New evidence reported by the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) shows a link between food additives-commonly found in junk foods and soft drinks-and hyperactivity in children. Scientists at Southampton University tested the effects of seven synthetic colorings and preservatives in children ages 3 and 9. As a result British government researchers are warning parents to keep artificial colorings out of their children’s diet. Their data supports the long-standing suggestions that additives and preservatives are linked to ADHD.

Supermarket chains in Britain, including ASDA (a unit of Walmart stores) and Tesco, have responded by removing all artificial colors and flavors from it’s own private labeled food products. ASDA has pledged that by the end of the year it’s own labeled food and drinks would no longer contain any artificial colors or flavors, aspartame, hydrogenated fat, or flavor enhancers. http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL152719320070515

Food additives and enhancers offer no nutritional value and may be worsening your child’s behavior. We recommend keeping the use of additives to a minimum in your own family’s diet and eat healthier by choosing whole foods, served in their original form the way mother nature intended. At ADD Health and Wellness, we integrate nutritional information with traditional psychotherapeutic and medical interventions for the best outcomes.

Is there really more to say about Omega 3 fatty acids? Yes! According to Dr. Alex Richardson, a research fellow at Oxford University’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics. “Our brain is built, maintained, and repaired by what we eat” says Richardson. It is clear that nutrients do affect brain development, and in particular the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA play an important role in brain cell health. Omega-3’s have shown benefits in improving symptoms of ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and developmental coordination disorder. Still not convinced you need these essential fats? A 2005 study of 117 children ages 5-12 showed signficiant improvements in reading, spelling and ADHD symptoms after only a few months of omega-3’s. Smart tip: add a tsp of liquid fish oil to your protein shake in the morning to improve mood, learning, and behavior!http://thestar.com.my/health/story.aspfile=/2007/5/10/health/17640080&sec=health

Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that’s remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday. That’s “well below” the government’s goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and having half of the population consume three servings of vegetables each day by 2010, said Dr. Larry Cohen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The diet survey, part of a huge federal health survey of every state, is based on responses from 305,000 adults in 2005. It indicates the country is only about halfway toward meeting its healthy eating goal three years from now. Specifically the survey showed that 27 percent of adults ate vegetables three times a day, and about 33 percent ate fruit twice a day. A serving size is a half-cup for most fruits and vegetables, one cup for leafy greens.

Senior citizens were more likely than others to follow Mom’s advice to eat more veggies, with slightly more than a third of that group eating three or more servings each day. Younger adults, age 18 to 24, ate the fewest vegetables. Nearly four-fifths of that age category scraped the veggies to the side of their plates — if they had vegetables on the plate at all.
Likewise, seniors also ate the most fruit, with nearly 46 percent eating two or more servings of fruit daily. People age 35 to 44 ate fruit the least, with fewer than 28 percent eating the recommended amount of fruit each day. The federal agency said it doesn’t know why people aren’t eating more veggies or fruits. Cohen said future surveys will ask people what other foods they are eating. Susan Krause, a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, said people are eating more refined sugars or choosing protein instead of fruits and vegetables.”There’s so much information out there and people get very confused. When they’re looking at protein, they feel that’s the solution when they’re not looking at long-term health benefits,” she said. “There’s so many fabricated foods now and people are looking at convenience.”

Not only are fruits and vegetables lower-calorie, they also have minerals and fiber that help guard against chronic diseases and cancer, the CDC says. The survey relied on people to report what they were eating. Telephone questioners asked how often they consumed fruit juice, fruit and vegetables. Although Hispanics ate the most fruits (37 percent) compared with blacks and whites, they ate the fewest vegetables, (about 20 percent). Whites, in contrast, ate the fewest fruits (31 percent) but the most veggies (28 percent).Cohen said the CDC has been working on family and community programs to get more people to eat their veggies. The agency is working with the U.S.

Department of Agriculture to get more fresh produce into schools. Krause said health officials should offer people simple options for getting fruits and vegetables in their diets, such as easy recipes in cooking classes and fruit smoothies or shakes in schools. “If that’s a way of getting it in, at least it’s in the right direction,” she said. “Certainly (whole) fruit is a better choice, but that could be the next alternative.”
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On the Net:
CDC info: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Serving size info:
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga20

People often ask about Amino Acids and how to increase them in our diet. Here are the basics.As far as your body is concerned, there are two different types of amino acids: essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can create out of other chemicals found in your body. Essential amino acids cannot be created, and therefore the only way to get them is through food. Protein in our diets comes from both animal and vegetable sources.

Most animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) provide what’s called “complete protein,” meaning that they contain all of the essential amino acids.

Most vegetable sources are usually are low on or missing certain essential amino acids. However, different vegetable sources are deficient in different amino acids, and by combining different foods you can get all of the essential amino acids throughout the course of the day. Some vegetable sources contain quite a bit of protein — things like nuts, beans, soybeans, etc. are all high in protein. Quinoa and chick peas are two of my favorite that are high in protein. Also by combining foods you can get complete coverage of all essential amino acids. The digestive system breaks all proteins down into their amino acids so that they can enter the bloodstream. Cells then use the amino acids as building blocks. Here are the different amino acids:

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