around, any should never be accepted as a phase.

What are different forms of bullying?

1.  Repetition
2.  Imbalance of power
3.  Intent to harm

Bullying can take on the form of many things:
1.  Verbal
2.  Physical
3.  Social
4.  Cyberbullying

Everyday in our country kids wake up and are afraid to go to school.  They can suffer anxiety, depression and increased episodes of sadness and lonliness among other things. Some kids are very good at hiding this but inside they are hurting. These feelings can last well into adulthood.    Bullies tend to bully those who may act different and look different.  Bullies seldom bully when no one else is around, they want an audience, they want to feel powerful.

Bullying should never be tolerated. Too many times a bully will say if you tell, you are a tattle tale. This drives even more fear into our kids. Teach your children to tell a trusted adult, mom or dad, grandparents, a teacher. We cannot fail our kids. Education is key and we have to continue to raise awareness about this very important issue. To put our heads in the sand and act like its not going on is irresponsible and could be considered illegal.

I recently proposed a bully box at our school. The idea is so simple. You provide a box, something like a Valentines Box that can remain confidential. You could either have short forms to fill our or blank pages of paper. Kids could use the bully box as an outlet if they are being bullied, saw someone bully or even "think" they may be being bullied. The papers could be looked at by an administrator to "weed out" issues like my friend would not sit with me at lunch or those girls won't play with me today. They then could be passed on to the social worker. The social worker and administrator could now know something that they may not have known about before. If this kind of system helps just one person, it is a success. Lots of times there are some kids who know a person is being bullied. This could also help them communicate what they are seeing happen. Being able to express this kind of thing is so important and kids may not want to go to a teacher because they don't want to be labeled a tattle tale. Its a terrible cycle. I don't know if the bully box will be implemented. It could be called anything if they don't want to use the word bully. What do you think?

If the bullying gets worse and you need additional help, consider the following if:

Someone is at immediate risk of harm because of bullying.....Call the police 911
Your child is feeling suicidal because of bullying.....Contact the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Your child’s teacher is not keeping your child safe from being bullied.....Contact local school administrator (principal or superintendent)
Your school is not keeping your child safe from being bullied.....Contact the State School Department
Your child is sick, stressed, not sleeping, or is having other problems because of bullying..... Contact your counselor or other health professional
Your child is bullied because of their race, ethnicity, or disability and local help is not working to solve the problem.....Contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Office on Civil Rights
http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/get_help/index.html

Food Dyes like Red 40, ADHD and More

Could it be possible?  If you are wondering if your child's anger outbursts, temper tantrums, impulsiveness or aggression could be linked to what he eats, keep reading.  If you child has been diagnosed with ADHD or has tendencies you may want to look at what they are eating both at home and school lunch.


If you live in America and eat or serve your kids "snacks" it is most likely you are being subjected to artificial food dyes.  If you are drinking enhanced or flavored water, it is likely you are being subjected to artificial food dyes.   If you are eating soft serve ice cream or going to fast food restaurants...well dyes are in many of those foods too.

What are artificial food dyes?  Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 are the top 4 in the US.  These are additives the FDA does not restrict from our nations food supply.  Those pretty colors that make the "fruit punch" red, the gelatin green and the oatmeal blue are made from petroleum (crude oil) which is also the source for gasoline.

You will find them on the ingredient labels, listed as "Yellow No. 5," "Red 40," "Blue #1," etc. The label may say "FD&C" before the number. That means "Food, Drug & Cosmetics." When you see a number listed as "D&C" in a product, such as "D&C Red #33" it means that this coloring is considered safe for medicine (drugs) and cosmetics, but not for food.

Kids today eat differently than their parents and grandparents.  30 years ago a lollipop was a special treat for sitting during a haircut.  A trip to a fast food restaurant was an occasion.  Today, kids are bombarded by food with artificial colors.  Take a look in your pantry and fridge this week.  I bet you'll find some red 40, blue 1, yellow 5 and 6 lurking in there.

If your child has ADHD or tendencies like hyperactivity, aggression, rage, self esteem issues, impulsiveness, take a look at what they are eating.  Try an experiment and remove these artificial dyes for a week or 2.  You may be re-introduced to a brand new kid!