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!

Bullying

I have to vear off  my no red 40 artificial colors, etc.  blog to no bully talk.  I am sick of the silence.  As a parent of 3 school age kids I am very concerned about the effects of bullying.  It is a growing worry in schools and on playgrounds across the country.  What, as a parent can we do?  PLENTY.
Listen to your kids.  Watch your kids.  and most of all, trust your instincts.

Mom Dad Uncle Aunt Brother Sister Teacher Friend...watch the children around you.  You may be able to make a BIG difference.  Bullying is becoming a lifestyle and we need to put a stop to it. PRONTO.

Don't be afraid to speak up.  There is no place for bullying and to not do anything only enables it.  What kind of bully policy does your school have?

School Lunch Realities

It's been far too long since I posted!  School is well underway, to 2nd quarter and the school lunch program is motoring right along.  There are still  the Styrofoam trays, chocolate milk, canned fruit filled with heavy sugars, juice cups with red 40 added, burgers and popcorn chicken in wrappers or boxes.  Kids pay their 2.50, line up, get their lunches and in some cases have less than 10 minutes to eat.  Do you see anything wrong with this?  For one, Styrofoam trays.  Goodness, in an effort to go green or even make a small attempt at going green, lets ditch the styrofoam.  Really, is anyone still using this?!  If you have a sink, you should be able to have a tray that you can wash and reuse.  We have several sinks.  Chocolate milk; our school requires 2 beverage choices.  The selection is 2% white milk or chocolate milk loaded with artificial flavors.  The 2% milk is no better, treated with bovine enhancement hormones. Couldn't we offer water as a choice?   Canned fruit, you know the kind.  When I was a kid it was called fruit cocktail.  It's a mixture of xxxxx ladled with heavy syrup.  Where's the apple?  Banana?  Popcorn chicken in a box.  I think this is the lunch companies way of relating to fast food.  How about a grass fed chicken drum stick?   And fruit juice cups.  Sure it says 100% juice but if you read the label you will find red 40 in the ingredient list.  Again, an apple, banana, orange.  Fresh fruit anyone?  This represents one single days lunch, a lunch provided to 1st thru 5th graders as the only hot lunch option and also offered to 6th thru 8th grade as the hot lunch option.  Cost for this tasty feast of additives, $2.50.  Yikes!


My kids do not eat hot lunch.  I wish I could say they never eat it.  I do however sit down with the one binder of hot lunch items and the ingredients in each item offered.  Red 40 listed, an automatic no.  The same goes for yellow 5 or 6, BHT, Vanillin, and MSG.  These are some of the things that most affect my kids.  These are some of the things that effect a great number of kids.

A recent article that riled me was a testimonial segment in the school newsletter from 2nd graders  about the yummy factor of the school lunches.  I will share those with you now and I will also share the ingredient list for those lunches, the list the parents never see unless they head over to the school and ask to see the ingredient binder.


Hot Lunch a BIG hit for Second Grade
 ...My favorite hot lunch is French toast. - L,  My favorite hot lunch is corn dogs! - S. Ms. X's  class says, My favorite hot lunch is pizza dippers and marinara sauce. -Z,  My favorite hot lunch is chicken nuggets with animal shaped cookies. -B   My favorite hot lunch is popcorn chicken. –C  My favorite hot lunch is tacos. -E  My favorite hot lunch is pizza. -K   From Mrs. X's class, My favorite hot lunch is spaghetti meat balls - K, My favorite hot lunch is pizza. E & V, My favorite hot lunch is pizza dippers. - P, My favorite lunch is pizza.  I love pizza. - K, My favorite lunch is popcorn chicken. - B.


Hmmm, I see a pattern here.  I'll follow this post with the ingredient list for those items listed.


I think I should submit an article for next month titled;
Hot Lunch, A Nutritional Strike Out

The Importance in Reading Labels

Recently a brand new Farmers Market popped up near my neighborhood.  I've been anxiously awaiting this since I heard about it a month or so ago.  It was close to my house, I knew some of the vendors from other markets that were going to be there and I was supporting local interests.   I know not all markets can boust certified organic or even organic labeling but I had become used to the vendors I've become to know and purchase from, with confidence.  This time I was caught off guard and purchased an item without reading the label until I got home.  When I read RED 40 on the ingredient list, I just about fell over.  All the indicators were there, the color WAS red.  Why I didn't think to look is really a lesson I will take with me moving forward on all new future purchases.  I'm so passionate about this because we are a family who has been on diet therapy removing ALL artificial colors.  Colors like red 40, yellow 5 and 6, blue 1 and have done so very successfully resulting in immediate results in my kids behavior and temperment and eliminating my migraines.
There was no deception on this particular vendors part, but it definately re-ignited my need to always read the label. 

With The Help of Friends - Blog Buttons

I have been blogging along now for a little while, learning things and picking up different ideas here and there and I have made some fantastic blog friends along the way! 

I love the buttons I've been seeing, you know the ones that you can "grab" and put on your own blog....kinda like a blog referral.  To my blog friends, if you have a button, let me know and I will place it on my sidebar.  If you are interested, I have just figured out how to have my own button.  I didn't do this by myself, however, and special thanks go to C at The Stylish House for this first design when I was fumbling my way around blogger and J at Day & Age Design for the tutorial on how to make my own.  Maybe I'll try to come up with a new pic to make my very own picture, but for now, I'm pretty darn impressed that I figured this out. Ladies, you are the best teachers, Thank You!
And in the meantime..........please feel free to grab my new button! :)

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