Can Grains Affect Children's Personality? page 3

[ScottMcCollum]

You're welcome :-)

Here's another link Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook: Real Food for Real Life: Sarah Fragoso: 9781936608638: Amazon.com: Books

Everyday Paleo cookbook - in the front of the book she talks about strategies to convert your family to a healthier lifestyle.

[serenity]

There are studies that suggest that a gluten-free diet improves the behavior of kids on the autistic spectrum so I wouldn't really be surprised if gluten affects the behavior of normal kids too.

[Urban Forager]

Thanks for the blog link, Scott (good one!) and for everyone's input. My daughter, 8, seems to be coming out of what was loosely labeled as Sensory Processing Disorder, and I continue to ponder the diet connection for her. I'm full Primal but my wife and kids aren't, and since our son, 10, has cystic fibrosis (and therefore needs to eat a lot, calorie density all the time), putting "restrictions" on food choices has worried us as limiting for his caloric intake...since high BMI is one of the best indicators for a good prognosis. Deep down I know that lots of calories from GOOD sources is the ideal--even if pizza is easier, especially in situations like birthday parties where those grain and sugar choices are constant. I'm considering trying a family-wide Whole 30. Anyone done it? Am I nuts to consider it?

Tom my 14 yr. old son has CF, though he's pancreatic sufficient. He's basically doing the Full GAPS Diet, it's very similar to primal, with some notable exceptions, starches are limited, no chocolate and only certain dairy is allowed. The emphasis is on healing the gut with bone broth (my son loves it) and introducing healthy bacteria. The foods are nutrient dense so I think it's good for those with CF. My sis also has CF ( she's 62 and pancreatic sufficient) and eats a primal diet.

[healthy11]

I wonder what I would have turned out to be if my mom never ruined my childhood with bread. Could have amounted to so much more...

Haha! I wonder, too! I wouldn't have had the disordered eating that took over my every thought!

[meeshar]

I definitely notice it with my preschooler. We eat Primal at home, and I pack her breakfast/lunch for pre-k, but I don't restrict her elsewhere. Many afternoons when I pick her up from school she is a completely different child--hyperactive, unfocused, defiant--just plain wild. Then I found out that they just had Cheez-its and "Little Hugs" (high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, yum) for snack time, or it was a kid's birthday and they had cupcakes. I used to let her get the cafeteria breakfast/lunch occasionally when she asked, but stopped that once I realized that she had bad behavior reports on every single "tray day", and that she was eating a pop-tart with milk for breakfast.

[solstice]

I took my kids off of gluten/wheat when my oldest was just over 2 years old...non-verbal, excessive tantrums, poor eye contact, etc...I was SURE he was somewhere on the spectrum. 6 years later he is a normal boy---very even keeled, does great in school, makes friends, etc. I am convinced that gluten was a demon for him. I kept my younger son off of it as well... They do have GF substitutes, but also eat mostly healthy whole foods. I notice that I think my kids act better in most situations than most other kids---having to wait at a store, being told no, having to leave a place when they want to stay, etc. No tantrums, no fights, no eye-rolling, just great kids! Diet is HUGE.

[LauraSB]

It would not surprise me one bit if a child's behavior was affected by wheat. Since I've given up most processed foods and grains, my mood is unbelievably improved.

I am allergic to Wheat and My husband has Celiac's disease.

I wanted to respond to this particularly though. If both my husband and I had diagnosed issues with wheat, I would never voluntarily expose my children to it. Even before I had heard of primal, one of my daughter's friends had celiac's. Her older sister had a long history of digestive issues and failure to thrive. As a tween, the sister was diagnosed with Type I diabetes and then eventually with celiac's. Her doctor's, all fairly mainstream, agreed that the diabetes was related to undiagnosed/untreated celiac's. At that point the whole family was tested. Mom and younger sister had a history of mild digestive issues and both tested positive for celiac's. So one parent with celiac's, one teen child with serious issues and complications and one younger child with mild issues. No one was diagnosed as a small child. The older child (and her doctors and parents) spent years figuring out how to get good control of her diabetes. Her diagnosis came at an age where compliance is notorious for being an issue and her parents were terrified that she would die before she grew up enough to be sensible about her condition.

Regardless of behavioral issues, I would be militant about gluten. A six year old and a three year old are much easier to manage than older children. The longer they are accustomed to gluten-free living, the easier it will be.

[Damiana]

Only if the child is particularly sensitive to grains. I think it's more nurture that plays into personality. I observed my sister's friends growing up healthy and happy on a CW diet with no particular behavioral disorders, but then mine is a small sample size.

[solstice]

It would not surprise me one bit if a child's behavior was affected by wheat. Since I've given up most processed foods and grains, my mood is unbelievably improved.

I wanted to respond to this particularly though. If both my husband and I had diagnosed issues with wheat, I would never voluntarily expose my children to it. Even before I had heard of primal, one of my daughter's friends had celiac's. Her older sister had a long history of digestive issues and failure to thrive. As a tween, the sister was diagnosed with Type I diabetes and then eventually with celiac's. Her doctor's, all fairly mainstream, agreed that the diabetes was related to undiagnosed/untreated celiac's. At that point the whole family was tested. Mom and younger sister had a history of mild digestive issues and both tested positive for celiac's. So one parent with celiac's, one teen child with serious issues and complications and one younger child with mild issues. No one was diagnosed as a small child. The older child (and her doctors and parents) spent years figuring out how to get good control of her diabetes. Her diagnosis came at an age where compliance is notorious for being an issue and her parents were terrified that she would die before she grew up enough to be sensible about her condition.

Regardless of behavioral issues, I would be militant about gluten. A six year old and a three year old are much easier to manage than older children. The longer they are accustomed to gluten-free living, the easier it will be.

I absolutely agree with this too and forgot to mention it...if you BOTH have issues with wheat---why even have it in the house?

[kgoode]

Thank you and for everyone else's responses. It is stressful not knowing what is triggering your child's behavior when you know they are good kids!

Nora Gedgaudas is a good resource for this. Listen to her free podcasts and read Primal Body, Primal Mind.