The right diet for your hyperactive kid
Is your child impulsive, hyperactive or has a short attention span? Giving him/her foods high in sugar and caffeine content will only make it worse.
According to studies, children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders often have an Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) deficiency. Here’s looking at the foods you should include in your hyperactive kid’s diet.
Milk: This calcium-rich food also supports cell membranes and aids the nervous system, which could improve a child’s behaviour. Milk also contains magnesium that has a calming effect on the nervous system and helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function.
Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts etc as well as seeds like flax are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, that have a calming effect.
Oranges: Containing vitamin C and muscle-relaxing potassium, oranges are a good option to calm a hyperactive kid. In fact, give your kid an orange to peel. That itself will take a few minutes and calm him/her down. Fruits like blueberries and strawberries also contain healthy antioxidants and vitamin C. Moreover, they help prevent a boost in cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’ produced by the adrenal gland.
Leafy greens: Veggies like broccoli and spinach are a rich source of vitamin B, that has been linked to improved neural activity and is great at reducing stress. Other good food sources of these vitamins are whole-grain cereals and breads, rice, nuts, milk, eggs, meats, fish, fruits, leafy green vegetables and soy.
Banana: This fruit is rich in protein, that evenly sustains your energy and eating small portions of protein throughout the day evens out the energy. Make sure your child gets high-protein breakfast and adding banana to that is a sure way to fix your kid’s attention deficit. If your kid is averse to eating banana, make a smoothie.
