Eating and Sleeping –Do They Affect Our Children’s Behavior? (Plus Mood-Boosting Recipes for Kids!)
Thank you to Deborah Winters of The Counseling & Parenting Center, a Parenting Expert and Licensed Psychotherapist, for this guest post!
Does this sound familiar to you? You and your three year old wake up happy. After breakfast, you stop by the local library for a free music class. After class ends, you spend a few minutes picking out a book to rent giggling over the stories you look forward to sharing. But just as you are saying your “goodbyes” to the books and librarians, you child turns from happy and joyful to irritable, bad-tempered and really crabby. All of a sudden they will not listen to you and even refuse to leave the library! Your gut now feels hot because you are wondering how you are going to get them to the car without triggering the tantrum that is seemingly about to ensue.
There are many reasons why children misbehave, but there are two essential factors we all need to sustain a healthy temperament. Eating and sleeping patterns can easily contribute to our children’s misbehaviors. If parents pay closer attention to our children’s sleeping and eating habits, like we did when they were infants, we can be one step closer to controlling their misbehaviors before they even start!
Since newborns communicate by crying, parents rightfully assume their babies’cries are either hunger- or sleep-related. But as children begin to walk and talk their signals for hunger and sleep mature from crying to whining and even to the dreaded temper tantrum! Far too often these new behaviors are misinterpreted by parents and labeled as “bad,” which can result in punishment and frustration felt by all!
As a parent coach, many parents often ask me how to control their children’s misbehaviors. There are four mistaken goals of behavior: undue attention, power, revenge and assumed inadequacy. While there are plenty of tools and strategies for handling each, the bottom line is if your kid is improperly fed or not well rested, it is going to be a lot harder to get to the root of the problem. Just think about yourself – don’t you become grouchy when you haven’t eaten the right foods, or had a good night’s rest?
Eating:Both research and experience are proving that there is a connection between how we eat and how we think and act. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, most children need to eat every 3-4 hours to keep their blood sugar levels consistent. Eating too much sugary food, too often, will increase children’s blood sugar levels and make them hyperactive, while long gaps between meals will create a sudden dip in blood sugar levels, which can cause mood swings and temper tantrums. As a parent coach, I try to uncover how much of the “bad behavior” my parents describe is really the result of poor or inadequate nutrition.
What children eat is as important as how often they eat. Our happiness levels are regulated by a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a natural anti-depressant; it boosts our mood by sending positive signals to receptors in our brain, making us feel happy!
In order to produce this all-important serotonin, our bodies need certain foods. Holistic Wellness Coach Kim Gilroy says, “The most important thing is to eat high quality (organic & GMO free), whole foods as often as you can. Eliminating refined sugars like corn syrup, along with hydrogenated oil and food dyes, have positive impact on brain function. Furthermore incorporating omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, salmon, grass-fed beef, eggs, soybeans, and tofu are essential nutrients in repairing and maintaining brain function.”
Here are Kim’s recommendations for mood-boosting foods that are easy to incorporate into your child’s diet and will help them feel great!
Brain-Boosting Snacks:A Classic with Chia Seeds• 1 heaping tablespoon of natural peanut or almond butter• 1 teaspoon of chia seeds• Mix together and spread on a sliced apple
Trail Mix• 8 – 10 walnuts• 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds• Small handful of blueberries• 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate chips
Brain-Boosting Breakfast Food:Eggs and Greens (Serves: 4 kids)• Finely chop ¾ cup of kale, spinach or collards and set aside• In a bowl, crack 4 free-range eggs• ¼ cup of milk• Pinch of salt• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder• 1/8 teaspoon of pepper (or to taste)• ¼ teaspoon of dried parsley• Mix well• Place pan on stove and set heat to medium, place a thin piece of butter to coat bottom of the pan or another healthy oil of choice.• Pour egg mixture in and use a spatula to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom.• When eggs are almost finished add the chopped greens and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Serve with a side of blackberries or blueberries.
A Quick Fix – Amp Up a Bowl of CerealIn a bowl, place the following:• 1/3 cup of Ezekiel Food for Life cereal or ¾ cup of Organic Brown Rice Crisps• 1/3 cup blueberries• 6 walnuts roughly chopped• 1 teaspoon of chia seeds• ½ cup of milk of choice (if you are using dairy, I recommend using whole milk from a grass-fed cow or organic hormone-free)
Sleeping:Yes, we all need sleep. But did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children 1-3 years old still need 12-14 hours of sleep! Sleep problems and a lack of sleep have direct negative effects on children's behavior and mood. Not only that, studies show that children who are sleep-deprived are more likely to be depressed, to catch colds and flu, and to suffer accidents on the playground. The good news is that sleep problems in kids are easily prevented and treated.
Below are tips for improving your child's sleep.
*Speak to your pediatrician first if your child exhibits any of the following signs of a sleep problem:• Snoring• Breathing pauses during sleep• Difficulty staying awake during the day• Unusual events during sleep such as sleepwalking or nightmares
Tips for Improving Your Child's Sleep• Create a picture chart to help kids know what comes next in their bedtime routine. Let the routine speak for itself!• Establish a regular time for bed each night and do not vary from it. Similarly, the waking time should not differ from weekday to weekend by more than one to one and a half hours.• Establish a relaxing regular bedtime routine such as giving your child a warm bath or reading a story.• There should be no distractions such as television, radio, or music playing while the child is going to sleep. TV and video games should be turned off at least one hour prior to bedtime.• Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time as too much activity close to bedtime can keep children awake.• Avoid giving children large meals close to bedtime and try to avoid giving any food or drinks with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime.• Infants and children should be put to bed when they appear tired but still awake (rather than falling asleep in their parent's arms, or in another room). Parents should avoid getting into bed with a child in order to get them to sleep.• For a FREE sleep consultation, contact me @ 917-445-9410. Or visit my website at CounselingandParenting.com for more information.• To find out how Wellness Coach Kim Gilroy can help you on your food mood journey, please visit her website at kimgilroyinsideout.com.
