Many parents have a difficult time getting their young children to eat well or eat enough or eat at all.  So what’s the secret to getting your child to eat healthy food? 

Here are some ideas:

1.) Provide healthy food so junk food is not a temptation for children.  Teach them from a young age the importance of eating proper food.  Children’s bodies are growing and developing at such a fast rate, it is so important that they receive the proper daily nutrition.

2.) Your children will often develop the same eating habits as you.  Children watch and learn everything by your example.  If you aren’t eating vegetables, how can you expect them to? 

 3.) Make eating exciting by giving fun nicknames for food

4.) Cut food into different shapes so it’s fun to eat

5.) Sing a song or play a game about the food

6.) Have other children eat good food in front of your child

7.)  Offer an assortment of foods so your child will learn to like a variety of different foods.

Studies have shown that children breastfed for less than six months are more likely to become picky eaters.  So it may be a good idea to breastfeed as long as possible.

Try to use all the food groups as a guide for healthy nutrition for your child.  While the common “chicken fingers and french fries” lunch may seem easy, introduce more healthy options and your child might surprise you.  Good luck!

(Photo credit: Flikr)

The EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Journal will post a study tomorrow purporting that scientific research has provided evidence proving that Neurofeedback (also called EEG Biofeedback) is an affective treatment method for combating ADHD.

Neurofeedback is the use of external response mechanisms (like sounds or vibrations) to represent brain activity. These indicators are used to help the patients understand how their brain activity translates into undesirable physical activity. In this way, they can regain control of their brain activity and break habits or subconscious activities that impact their quality of life.

The results were collected through 15 studies on over 1000 patients with ADHD, and they showed that neurofeedback treatment has large and clinically significant effects on Impulsivity and Inattention and a modest improvement of Hyperactivity.

The idea of using neurofeedback to treat ADHD has been a controversial one with some psychiatrists, but many claim that these protests are driven by drug companies and related, non-medical motives.

Other areas where neurofeedback has been researched include treatment of substance abuse, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, OCD, learning disabilities, Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, anger and rage, cognitive impairment, migraines, headaches, chronic pain, autism spectrum disorders, sleep dysregulation, PTSD and MTBI.

Do you have a child with ADHD? If so, what do you think about this type of treatment?

If your baby is crying relentlessly and you’ve tried everything from the binky to a bottle and a bath, you may start worrying that your baby has colic. About one-quarter of all babies have colic, which is defined as a crying that lasts for three or more hours a day, three days or more per week over a period of more than three weeks’ time. Other than crying, a baby must be healthy and well-fed to be considered colicky.

Colic usually begins within the second or third week of life and begins to taper off once the baby is about & 3-months-old. The crying episodes tend to start around the same time each day, which is usually later in the day or early evening. There are no known causes of colic and there are no differences between those who had the crying fits as a baby and those who did not later in life. Colic affects boys and girls equally. There have been some theories as to what triggers the crying fits, like acid reflux, digestive problems, gas and temperament, but none have panned out true causes.

Unfortunately, there is no surefire cure for colic. The best you can do is attempt to soothe the baby and try to shorten the crying session’s length. Some ways to do this include:

• bathe the baby
• burp the baby
• feed the baby
• give the baby a pacifier
• massage the baby
• play music
• sing to the baby
• swaddle the baby
• swing the baby
• take the baby for a ride
• try a new nipple on the baby’s bottle
• try changing the baby’s formula, or your diet if you breast-feed

Colic is a difficult condition for any parent to deal with. Be sure to seek out the support of your family and friends as well as that of your partner. In addition, try to join a group of mothers currently dealing with colic so you feel less alone. If you think your baby’s colic is not getting better or is causing health problems, be sure to contact your physician.

Aricka Flowers

(photo credit: dmatos)

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