Mark’s Daily Apple

Vitamin D and RDA for Children8

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Don’t Dismiss the D

It’s probably of little surprise that we take issue with some of the Recommended Daily Allowance values and how they’re often determined. Case in point: New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that the current children’s RDA for Vitamin D (200 IUs) does not sufficiently support the “bone growth and musculoskeletal health of children and adolescents.�

The RDA value for children was set at 200 IUs because, unlike testing for adults’ dosage, there wasn’t adequate research into the benefits of higher amounts.

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem around the world, including in developed countries where children spend little time outside. Questions have existed for some time regarding the adequacy of the current RDA, particularly for older children and adolescents, who undergo a great deal of bone growth. As the researchers of this study note, Vitamin D levels during adolescence have bearing on a child’s future bone density and risk for other diseases.

For this placebo-controlled study, researchers gave children various doses of vitamin D at various intervals and measured the impact this had on serum levels of 25-OHD. For the short-term study, 25 students (15 boys and 10 girls) received one-weekly, 14,000 IU doses of vitamin D for eight weeks. Serum levels of 25-OHD were then measured for an additional eight weeks. This portion of the test was conducted during the summer and early fall, when the highest natural levels of vitamin D are reached. For the long-term, one-year study, 340 students (172 boys and 168 girls) received either a low dose of vitamin D (1,400 IUs each week) or a high dose (14,000 IUs each week).

The study notes that previous research has indicated no difference between daily and weekly supplementation of Vitamin D. To ensure full compliance, the researchers required weekly, on-site administration of the supplement.

At the end of the study periods, only those children who had received the “high� dosage of vitamin D had the recommended optimum serum (blood) levels as they are defined for adults. (There is less agreement about an ideal serum level for children.) Other benefits were seen in those who received the higher dose. Researchers observed “substantial increments in lean mass, bone area and bone mass� particularly in girls. Their observations from the study caused them to suggest that serum OHD-25 (vitamin D) levels in the mid-thirties (ng/ml) may be a reasonable and beneficial target for this age group. The researchers noted that adolescents would be less likely candidates for toxicity because of their body’s use of the vitamin for constant growth.

And vitamin D is essential for every last one of us. As the researchers note, “Low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of certain cancers (breast and prostate), autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular diseases.� Other risks? Depression. Osteoporosis. Cognitive impairment. Gait imbalance. Older men and women, in particular, are at risk for low levels or deficiency because of less time commonly spent outside and a decrease in the skin’s ability to “process� the nutrient from natural sun exposure.

Our recommendation for seedlings (and everyone else!)… As always, eat a healthy diet, supplement wisely, and get primal by spending adequate time outdoors.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.

Leo Reynolds Flickr Photo (CC)

Further Reading:

Seedlings and the “Need” for Nature

Not Enough B-6?

Let the Sun Shine In

Raise Healthy Seedlings

Supplementation

Eating Fabulous: Vitamin D in Brain Function, Supplementation May Be Necessary

Sponsor note:
This post was brought to you by the Damage Control Master Formula, independently proven as the most comprehensive high-potency antioxidant multivitamin available anywhere. With the highest antioxidant per dollar value and a complete anti-aging, stress, and cognition profile, the Master Formula is truly the only multivitamin supplement you will ever need. Toss out the drawers full of dozens of different supplements with questionable potency and efficacy and experience the proven Damage Control difference!

Posted: Health, Raise Healthy Seedlings, Supplements, Worker Bees' Weekly Bites

The Power of the Placebo9

Don’t Underestimate the Simple Sugar Pill

A number of months ago we reported that some 45% of Chicago internists (among those who responded to a survey) said they offered placebos to their patients from time to time. The report got people around the country talking – and maybe even wondering about their own prescription history.

Clearly, physicians recognize the impact of placebos, and research has time and again shown their efficacy. So, how does it really work? And who seems to benefit the most from the placebo effect? Is there anyone who can’t be “taken in�? In light of this recent NY Times article about a company that sells cherry-flavored sugar pills to be administered by parents to their unsuspecting children as a placebo we thought we’d investigate.

The placebo effect encompasses a person’s psychological and physiological response to some inactive treatment or procedure. The relief or improvement resulting from the placebo effect is highly dependent on the patient’s expectations, the nature of their condition, and other physical and personality-based aspects. Additional factors, such as the patient’s perception of the care provider and even the color and cost of a placebo pill, can influence the resulting relief or lack thereof. Subjects receiving what they were told were higher cost placebos reported pain reduction in higher numbers than those who received “lower priced� placebo medication. Placebo effect has been shown to have both short-term and long-term impact.

Although it might be easy to chalk it up to mere psychological phenomenon, researchers have identified biological bases of the placebo effect. A study out of the University of Michigan used brain scans to measure activity as subjects were told they were receiving pain-relieving substances to curb the discomfort induced by concentrated salt water injections in their jaws. (Fun, eh?) The scans as well as subjective self-reports showed that subjects did indeed experience physical relief from the “suggested� medication dose. Scans showed increased activity in parts of the brain known to be integral to the processing of pain. The scans also revealed activation of the subjects’ mu opioid endorphin system. Researchers chose to use healthy young men for subjects in order to rule out any impact of medical conditions or pre-existing pain on test results. Researchers say further study will determine if similar results can be found in women and older adults.

In terms of what people may be “high placebo responders,� research suggests that a person’s response may be related to the amount of activity in the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain with a large number of receptors for endorphins and dopamine. Some of us, apparently, anticipate more benefit than others, and our brain activity and hormonal release follows suit regardless of whether a treatment is fake or the real deal.

Other research shows that people with widely fluctuating as opposed to chronic pain respond better to placebo. And those with chronic fatigue do not seem to respond as well to placebo.

Research also suggests that placebo treatments can offer relief not just from physical pain but from psychological distress. As subjects viewed disturbing photos on the first day of a study, researchers administered legitimate anti-anxiety medication and a short time later an antidote to the drug. Subjects were told what they were receiving and the general impact each medication should have on their experience. On the second day, the researchers repeated the same procedure but administered placebos in place of the drugs. Researchers measured the subjects’ experience through their self-report and through functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects reported similar relief on the second day, and scans indicated increased brain activity in the part of the brain associated with pain relief even on the day of placebo administration.

When it comes to harnessing the power of the placebo, those of us on the other side of the prescription pad may have varying responses. Clearly for most of us, the use of placebos in research studies falls into a different category. Subjects know ahead of time that they may receive a placebo rather than an active therapy. But when it comes to the assignment of placebo as presumed legitimate treatment, the picture isn’t so clear. Some question the ethics of placebo use in these situations, particularly the pretense that accompanies it. Others applaud placebos as a safe and reasonably effective means to many positive ends.

Dr. Howard Brody, a professor and medical ethicist at Michigan State University, criticizes the use of physical placebo treatments but offers an alternative view of harnessing the power of “mind-body interactionâ€� in medical care: “Doctors may never prescribe placebos – dummy pills – but can make use of the placebo effect every time they see a patient.â€� By recognizing and maximizing the power of the physician-patient interaction itself, a patient can experience relief from the knowledge and thoughtful attention his/her doctor conveys. Dr. Brody explains, “Features of the healing environment usually include a physician or healer that listens carefully to what you say and gives you a realistic and sound explanation of what is happening to you. … People express care and compassion for your fears and suffering, and you leave feeling more in control of your life and your illness.” Dr. Brody’s perspective offers a view of the placebo effect that, he believes, isn’t dependent on the physical placebo itself.

And so we turn the questions over to you. Is the deception of placebo worth its potential positives? How can physicians and other care medical providers (indeed, the set-up of our medical system itself) further harness the power of the placebo as Dr. Brody suggests? Tell us your thoughts on the ethics of placebo pretense and the power of suggestion in health.

purchio Flickr Photo (CC)

Further Reading:

No Advantages from Aromatherapy?

Homeopathy: Can We Please, As a Society, Let This One Go?

Mind Hacks: Placebo is Not What You Think

NY Times: Experts Question Placebo Pill for Children

Sponsor note:
This post was brought to you by the Damage Control Master Formula, independently proven as the most comprehensive high-potency antioxidant multivitamin available anywhere. With the highest antioxidant per dollar value and a complete anti-aging, stress, and cognition profile, the Master Formula is truly the only multivitamin supplement you will ever need. Toss out the drawers full of dozens of different supplements with questionable potency and efficacy and experience the proven Damage Control difference!

Posted: Big Pharma, Health, Prevention, Raise Healthy Seedlings, Worker Bees' Weekly Bites

Fuming Fuji Returns!11

Wii don’t need no stinking Wii

As many of you know, the Fuming Fuji was MDA founding editor Sara Ost’s fiery alter ego. Though Sara has moved on to other projects, the spirit of the Fuji fights on here at MDA.

The Fuming Fuji has decided to rear his seething head and once again grace you all with his presence and supreme wisdom. The Fuji rather enjoyed his self-selected hiatus, choosing to fume in the comfort of unspecified locations. (He likes to come and go as he pleases, you understand.) But as of late there are simply too many things that infuriate the Fuji beyond all reason and hope of sanity. They must be shared regardless of the cost to Fuji’s convenience. This fact only makes the Fuji more incensed.

This week the Fuming Fuji has chosen to have a serious problem with Wii Sports and other such “exercise� video games.

But, Fuji, don’t these games encourage young people to be active?

The Fuming Fuji says no!

The claim: Your Fuji-ness, you don’t mean to criticize these games. After all, it’s a way to get kids up and moving. It appeals to the current generation of kids. And, hey, if it gets a child up off the couch and playing virtual tennis, bending here, stretching there, swinging there, doesn’t that mean something?

The catch: A swing of the arm, you argue? Surely such exertion will earn this child a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Your feeble perspective is of no consequence. These children should be exercising their bodies in the context of the natural environment or in a setting that nurtures social and creative development. These games offer no such support for seedlings’ personal health or growth.

The comeback: Oh, Fuji, come on now. What about Dance Dance Revolution? That one can really get you going! Anyway, can’t it just be a good time? Haven’t you ever been to a party where they break out the Wii and everyone tries their hand at it while people in the background laugh and cheer them on or scream to make the other team member miss? Whoa, I remember this time at -

The conclusion: Silence! These tedious recollections of pitiable social endeavors bore me. Fuji has no time for such tomfoolery. We are speaking of young seedlings. These companies seek to ruthlessly co-opt children’s impulse toward active play and manipulate this instinct into increased sales at the continuing cost of children’s health and well-being. Their products have entranced this generation and led them to sedentary, sickly existences. These companies will not stop until every seedling is incapable of socializing without the assistance of technological devices and is victim to obesity, insulin resistance, and, and (steam rising from Fuji’s head) rickets! Fuji’s getting’ upset!

The catchphrase: Do not be taken in by these insidious mind traps that seek to confuse children’s natures and sabotage any inclination toward truly active play.

Disclaimer: Mark Sisson and the Worker Bees do not necessarily endorse the views of the Fuming Fuji.

Further Reading:

Fuming Fuji Archives

Raise Healthy Seedlings

Sisson Said What?

Posted: Health, Humor, Nutrition, Raise Healthy Seedlings, Reviews, The Fuming Fuji

Healthy Options for Seedlings6

Growing Seedlings Need Proper Nourishment

As promised, we’re back with more on healthy ways to feed the seedlings. Depending on where you are on the desperation scale with your kids, some items will be options for tonight’s dinner and some may offer targets for future progress. In any case, here are few ideas for real life meals your kids will at least try.

We don’t sell this as the perfect MDA meal plan, hence the faint of heart warning in last week’s post. If your kids eat what Mark eats, more power to you! For the rest of us, here are some decent compromises that can keep the peace. They might just inspire the parental units of the house as well!

And we can’t help but add our bit of commentary to the veggie controversy floating around out there. We’re all for using familiar foods to get kids on the right track, but as for the latest surreptitious “trend� of hiding veggies in kid’s food? We have this to say about vegetables: love them, applaud them, and shamelessly flaunt them to your kids and rest of the world while you’re at it. It’s a much more sustainable approach, and (let’s face it) it’s also less work.

Don’t forget to check out our past MDA recipes for options that might pique your children’s interest! “Hey, Mikey, he likes it!�

Breakfast:

• Fruit and Cheese Plate (Good for light eaters)

• Omelet (Add nitrate/nitrite free ham or bacon, cheese and veggies of choice)

• Breadless Egg Benedict

• Huevos Rancheros (Cut out the tortillas altogether if you can manage it. But, especially for those trying to wean kids off of toast or oatmeal, you can reduce the tortillas to one, and exchange the beans for more avocado and veggies.)

Lunch:

• Chicken Tortilla Soup (Cut out the chips.)

• Cobb Salad (Bacon will get most kids to eat a lot of things. As always, make it nitrate/nitrite free.)

• Fresh Spinach Salad (Add hardboiled egg, crumbled cauliflower, diced tomato, peas, bacon, pine nuts, parmesan, and basil pesto.)

• Thai Beef Salad

Side Dishes/Snacks:

• Deviled Eggs

• Waldorf Salad (Great as a side dish or as meal with a little turkey or chicken.)

• Apples with Almond Butter (Add a dash of honey for the truly tough customers.)

• Cottage Cheese with Berries

• Cut Veggies with Veggie-Loaded Cream Cheese Whip (Send a few select veggies like carrots and peppers as well as herbs like chive or parsley through the food processor until they’re a chunky “near-puree,� and add to whipped brick of cream cheese.)

Dinner:

• Meatloaf (Skip the breadcrumbs and add some pureed veggies instead. Serve with veggie sides of choice including glazed carrots made with butter and ginger instead of brown sugar.)

• Veggie-loaded Chili (You can increase the veggies over time.)

• Gluten-Free Caribbean Pork Roast with Cinnamon Apples

• Chicken Stew or Coq Au Vin

• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad (Substitute parsnips for white potatoes.)

• Baked Salmon with Coconut Crust

• Salad Adventure (See our previous Choose Your Own Salad Adventure post for ideas on setting up your own salad mini-bar.)

This is, thankfully, just the tip of the iceberg. We’d love to hear from you and learn what healthy foods (both familiar and unusual fare) you serve the seedlings in your life.

tico brassie, In Praise of Sardines, rodeomilano, talkoftomatoes, *tk, rachel is coconut&lime, jasmined, Elaine Vigneault, dawnnakaya, essjay in NZ, ninjapoodles, Sachmanns.dk, SarahR89, bunchofpants, joshbousel, Mrs. Maze, kendiala, talkoftomatoes, wEnDaLicious, VeganWarrior, ninjapoodles Flickr Photos (CC)

Posted: Diet, Health, How To, Nutrition, Raise Healthy Seedlings, Recipes

Reader Response: Practical Advice for Parents9

Caution: It is a dietary mine field out there. Kiddie junk food high and low! Parents, proceed at your own risk. And remember. Your seedlings deserve better.

Nancy S. offered these comments in response to last week’s News on the Seedling Front.

As a parent, I could really use some practical, realistic ideas about what to do for my kids. Specifically, lunch-box solutions that will keep them eating healthy and able to concentrate in school (and not trying to trade away their lunch for some kid’s HoHo). As a parent it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by all the stuff you are probably doing wrong, so having someone help you do what is right can go a long way to helping solve the problem!

Nancy’s comments really got us talking and sharing “war� stories. Many of us have been there or are in the midst of it now. Mark, himself, has a 14-year-old and 17-year-old. Parents’ jobs can often be thankless. Whatever it counts for, we understand – and empathize! We’ll devote a short series, in fact, to the seedlings questions Nancy and others have raised regarding day-to-day, in-the-trenches options.

Now for some practical tips and humble advice for all the parents and grandparents out there… But before we venture into these swampy, menacing waters, we should offer a fair warning. What’s that saying about “Beware those who enter here�? The subject of kids and food is not for the faint of heart. No mincing of words. In a recent post Mark had this to say about The Art of Compromise in the Primal Blueprint: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This goes double when dealing with seedlings. With that said…

• Perhaps it goes without saying, but the first step is to make the commitment to a healthy diet yourself. As we all know, the “do as I say not as I do� philosophy just doesn’t cut it. Kids watch you like hawks and remember like elephants. Be honest and get your thinking out on the table – your personal health goals, your favorites, your failings. If they know you understand that making these kinds of changes can be difficult, they’ll likely be more open with you about their choices and concerns. As with everything in parenting, genuineness and credibility will get you further than some unapproachable projection of perfection.

• See the process as “training your child’s tastes� rather than imposing a certain diet from day one. Viewing the process through a “training� lens will encourage a little more fun and flexibility. The focus should be on the positive – incorporating the new – rather than simply slashing and burning everything they’re used to. Use the familiar to help switch gears. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Every kid loves comfort food, and it doesn’t always have to be unhealthy. Think about stews, meatloaf (with reduced or substituted breadcrumbs), hearty soups, flavorful salads with some creative condiments (e.g. veggie loaded homemade pesto or hummus). Look for specific foods and menus next week!

• Buck the processed and sugar laden beverages. Water, decaf tea, milk. You don’t need anything else. (But you can consider organic, no-added-sodium vegetable juice. Little ones especially may go for it.) Make regular drinks special by getting some natural mineral water (Gerolsteiner, Pellegrino, etc.) and putting a slice of lemon or some cherries in it. As for cocoa, it’s a dessert that’s at your discretion. Choose the genuine article (organic if possible), and barely, if at all, sweeten it. (This alteration may take some time – all part of the taste training.)

• You can never start too early. Skip infant cereal. Keep kids away from any form of sugar as long as humanly possible. Some parents/grandparents/relatives will give kids sweets before kids even know what they are or have any interest in them. These people tend to do it for entertainment or nostalgia sake. Here’s our take: milk your kid’s naive ignorance for all it’s worth. And tell well-meaning relatives that some things are just off limits (at least for now).

• You can never start too late. Parents can worry that once they’ve gone down a certain road with their kids that it’s impossible to turn it around. If parents can make the commitment, they can get their kids on board. Sure, expect complaints, but don’t get thrown by them. It will take extra time, but stick to your guns and don’t forget to make it fun for everyone. Which leads us to…

• Make the changes a family commitment and even an opportunity for family events. Strawberry picking season is coming up. Make a day of it at an area farm. Or let them help you shop at a farmer’s market (little to no processed foods here!). It’s a great opportunity for kids to see just how many vegetables and fruits there are and to find their favorites when all the “junk� is out of the picture.

• Make it fun. Try an “international dinner� one night a week when you fix healthy cuisine from a different culture. Decorate, download music, dance, go whole hog. The little ones will love it, and the older ones will enjoy it too (however much they roll their eyes).

• Give them responsibility. If your children are old enough, put them in charge of planning and preparing one healthy meal a week.

• Take it in steps. If you’re facing a major overhaul, take the “whole foods� step first. Out with the processed foods. It will do kids good to see what goes into real food. If they can’t make it or bake it from scratch, it’s not for dinner. Sugar (in all its forms) could be the next step. (But you’d be surprised how much sugar you already cut out going the “whole foods� approach.) We’d recommend putting fruit juice in this category, but keep plenty of actual fruit available for them. Another good “step,� as Nancy mentioned, is cutting gluten from your child’s diet. This may be particularly useful for children with ADD or ADHD, many of whom may be gluten sensitive. You can also experiment with reducing/eliminating dairy to see if it makes a difference for your child.

• As you continue to progress in stages, don’t worry about absolutes. Remember, the Primal Blueprint allows for personal compromises. Kids should have the same opportunity we do to practice a little indulgence. Children who are old enough to understand the conversation can and should have a say in what they want their indulgences to be. Let it be a continuing collaboration of interests and reasonable limits.

• Buy better quality. Take the money you save in chucking the processed food from the grocery list and invest it in better quality produce, meats, cheeses and other whole foods. Let’s face it: iceberg lettuce doesn’t inspire anyone. Baby romaine or this Spring’s fresh spinach – that’s what we’re talking about. Set up a mini salad bar and let them add their own veggies and other fixings.

• Don’t underestimate the power of presentation. Children are blessedly predictable in this regard. Shamelessly use it to your advantage.

• Allow a little give for special occasions, but don’t totally backslide. You might instigate a revolt if you suddenly scrap Thanksgiving pie or Junior’s favorite birthday cake. Believe it or not, they might be lobbying for more than a sugar opportunity. Traditions mean more to kids than we often understand. Choose your battles.

• Supplement wisely, as we always say. A quality, complete kid’s multi-vitamin can cover your bases. We’d recommend a fish oil supplement as well, but O.K. the idea and particular supplement with your pediatrician first. Look for an appropriate children’s dose that is guaranteed, independently tested pure from toxins. (The kids’ versions usually come flavored to boot.)

Thanks to Nancy and everyone who have offered seedling questions and comments. As said, look for more on this topic next week. In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with feeding the seedlings in your life.

fishy fish arcade, foreversouls, pengrin, Peter J. Zaki, elmada, roboppy, Nanon, yoppy, Erin Nealy Flickr Photos

Further Reading:

Seedlings and the “Need” for Nature

Questions About Soy Formula

Children and the Importance of Sleep

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Posted: Health, Health Challenges, How To, Raise Healthy Seedlings