Handling food fights

Almost every family struggles with food in some way. Whether the kids are picky, or react poorly to different foods, parents often feel they are waging war about food. Mack has food allergies. Will is picky and must adhere to a regular schedule. Rory is a vegetarian (mostly). Kae takes far too long to eat a meal and argues about her options like its her job. We have a strict budget. In just one home, we cover a gamut of issues. The above food issues aren't even the only possibilities. Certain foods can cause worsened behaviors. Parents opt to cut certain kinds of foods out of their children's diets to attempt to quell unwanted activity. Among the top foods cut are food dyes, gluten, folic acid, and dairy. These are common culprits that kids react oddly to. Dyes, especially red, tend to exacerbate the focus struggles of kids with ADHD. Gluten can also cause difficulty with self-control. Those with the MTHFR gene mutation don't process manufactured folic acid well, and need methylfolate from plant sources instead. Food diaries can help shed light on how a child reacts to various dietary adjustments. By noting the food eliminations and changes in daily interactions, parents can see whether the child is favorably adjusting to different attempts. Scheduling food times and types of food can also help reduce difficult behaviors and meltdowns. We discovered Will was hypoglycemic, and adjusted to small meals every other hour. We also ensured that he ate a protein with his fruit and vegetable so his complex sugars would last longer rather than lead to a crash. Whole foods that we prepare ourselves tends to be the most inexpensive and effective way we can monitor what our children are eating and ensure they're getting the things they need to grow and function. Opting to adjust your child's diet is not an easy, or inexpensive, decision in most cases. Convenience foods are often less costly, but contain ingredients that many children struggle to process appropriately. Unblocking their developing brains is crucial to their success at conducting themselves in constructive ways.